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Quote of the Day: Diane Ackerman

May 8th, 2011

Just cultivate delight.
Enjoy the sensory pleasures of the garden.
That’s number one.

Diane Ackerman




Gardening really does delight all the senses. The smell of a rose, the dripping of rain, the taste of fresh lettuce, the feel of soft earth, the sight of a flower in bloom, the warmth of the sun, the prick of a thorn. I try to make sure I notice these things while I’m out and about.

What senses do use most when you’re working in the garden?

7 Comments to “Quote of the Day: Diane Ackerman”
  1. Songbirdtiff on May 8, 2011 at 7:55 am

    Yesterday my son and I were working in the garden to recover it from the terrible hail and rain we had a few weeks ago. While we were out, I really enjoyed feeling the warmth of the sun. I also enjoyed quizzing him on multiplication…it fit right in with our planting. :)

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  2. Fawn on May 8, 2011 at 9:52 am

    I would say listening. Its so nice to work in the back of our one acre yard in the country and just listen. You’ll hear stillness, or the rustle of leaves from a slight breeze, birds calling to each other, critters making there respective noises…I love doing this after a long day at work. Its calming and lovely!

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  3. Daedre Craig on May 8, 2011 at 10:06 am

    Obviously I’m on visual overload in the garden, but I also really like to touch plants and see what kind of texture they have. Touch is also helpful to see if a plant needs water.

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  4. Sincerely, Emily on May 8, 2011 at 12:13 pm

    What an nice quote. I enjoy the peace and the life that is out there in the garden and the yard. I enjoy that bit of quiet time. Love to hear the birds chatting about. Emily

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  5. Janet on May 8, 2011 at 5:39 pm

    I don’t have much of a sense of smell (shame in a gardener) so I use my other senses more. I’m fascinated by close-ups of plants and insect and if possible photographing them.

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  6. Kathi on May 8, 2011 at 5:40 pm

    Sense of smell. I love to rub the leaves and smell all the growing things. Even love the astringent smell of tomato plants.

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  7. deedee on May 8, 2011 at 5:49 pm

    we spent the day outside just getting things cleaned up. we’ve had so much rain this spring that we haven’t had much time to do anything outside. it was so nice to be out in the sun, perfect temperature, pulling weeds & removing sticks & leaves from our front flower beds. the boys have one of those little battery powered john deere tractors that pulls a wagon… so we loaded it up with all of the sticks, leaves, weeds, etc & they drove it over to the compost pile. they loved it and didn’t even realize they were working:)

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This is a daily journal of my efforts to cultivate a more simple life, through local eating, gardening and so many other things. We used to live in a small suburban neighborhood Ohio but moved to 153 acres in Liberty, Maine in 2012.

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