Just because....

Just because today is a rainy and dreary day, and because all of the leaves are falling from the trees, here's a photo of the final harvest from the garden. Just wanted to share.

Discoveries in the Garden

There’s a certain sadness in clearing out the garden at the end of the growing season. All of the hard work that went into the tilling of the soil, the planting of the young seedlings and the bending that the weeding required is now a memory. There’s a sense of loss as the last of the fresh tomatoes are picked, with the small green ones that can’t be used left on the wilted vines for the neighborhood critters to eat. That smell that envelops the gardener, standing in the middle of the tall, leafy plants, could be bottled and sold, it being such a heady and inviting aroma. Now the smell is gone, replaced by clear, crisp autumn air. Ahh. The garden of the summer of 2009 is no more.

But with that sadness come some intriguing discoveries that mirror the patterns of life and give pause to consider our own situations. Because there, waiting to grow full, are the plants that were lost as other plants became overgrown with all of the rain and had invaded their space. The garlic chives had waited patiently as the leggy salad tomatoes had topped them, taking their sun and slurping their water. Now that the tomatoes were gone and the sun and air were theirs, they smiled in full advantage. Take us, they beckoned. Take us for your next recipe. We make cannelloni more spectacular a dish than even you can imagine.

The blue flowers that started with an impulse purchase of a package of seeds for a plant I’d never grown were now standing tall next to the chives. Under all of those tomato vines, the Blue Enchantment had spread to make a small carpet of lush, green, pointed leaves. Petite blue, yellow and white flowers were now greeting the morning light.

So go the paths we often take. Some times we take a back seat to another – a spouse, child, friend or colleague, so that they can reach their goals. We are the supportive structure that gives them the opportunity to grown in their own sun, to be nourished with words and actions, just as the plants are nourished by the water. Until one day, when they have achieved and they move aside, allowing us the chance to flourish. All of that time, we have been waiting until the leaves and vines and ripened fruit are gone and now we stand tall, reaching for the morning light and showing that we, too, can make our life one spectacular dish that even the best chef cannot imagine.

Going Green with a Wedding Request

Just a week ago, my sister-in-law called me with a request. Could I make a ring bearer pillow for her nephew's wedding, she asked. Seems the bride had been shopping and didn't love what she saw so they thought I might be able to help. I said yes, of course, anticipating the fun I'd have as I did my best Project Runway imitation. Send in Tim Gunn, I thought, and I'll show him I can "make it work!"

Two days later, I received an email. Can you make another for a second young ring bearer, it asked. Sure, I said. So I got to work.

Why write about it here? Two reasons. First is that I've been on a mission to declutter my house and I'd be able to use fabric and ribbon and lace that was already taking up space in my sewing boxes. And second, because when I went to the fabric store to pick up one more piece of ribbon I experienced a "go green moment."

I paid for the ribbon - the beautiful wedgewood blue seen above - and the woman selling it asked me if I wanted a bag. When I said yes, she told me that if I didn't take a bag, I could fill out a small raffle ticket and have a chance to win a $10.00 gift certificate to the store. Of course I then declined the bag because who couldn't carry a small piece of ribbon and I could win a prize.

What a great idea for a small retailer where customers generally don't bring their own fabric shopping bags. All of that money saved on buying paper bags that would end up in a recycling pile or worse, in the trash, or on plastic bags that would carry their negative environmental impact. And I'll think about that fabric shop first when I need to make another purchase. Which, given the yards and yards of fabric and the many notions that I have, may not be for awhile. Unless there's another wedding request. But hey, Halloween is rapidly approaching and that means costumes!

The pillows were finished and given to the groom's mom today. Tomorrow Pat and Anna take their vows, a young couple just beginning their married life. To them go all best wishes for a joyous day and a wonderful future.

A Sunny Afternoon at Field Hockey

One of the greatest pleasures I have is spending an afternoon watching my nieces play field hockey. One of them is in high school and the other in middle school, both schools that I also attended. I played field hockey in middle school but turned all my attention to my swimming after that. I was a pretty good player but I loved the camraderie of my team and friends more than anything.

What strikes me now, so many years after I played on the forward line, is how many more opportunities there are for these young women to pursue their athletic careers in college. When I graduated from high school, there were no athletic scholarships available for girls. A fellow member of my swim team was an All-American in her events and a state champion but no college recruiters came calling for her to attend their schools. She was an excellent student and received a small academic scholarship to a local college but it always felt like she should be getting more.

Less than 10 years later, the landscape had dramatically changed. Now I watched as my young cousin, an outstanding swimmer, received a full 4-year scholarship to an NCAA Division I school. She deserved it - getting up at dawn and into the pool as most were drinking their first coffees, undergoing knee surgery and being back in the pool in record time, getting good grades in class and setting records in the water. She joined thousands of graduating high school seniors who would be able to continue their education and enjoy their sports.

Just recently, as I stood with parents and friends on the sidelines watching the varsity high school ladies playing, everything came full circle. My brother - dad of my niece - remarked that one of the players on the opposing team had signed with a Division I school to play on a scholarship, and several others were being recruited. My niece has her eyes on an Ivy League school to play lacrosse or field hockey (or both) and we discussed what she'd have to do for her grades to get there because there are no athletic scholarships and oh, by the way, her high school lacrosse coach is back there watching and he's quite impressed with her play. One of her teammates, also an outstanding hockey and soccer player, and high jumper, is collecting her information for college with an eye to scholarships as well.

Wow. What an awesome feeling to watch these young ladies work so hard and have the potential for those kinds of rewards. How far it has come from the days when my middle school field hockey teammates and I wore matching braided headbands and when my high school swim team suit was so baggy that I could have fit another 1/2 of me there! (No full body suits, no lycra there!)

These are definitely Pink Power Slipper moments and I believe I'll have to go find a pair of pink hockey spikes. Size 9, please.