Look Up

Time has just flown by. Seems there is so much to do before the real cold weather and rain begin in earnest. We are experiencing some beautiful Autumn days and I am truly taking advantage of it. The vegetable garden bed is pretty much cleaned up, something I wouldn't necessarily recommend for those who do not have a compost pile that would benefit from the debris. Letting the bio mass just decompose in place will act as a mulch and weed suppressant that ultimately becomes chow for the soil organisms, uppening the earth in their own marvelous way

I have a compost pile treasure! and I am not talking about my favorite paring knife I retrieved a year after I had mistakenly thought I misplaced it. Hearing a ting from the pitch fork I was using on the pile I was esctatic to find my trusty paring knife ( as only those of you who own only one truly good one would know.) I had inadvertantly tossed it into my food scrap bucket with potato peelings I had peeled onto some newspaper. Just wrapped it all up and tossed it into the bucket! Alas the trusty knife has been restored to it's rightful place and all is well in my world. But, back to the treasure. I plucked from the vicinity of where lasts years compost pile was a knobby, large, pear shaped gourd with a nice curling stem. What a nice FREE decoration for the thanksgiving table. Mind you I did not plant this but obviously I must have thrown out a decorative gourd the previous fall and I was rewarded. Usually these carry overs are not exact replicas of the former so it is always a nice surprise to see a step back from the version I bought.

In all this Autumn busyness I hope we all take time to pause and Look Up, and thank God for all his provision, and the beauty that surrounds us. I know that in my neck of the woods I tend to forget just how amazing God's green earth is, from the old 100 ft. Douglas Firs that surround our cottage to the microscopic organisms of the soil food web, the Creator has made them all. Enjoy this poem written by my sister-in-law Paulette as she was inspired on her last visit. Blessings B.

The Sentinel

By Paulette Erickson

The old pine treee stands like a sentinel.

Tall, but weighted down with age.

Robed in a worn mossy coat.

Tattered shreds hang like an old boa.

The arms sag and long fingers droop,

Too tired to hold up under their weight.

The shourlders are stooped with the years of burdens

They have had to carry.

Still, it is a wonder to behold.

Standing guard over this little patch of earth.

It shelters many within its embrace,

The birds that nest in its leafy hair.

The flowers that bloom at its feet.

The squirrels that store their harvest.

And me, resting in its shadow.

I know I can dwell here for a space of time

And be comforted from daily worries.

The sentinel will watch and protect me.

My mind can drift and wander where it will.

Serentiy surrounds me and I am one with the tree.

We commune and I feel at home.

It shares its' secrets, and I tell it mine.

It teaches endurance and steadfastness.

Despite its age and shabby garments.

Grace and dignity shine through.

The old sentinel has weathered the years

With strength, beauty and peace.

I will cherish this time and savor the feelings,

And remember my gnarled companion

And what I learned from him.