Blog-azic

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Out in the old fields that line State Route 32, past the western edge of Cincinnati, beyond the Serpent Mound, and on into the Southeastern Ohio counties of Jackson, Vinton, Meigs and Athens, there's a soft, golden light. It is an anniversary occuring here, as old as the hills it is spread upon, and probably older still. Years beyond countless years, where only the rain and the wind claimed rights to shape the land. It is beyond the scope of a human lifetime - far bigger and concerning rhythms that are lost upon our humble ears. It is profound, and it takes my breath away. I watched it as I drove by two days ago, and again as I came back yesterday. Like a regal flowing robe of yellow, hemmed with purple silk. Goldenrods are alight in the fields, and Mistflowers dress the field edges. Solidago , the genus commonly called Goldenrod, is numerous in North America, and it begins to adorn the Ohio fields from August until October, but it is at it's most spectacularly widespr...

Maybe the thing that makes love precious is not the threat of loss exactly. Think about, for example, the love that a parent feels for her child. Can I really say that there's a chance this love will go? And really, even if you break-up a relationship with a significant other, does that mean your love breaks-up, too? Isn't it much more gratifying to consider love a little more permanent than all of that? Well, here's my two cents. A child doesn't really understand love and its permanence, so he may, in fact, think that his mother's love could be broken by something he does or fails to do. Heck, even adults might think that they could do something so horrible that even their family would no longer love them. And, of course, in relationships where love is voluntary, it's easy to recognize the threat of loss. The threat of loss underlies all love, even if that threat is delusional. On the other hand, I'm an optimist. It's sort-of my default state-of-mind. I...

...And today I realized: Love means little without the threat of loss. Let the golden age begin, babe.

As you can see from my list at right, there are many wildflowers that are blooming right now. In clearings outside of town, and planted in borders and gardens in Athens, you can find daffodils just beginning their spring showing. They are one of my favorite flowers of any season. I love them not only for their diverse and vivid colors, but also for their unique, abundant fragrance. Daffodils, also, are excellent for arrangements because they remain vibrant for weeks. In the moist, rich forests surrounding Athens, you just might see some bittercress in bloom by now (I'll have to check for myself this weekend). They can survive almost any habitat in this region, largely because they are dormant by the time our summer droughts start. In your yard, you may see purple-dead-nettle pushing out it's teeny, tubular flowers. The name may seem to suggest a poisonous plant, but it is part of the mint family, and I have often heard that all members of Lamiaceae are edible. How about on you...

Libraries are like daycare centers. At least, they were for my parents. You know, it's amazing all the things you'll end up reading if you're stuck in a library with nothing to do. It's like that episode of the Twilight Zone where that one guy is the only one left on Earth, but he's got all those books. Then his glasses break! It's just like that, except I don't wear glasses. And, it wasn't the apocalypse. And, it was in color, not b&w. Well, one day I found a couple shelves full of a new and exciting kind of book that changed my life forever: choose your own adventure! I did what most people end up doing with those books, keeping your finger on one page while you check out the different paths to see which one is better. I think those books are a cultural bond that my generation shares. So, for a little fun, I've set-up an adventure for you! This is pretty basic - just two options. But, it's just a test, and there may be more adventures in th...

As spring approaches, I've begun working the garden in earnest. Of course, with a garden the size of ours, there is lots of work to be done. Almost half of our entire yard is devoted to growing medicinal plants and herbs, garden foods, wildflowers, and rare and native plants. During the growing season I spend nearly all of my free time working around the house. There's constant weeding, watering, raking and trimming. The very large compost bins we just built must be turned once a month. Brick walkways need dug-up, weeded and reset. Rain barrels should be emptied. Then, there's the grapevine, which needs delicate pruning, training, not to mention picking. Out of all the work that I do the most enjoyable is transplanting wildflowers into our garden. There's just something about sneaking out someplace (perhaps somewhere you shouldn't be) and covertly up-rooting a precious flower (very gently, of course). Then, back at home, finding that perfect spot, setting the flowe...