stay close to nature

There was a chemical smell in the air and my throat was starting to hurt this morning as I started our walk. The drone of machinery drowned out the birdsong. Sure enough, when I got to the corner where I could see through a gap in the fence that the farmer across the way was spraying his soy beans. Ever heard of 'round-up ready'... I guess our timing was off as the smell was gone later in the day.

Still, I couldn't help but enjoy the morning. There wasn't a cloud in the sky (again) and it was already warming up (again). Another glorious day in the making.

We both hunkered down beside the garlic patch with bated breath. The first bulb of this years harvest was about to be pulled. Our spirits sank... not only was the bulb not ready to pick, it was depressingly small. The soil is good, but maybe the lack of rain played a part.

Maybe the rest of the bulbs will be better, but we won't know for another week.

I wish I could bottle the feeling of ease, that peaceful easy feeling, that is evoked with a walk around the field or a more leisurely sit on the swing. Everything seems so wonderful from those aspects. I marvel at the beauty of our land - no botanical garden could compete with the wild allure of our kingdom. How could I be so lucky? It seems impossible.

And what is especially fantastic is that I'm not hypo-manic, I'm just regular happy. No warning bells are ringing.

We are still in drought and the cracks in the earth are threatening to swallow a shoe.

"Study nature, love nature, stay close to nature. It will never fail you."
~Frank Lloyd Wright