(Kyoto, Japan)

Happy Belated Earth Day

Then again, every day is earth day.  

Praise the Lord from the earth, you great sea creatures and all ocean depths, lightning and hail, snow and clouds, stormy winds that do his bidding, you mountains and all hills, fruit trees and all cedars, wild animals and all cattle, small creatures and flying birds. (Psalm 148:7-10)

At the Island Farmer's Market

 Wow, these photos makes me hungry.  These were all at this week's island farmer's market... it's so much fun to see how the selection of produce changes as the seasons change.  Uh oh, it's mid-summer already!!  How are your gardens doing?  I'm looking forward to tomatoes... our neighbor has just started leaving little bags of cherry tomatoes on our door handle.  Next up, heirlooms!

 

 

 

 

Fresh Rhubarb, Radishes, and Onions

 I took these photos at our island market this past weekend... so great to see some beautiful fresh colorful produce after a long winter!  Most people were selling rhubarb, onions, and some radishes, but the selection will diversify as the season progresses.  What's fresh in your neck of the woods?

 

The Wild Braid - Stanley Kunitz in the Garden

One of our beloved poets on the island was Stanley Kunitz, who lived from 1905-2006.  His garden was, and is, a quiet place of solace, reflection, and meditation.  One of the books I'm reading this spring is The Wild Braid - A Poet Reflects on a Century in the Garden.  The book contains conversations that he had with Genine Lentine, a "bouquet" of poems, and 26 gorgeous photographs by Marnie Crawford Samuelson.  It is very inspiring to read about a man who had passion for his craft and knew that to get anything done, to plant a native flower and harvest a poem, you have to get your hands dirty and continue to nurture with light and water--each day, each day. 

 photo by Marnie Crawford Samuelson

The Round by Stanley Kunitz

Light splashed this morning
on the shell-pink anemones
swaying on their tall stems;
down blue-spiked veronica
light flowed in rivulets
over the humps of the honeybees;
this morning I saw light kiss
the silk of the roses
in their second flowering,
my late bloomers
flushed with their brandy.
A curious gladness shook me.

So I have shut the doors of my house,
so I have trudged downstairs to my cell,
so I am sitting in semi-dark
hunched over my desk
with nothing for a view
to tempt me
but a bloated compost heap,
steamy old stinkpile,
under my window;
and I pick my notebook up
and I start to read aloud
the still-wet words I scribbled
on the blotted page:
"Light splashed . . ."

I can scarcely wait till tomorrow
when a new life begins for me,
as it does each day,
as it does each day.

 

  photo by Marnie Crawford Samuelson 

  photo by Marnie Crawford Samuelson

 

 photo by Marnie Crawford Samuelson

Farmers' Market Puppet Show

 There's a cute little farmers' market that happens a few blocks from our house every Tuesday.  There's even a puppet show for the kids--and big kids too!  I believe when I took this shot, Mr. Frog was extolling the benefits of eating carrots... "And they're full of vitamin A, fiber, they're orange-- yum yum yum yum yum yum yum!!"  After each show the puppeteer comes out and plays guitar and invites the kids to play on a bunch of random percussion instruments he's made.  Vegetables are cool!

Another heirloom from our neighbor. 

A 3-Wheeled Truck

 Some day I hope to have a blue 3-wheeled truck to take my produce to market with.  And for hot rodding around the island.  (Photos taken in Pantelleria and Sicily.)

Rockaway Taco

There’s nothing like a good taco and some surf.  From one of my favorite sites, The Selby.

Heirlooms

There will definitely be tomatoes on the island.  Our neighbor periodically leaves heirloom tomatoes like these on our porch.  Fall’s definitely on its way–these are are showing up on the porch less and less... although we just received a bag of cherry tomatoes!