We've taken a few trips to the river recently, and I continue to be amazed at how different the flora is here than where we are from, west of the Cascades. There are some things that are the same, but for the most part everything is a new discovery. It's been fun taking pictures and trying to identify all the new-to-me plants/flowers/trees/weeds, and exciting to realize that over time I'm learning to recognize things throughout their cycles.
This morning was cool and rainy and I got to spend time with my Dad picking cherries. As much as I am loving the season we are in right now, I must admit the rain and cloud cover felt really good. (Also, having hot flashes in 90+ degree weather is no fun.) Our garden is soaking up the moisture, and all the birds are coming to the feeders today. I have some bread dough rising for baking tomorrow, a fresh stack of books from the library, and a bowl of cherries at my side. Today is good.
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Read: Have you ever heard that some monks ordain trees? I recently discovered Emergence Magazine and have been completely captivated by every single article. In Hallowed Ground by Chelsea Steinauer-Scudder, about the intertwining relationship between faith and the sacredness of nature, she tells how monks, looking for ways to protect their forests from loggers and developers, began ordaining trees and wrapping them in traditional orange robes, essentially making them monks. Most loggers and developers will not touch these "monk" trees.
Another beautiful essay: Ancient Root, by Linda Hogan.
As for books, I'm reading A Change of Time by Ida Jessen. It's about a Danish woman's life in the early 20th century after the death of her husband. I hadn't heard of it before and chose it purely based on the painting on the cover, and I am very pleasantly surprised. It is tender and quiet and just what I want to read right now.
Watch: I recently watched the first two seasons of Outlander. I was never interested in reading the books, as I had the idea they were just overblown romance novels, which turns out to be completely true if the show is aligned, and I confess to fully falling for it despite that fact. It's more about the time travel and living in another time for me, though, not the romance.
Listen: The Jazz Age, by The Bryan Ferry Orchestra. This is an old favorite. I'm a big fan of Bryan Ferry/Roxy Music and of music of the 20s (and 30s and 40s). Perfect marriage.