This week it's my turn! A jumble of thoughts, mixed with everyday happenings. Within all of it, tucked against the heart, is a capsule of absolute gratitude for everything we have, and for experiences that cause us to be more caring of each other, and appreciate the good fortune of living where we do. |
Smoke
More than 13,000 people remain out of their homes, some of which have burned to the ground.
The smoke has been a challenge, for many of us who don’t have a filtered air conditioning system, and can’t use the normal high-tech way of opening doors and windows to dissipate the heat in a home. Air quality seems to depend upon the winds.
This is still very much a crisis situation, but it seems that crises help galvanise people into pulling together, to innovate, and to put the mind into true appreciation mode.
Water
July 11, 2015... This afternoon the jet stream shifted, after many weeks of trapping us in heat and complete dryness. It was miraculous to watch the raindrops descend from the sky. A primeval urge overtook me, and I stepped out into it, feeling that precious cooling water on my face, my hair, and my arms. Talk about gratitude, I was ecstatic!
The rain didn't last long. The earth is dry again, but the memory is fresh, and hope for more seems more of a possibility now! I was thrilled that the veggies actually received a good shower of water, and that I didn't have to ignore the flowers and ornamentals in favour of them!
Speaking of veggies...
I filled the bags about one-third full of good soil mixed with a bit of compost, then laid the sprouting potatoes on it, and just covered them with more soil.
The potato plants flowered, and grew through all the water restrictions, because they had this huge amount of mulching, and now the early variety of potato plants started to die. Poor things, they yellowed and withered. The later varieties are still green.
Yum, I thought. The rain inspired me to look inside the bag. What an exciting adventure! And here it is, told to you in pictures!