I'm back from Zone 10, feet on the ground, oh yeah. Thanks to the brisk, beautiful, pre-spring day yesterday, I was able to get outside and walk around for hours. There is nothing more grounding - literally - than connecting with dirt.
Indeed.
Just now I got the go-ahead from my housemates here at the chateau to plant herbs this summer. I'm thinking about the herbs I use all the time when I cook - parsley, basil, rosemary, thyme. I might also plant some lavender because lavender is great for everything.
There are so many trees on Tennessee Avenue that, although we tried, we were never successful in our attempts to grow herbs. But here on E. Capitol Street there's always plenty of sunshine.
Speaking of the power of dirt, the bulb flowers are rising, pushing their sturdy leaves above ground, towards the sky. I can't wait to see the daffodils, jonquils. I'm so eager to see the pear trees pop. Spring is so close you can almost touch it. I can't wait!
15 comments:
Yes, Reya...lavender please!
I smiled and thought of my dear, ancient, biology professor, Dr. Jenkins, when I read this post. He admonished us time and again that "dirt is what gathers on your furniture. Soil is what nurtures plants." He'd be so happy to know I'm passing that on to you!
There IS such power in the soil of the earth...happy planting, Reya! ♥
I would love to see dirt again. Finally the ground is being revealed again, albeit very slowly. My bulbs are still under snow! Soon, tho, soon.
I use the word dirt because I like the way it sounds. Soil sounds like oil or oy or soylent green. But dirt? Ah ... dirt is superfine!!
Sorry Dr. Jenkins!
Ooh - now I'm thinking about cilantro again - it's my favorite herb. Well, I like rosemary too, but since I don't really cook it's kind of a waste for me to grow it - but I can just throw cilantro in my eggs or my salads, or the green beans... Things to look forward to :)
joyous spring, joyous dirt....with so many wonderful farmers' markets my planting is now limited to herbs and flowers.....i love herbs - many i will grow because of how easily it is to get intoxicated on their scent....like many of the scented geraniums, sacred basil, and this incredible curry plant - which of course is not curry but smells just like curry!
still cold here with many scattered piles of snow....spring i expect is weeks away
The other amazing thing about dirt is that it is, ironically, incredibly cleansing.
Jeff cleaned up our flower beds and herb planters this past weekend and I am absolutely itching to go dig in them.
I can't wait to sink my hands in soft, wet earth. There's just something about the scent of mud that says "spring"!
the big whistly wind woke me at four this morning with all sorts of stories that i couldn't just ignore so i sat and listened and thought lots about all that's come and gone and all that's yet to be. on the rolodex of life mysteries that rolled around was gardening - something that i love to do in very tiny areas and then leave alone so it becomes itself all over again. i so value growing plants and being with them that i know i would wish the same for you and here you are almost knee deep in wishing for little green creatures to pop up and out of wherever they're hiding! steven
Daffodils have been up round here for some time. I have several in my classroom. I get the pleasure of teaching a bunch of kids the word "daffodil" to kids who only knew the word "flower" for that particular wonder of the world. May your dirt blossom and fruit prolifically!
Thanks Dan! And Steven and all of you. I'm very excited to be on the verge of putting my hands in earth. Yeah!!
I think we're a couple weeks behind you guys in the flower-popping-up category. :) But this morning a friend who I see in a Wed. morning coffee group gave each of us a tiny pot with a flower-growing kit in it. What a delight! I can't wait to water my little disk and see the green shoots poke through... (after I get back from my trip!)
Oh, and your dirt/soil discussion reminds me of my step-father teaching us how to plant things, and he'd always use the word "earth." He'd show us, "after you put the seed in, cover it with earth" where we'd always heard & used the word "dirt." It seemed strange to me at the time, kind of old-fashioned, but I love it!
Karen I love it, too.
I love dirt. I love to dig in it, to loosen it up, to crumble it in my hands. Getting a flower bed ready to plant is the best part.
Ellen I've been thinking about you as I begin to learn about the art of growing living things. You're a role model, definitely.
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