Quote of the Day: Carol Deppe
The resilience of individual gardeners working for personal satisfaction and joy in ordinary hard time can thus be transformed into resilience during more extraordinary hard times, for both the individual and his or her community. Life is full of hard times. By learning to garden our way through the small and ordinary hard times, and passing that knowledge on, we can help our children, our children’s children, our country, and our species through both the ordinary as well as the extraordinary hard times that happen through the generations.
Carol Deppe The Resilient Gardener
I was thinking about this quote as I was out planting the cuttings I had take from my hydrangeas earlier this summer. Each and every cutting had a mass of lovely roots. While these shrubs will not produce food for my table, they have provided education and learning.
I’m certainly glad that I don’t have to grow all the food that we eat. If a crop fails, we don’t go hungry. This gives me the freedom to experiment and hone my skills. Not only does that make me a better gardener, it gives me the confidence and knowledge to teach others as well. I hope none of us ever have to rely on our garden in order to survive, but I’m certainly glad I have spent time learning just in case. It’s kind of like having insurance, it provides a little peace of mind and makes us more resilient in tough times.
Do you think you’ve honed your gardening skills through the years you’ve been gardening? What do you want to learn next?
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2013 Chiot’s Run Calendar
Finally, the fourth edition of the Chiot’s Run calendar is up and running. This year I decided to simplify things a bit and only choose one photo per month. It’s always hard to narrow them down. Luckily, this year I’ve been adding photos into a special folder throughout the year when I know one will perfectly sum up that month. As a result it took me much less time that it usually does.
Most of my friends and family already know they’ll be receiving one of these beauties for Christmas, in fact, I think they’d all be dissappointed if they didn’t.
I want to thank all of you who purchase this calendar, I get a small amount from each sale and this helps me keep this blog ad-free and it helps me pay the bills associated with this blog. Once again it’s available in Small and Large:
Small Calendar: 11″ x 17″ open (folds in half in the middle like a regular calendar).
Large Calendar: 13.5″ x 19″ has coils at the top so it’s one continuos sheet.
I even updated my inspirational nature quote calendar as well if you like that one.
There’s a discount coupon that you can use as well: Receive 20% 1-9, 25% 10-19, 30% 20+ off of your calendar purchase. This promotion ends November, 23 at 11:59 PM. (Coupon Code: CHRONICLE)
These will be gifted as part of my handmade holidays with my family. Technically I didn’t “handmake” them, but I did take the photos. I can get them printed up much cheaper than I could make them myself and they’re so much better as far as quality goes that I could do at home. I think they qualify as handmade!
As always, I do have a favorite month, though it certainly was a tough choice. I’d have to say that the lovely tulips in May is my favorite!
Which month do you like the best?
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A Day of Nothing – Work Related at Least
Mr Chiots and I both work from home, which has it’s benefits and drawbacks. We really love it and wouldn’t trade it for the world, but it’s difficult to take time off. If we’re home, we’re usually working. When we go out, we usually have work related errands that we tack on to whatever we’re doing. It’s extremely rare for us to take an entire day and do nothing work related. Yesterday we finally had…
…work related at least. We did work a bit in the morning, but at 9:30 am we headed south to Portland to see Skyfall, the new James Bond movie at an iMax theatre. If you’ve been reading here for a while, you know my love for 007. If you are my friend on facebook you know how much I’ve been anticipating this new movie. After the movie we went out to Flatbread for a late lunch/early dinner, then we stopped at Portland Architectural Salvage to look around. A night out is not complete for Mr Chiots if there’s no ice cream, so we stopped for that as well.
While we were at dinner we were talking about how weird it was to not be working. Normally we would have had a meeting scheduled or something else work related. I didn’t even take my camera (hence the word images above). Even though my blog is a hobby, it can be like work sometimes. The day was perfect, exactly what we needed.
When was the last time you had a day just to yourself? What did you do?
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Quote of the Day: Michael Perry
Downstairs, and out the door. Eastward the gray band is lightening, but the sun remains well sunk. Drawing the cool breath of morning into my lungs I think of my father, whom I do not believe has missed a sunrise in some forty years and would be startled to find me up and about at this hour. I still love the dark heart of night when it is possible to believe you the world to yourself, but I can understand why Dad loves to watch the day come in. And I find I am a little less breathless working from this end of the cycle than I am trying to find my way through some some of bleary-eyed finish at 3:00 a.m. There is the idea that you have a head start.
Michael Perry, Coop: A Year of Poultry, Pigs, and Parenting
One of the lovely featurs this about this place is that we can see the sunrise from the living room and I can watch the sunset from my desk in the office. Back in Ohio, we couldn’t really see the sunrise, I’m certainly enjoying it every morning now!
A head start, that’s exactly how I feel when I get up early. Especially this time of year when getting up early means being up before the sun comes up. There’s something wonderfully peaceful and quiet about being up before the sun, it is a lot like getting a head start. A perfectly wonderful way to start my day!
Can you see the sunrise from you house?
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Quote of the Day: Bernd Heinrich
As for the “news,” most of what I hear I can do nothing about. This year I want all of my energies and all of my sympathies focused on where they can matter.
Bernd Heinrich from A Year In The Maine Woods
I was thinking about this quote the other day as I found myself annoyed the political conversations that was go nowhere and sensationalized “news” stories that contain no facts and are filled with “unconfirmed” “alleged” information. Due to my distaste for politics and drama, I find myself voting where I feel I can actually make a difference.
I vote every day with my dollars and with where I spend my time. I focus my efforts on building and growing my community and on becoming a better person. Every time I go to the farmers market and avoid the grocery store I’m casting my vote for the change I want to see in my country.
Every time I choose not to buy something and do without, I’m living a little closer to my convictions. Every time I buy what I need from a small local business or an individual who makes it themselves, I’m doing my part to bring the big world a little closer to home. Every time I turn off the TV and read a book or visit with my neighbor I know I’m limiting the advertising I am exposed to, learning something new and investing my time in relationships.
In our society where liking something on facebook is now seen as action, it’s refreshing to meet others who are also investing their dollars and time in something that makes the world a better place. I challenge you to spend at least equal time investing in your community as you do talking and reading about politics and news.
What is one thing you do that you feel makes a difference?
