“Let go of those activities that no longer serve.” And I might add, don’t be a slacker nor a martyr. There is a middle way.
Below is the link to Lynn J Kelly’s latest post that helps us better understand how our compulsions and lack of mindfulness are not serving us very well. It’s far better to choose wisely how we focus our attention.
Richard Rohr provides another provocative post about the examples provided by Saints Francis and Claire of Assisi.
One quote from the article link below that grabs my attention is:
“When we agree to live simply, we put ourselves outside of others’ ability to buy us off, reward us falsely, or control us by money, status, punishment, and loss or gain. This is the most radical level of freedom, but, of course, it’s not easy to come by. Francis and Clare created a life in which they had little to lose, no desire for gain, no debts to pay, and no luxuries they needed or wanted. Most of us can only envy them.“
Here’s another educational post from Lynn J Kelly. She reminds us of the value of being determined to:
buddhasadvice.wordpress.com/2024/04/30/determination-adhiṭṭhana/#like-19452
Morty the Misfit, Morty Chameleon, Morty the one-eyed Chihuahua has captured my heart and lifted my spirits. May this musical video bring happiness your way too.
http://www.facebook.com/reel/411441188364931
http://www.facebook.com/watch/hashtag/mortythemisfit?eep=6%2F
https://www.facebook.com/share/r/hUfv5SuSPaVZHsfL/?mibextid=0VwfS7
NO BONNET SONNET
not ev’ry itch need be scratched,
not ev’ry egg need be hatched
not ev’ry thought need be spoke,
not ev’ry dream need be woke
colors seen on judgment day,
practice or pose your one way
no aura, no tonal vibe,
no ritual, ‘gyptian scribe
which of us doesn’t belong?
wrong question, don’t sing along
let go ego before burst,
don’t forget that she comes first
deep bow to Wilda Tanner
hat tip to Ian Kerner
The View from Our Front Door photo by author
We could use some good topsoil. So, I’m doing my research and here’s a few pointers from Better Homes & Gardens that I’m considering today.
These four common assumptions about topsoil can trip you up, leading you to pay less attention to your topsoil and, thus, harming the success of your garden. Knowing these basics will help you successfully create the best environment you can for your plants.
Topsoil can differ dramatically, even in the same yard and from one garden bed to another. All the earth in your yard is made up of sand, silt, and clay in various amounts. The ideal ratio of these three elements allows for good drainage yet holds enough moisture to allow plant roots to access the water they need. Your soil can also vary in pH level, which is a measure of how acidic or alkaline it is; some plants, such as bigleaf hydrangeas, are more affected than others by pH levels, so you may want to tailor your topsoil blend accordingly.
If you recently moved into a home that was previously owned by a skilled gardener, then maybe this is true. But more often than not, the quality of soil around homes—especially newly constructed ones—isn’t the best for plants. It takes time to build up high-quality soil that includes generous amounts of decomposed plants, called organic matter. This is a vital component that gives topsoil good drainage, just the right water-holding capacity, and a loose, easy-to-dig quality. It’s also important for supporting a healthy soil ecosystem of microbes that help plants grow better.
The quickest way to get great garden soil is to purchase it. You can put a 2- to 3-inch thick layer directly on top of existing soil before planting and just let nature do the rest of the work, or you can till it in. On top of that, you can amend your topsoil further with a couple of inches of compost. This can be costly and involve a lot of labor, but it will ultimately create very productive soil.
If you’re creating a new garden space and want to till in soil amendments to get everything off to a good start, that’s fine. But after that, it’s best to avoid disturbing the soil as much as possible. For one thing, turning soil brings weed seeds to the surface where sunlight will stimulate them to sprout, so you’ll just be creating more work for yourself to get rid of them. Typically, nature will take care of mixing in organic matter so you really can save yourself the trouble.
Additional tilling may be necessary if your soil becomes very compacted, which means it doesn’t have enough tiny air pockets in it that roots require to establish. You can avoid this by staying off your soil, especially when it’s wet. If you need to walk into a bed to care for plants, you can avoid compacting the soil by creating a permanent stepping stone path you can use for maintenance or temporarily laying down a sheet of plywood while you work.
Plants draw the nutrients they need to grow from the soil they’re planted in. Those nutrients usually need to be replenished every so often for the healthiest growth, no matter which type of soil you have. This is especially true for the soil where you grow annual flowers and vegetables, which suck up a lot of nutrients to fuel their rapid growth. Luckily, it’s easy (and inexpensive) to restore nutrition to your soil by adding high-quality compost and/or granular or liquid fertilizer products as needed. If you’re not sure whether you need to add nutrients, a soil test is a quick way to check. To add nutrients and replace organic matter as it breaks down, add 1 to 2 inches of compost to your garden beds in the fall. That way, you’ll be all set come spring and can just add a layer of mulch after cleaning up and planting your beds for the new growing season.” excerpt from 4 Topsoil Mistakes That May Be Hindering Your Garden Success @ http://www.bhg.com/gardening/yard/soil/topsoil/
You know, it don’t come easy and then, again, it sometimes comes way too easy.
The man said, “good topsoil will attract everything: native and invasive, desired and undesired, flowers and weeds. So, there’s always maintenance required to remove the unwanted.”
Plant what you want and be prepared to remove what you don’t.
That beautiful field of wildflowers might be happenstance or design or a little of both.
What are you growing today and what are you maintaining?
Liar, Liar, Mother Earth on Fire
live by the lie die by the lie
easily misled by sociopaths who cry
war is peace ignorant belie
no justice no peace no shut eye
nature knows that by and by
oceans warm watch fish fry
hoping for the wells to dry
goodbye Goldilocks and die Lorelie
P.S. with thanks for inspiration provided by Isaiah 57, George Orwell, Robert Southey, Heinrich Heine and Thich Nhat Hanh who reminds us:
“We have a seed of anger in us. We have a seed of compassion in us. The practice is to help the seed of compassion to grow and the seed of anger to shrink.”
Here’s another provocative post from Lynn J Kelly. May we all be happier.
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It’s early morning and I’m looking for pearls to guide me today. Here are three that have helped me already. May they be helpful to you as well.
“The principal purpose of memory is to anticipate the future, not to remember the past (Hancock 2009).” Peter Hancock @ peterhancock.ucf.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2012/06/Hancock-Shahnami-2010.pdf
“It is the Breath … that reveals life, sustains life, and renews life in every way.” Richard Rohr @ cac.org
“Getting angry and making a decision out of anger are not the same thing. That’s why Seneca said that the greatest remedy for your temper was delay. Feeling the feeling and acting on the feeling are separated by a space and the bigger that space, the better the choice we will make.” Ryan Holiday @ Daily Stoic
Life Matters 