Morning Verse

I look into the world
Wherein there shines the sun
Wherein there gleam the stars
Wherein there lie the stones
Where living plants are growing
Where sentient beasts are living
Where man to Spirit gives
A dwelling in the soul
I look into the soul
That living dwells in me
God's Spirit lives and weaves
In light of sun and soul
In heights of world without
In depths of soul within
To thee, O Spirit of God
I will now turn my heart
To seek that strength and grace
For learning and for work
In me may live and grow.
-Rudolf Steiner

This verse is recited each morning in Waldorf classrooms grades 5-12. Hence, it was a daily recitation for me for 7 years! Now it has been popping up in my head during the day. It must be the sun shining, plants growing, and Spirit weaving.


P.S. Thank you all for your comments! I love them! It makes me so happy to know that I am connecting with you, and that you are finding these entries interesting.

You've Gotta Read This

Grafting is a method of asexual plant propagation widely used in agriculture and horticulture where the tissues of one plant are encouraged to fuse with those of another. It is most commonly used for the propagation of trees and shrubs grown commercially. -Wikipedia

OKAY. So I should really just refer you to a primary source. Instead I cite Wikipedia and rave about the exciting parts that I remember, so that you can get a taste of this PHENOMENON of propagation.

This is how it was explained to me today as I was cutting zinnias with a friend: Grafting is when you have a 3 or 4 year old root structure in the ground, and a 1 or 2 year old scion (stems/leaves/flowers) and cut them to fit perfectly together, and bind them together, and THEY BECOME ONE! Each plant is wounded and vulnerable, but if done right, the wound heals and a symbiotic relationship is formed. (See the V shaped wound in the picture.) The fact that it's possible just knocks my socks off. It occurs in nature, too. Why would one do this? For example: grapes. You want a Chardonnay grape that needs well-draining soil, but you live in Piedmont Virginia which is mostly slow-draining clay. So you grow a different grape that grows well in Virginia, a Cabernet Franc or something (I don't know if that's right, but pretend). You can use this rootstock as a base for the desired grape, the Chardonnay. WOW. They become one plant. The concept is so beautiful to me, and it blows my mind.


So on and on I go, the seconds tick the time out. There's so much left to know and I'm on the road to find out. (Well in the end I'll know, but on the way I wonder.) Cat Stevens

This Old House

The other evening, Bob (Bob Wollam, the farmer) was telling me about the farmhouse we are living in. It was built in 1780. That's right! Have you ever lived in a house that old? When he took it over there were no bathrooms or heating in the house. (As it stands now, the only heating is a gas fireplace in the living room.) It is a beautiful house, inside and out: wood floors, solid doors in slightly off-set frames, unusually cut angles and formatting you just don't see anymore. It feels old, and I like that. In fact, I have sort of a ghost story....

October 1 was an extremely gusty night, the first winds of Fall. I awoke that night because I thought I felt a cat on my bed. There was no cat, but when I looked to the bedroom door I could have sworn I saw the silouhette of a person exiting the room and closing the door. I was so sure of what I'd seen that I went out on the staircase landing and called "Who's there", trying to sound confident so they would know that I saw them, and reveal themself. No one was there. No one! My roommate sat up and said she had been hearing sounds for a couple hours. It was so creepy; it was the most I have ever feared or believed in ghosts. I prayed, gathered the Holy Spirit, my guardian angle, and St Michael, and fell back asleep. If it weren't that the wind was blowing so hard, I would have been hard pressed to convince myself that nothing paranormal had occurred.

***

"Do not be afraid to allow yourself to be personally and profoundly known, so that the love within you that you receive from God, may be known in you and experienced through you."

Fall Turkey Shoot

Every town needs a community center, I suppose.

Not five minutes' walk around the corner is Jeffersonton's own, combined with the smallest Post Office you ever did see. When the winds start to change and evenings become crisp, you may one evening come to hear frequent consecutive gunshots over yonder. It's the annual Turkey Shoot. And no, they're not shooting turkeys.

Old timers in flannel shirts grab their guns, young men in Levi's grab their guns (and their girlfriends), and shoot at paper targets to compete for prizes such as a huge ham hock or a football-shaped container of cheese and salami. (Traditionally, the prize was a frozen turkey...hence "Turkey Shoot", but that doesn't seem to matter anymore.)

Last night we wandered over with hot mugs of tea (and wine) to experience a bit of the local culture. The lane was so dark on the way over, that the brightest thing was the sky painted with stars.

Today we're looking at a full day of cutting and bouquet-making; sunny with a high of 72. It feels good to see Fall finally on its way to the Virginia countryside!