Bouquet of Love

Today I walked around the yard gathering flowers, here's a bouquet of love just for all of you.

Be kind, be well, be grateful.

Everything

I don't know who wrote this, but I wish I had.


 "At the end of my life, I would hope that I would not have a single bit of talent left and could whisper to the Universe, I used everything you gave me."

Farm to Table

Thankfully no bee swarms today.  Rick was able to write his stories for the paper and I did routine home stuff, laundry mostly.  Tomorrow we hope to tape my yoga class and maybe do another video of one of our songs.  We love our bees, but boy they have been demanding for the past week.

We ate our first ripe blueberry today.  By the end of the week, the harvest should start.  I am so excited.  Our first strawberry harvest ( a very meager one) should come about this week as well.
In a couple of weeks, the blackberries will begin to ripen as well.  Fresh food that we grow always makes me very grateful, we really are farm to table.

Tomorrow be kind, stay well, be grateful.

Sunday Bees

Usually we film my yoga class on Sunday afternoons, but our bees had other plans.  We had another swarm this afternoon.  WOW.  Rick will give you details on his blog tonight. 

This has been a spring to remember in so many ways.  The weather, good and bad, the incredible beauty of the flowers, the blue skies, the Covid 19 virus, sheltering in place...so many of my friends kept saying at the beginning of the year that 2020 was going to be a memorable year...well ya'll were right.  I would be ok with ordinary about now.

So in the morning after this swarm is placed in a new hive, we will do the yoga video.  I appreciate all the positive comments, thank you.

Be kind tomorrow, spread joy, wash your hands, wear your masks.

Seven Sisters

These little roses, I have them in red and pink.  My mom always called them seven sisters, because there are seven blossoms to a stem.  I love that they bloom around the same time as the honeysuckle.
They make beautiful bouquets.

We have had a very busy bee week.  Rick blogged about them tonight.  Let's just say, the week started with 3 hives and ended with 6.

Goodnight, Sweet dreams

Plant Connection

My mom and dad loved their iris garden.  People would often stop and take pictures of the flowers in their yard.  My mom had a green thumb, anything she planted, grew.

After my dad died, the iris garden became more beautiful each year.  When my mom passed away, I shared her iris with friends and family.  The people who bought her house wanted a lawn, not a flower garden.

I planted several in a small bed at the entrance to our driveway.  For several years the iris just refused to bloom.  About five years ago, they shyly began to blossom.

This white one is one of my favorites, it bloomed this morning.  Another one I love is a bronze color, when it blooms I will post a photo.

I love the connection that plants make with people.
I am not sure who will inherit mine when I pass on, but I hope someone will take them and love them.

A Treasure

Look what I found this morning.  Rick's mom gave this plant to him around 30 years ago for his birthday.  Rhododendrons usually do not thrive this far south, and there have been those hot dry summers that almost did this one in.  But she has made it this far.

At one point she was almost six feet tall and almost that wide, but those hot dry summers did some damage.  She is much smaller now, but still she blooms and we love her.  Miss Rhodie is one of our treasures.

Be kind, be safe, be well.

The Scent of Spring

I love honeysuckle so much.  The smell seems to announce that spring has arrived.  This year it has been much more plentiful than last.

On our morning walks, the scent seems to rest in the air, waiting for us to inhale. 

Rains  have moved in again, this has been a rainy spring for sure.

Hot tea awaits.
Good night, sweet dreams

Welcome Flag

Our spring flag is a happy flag.  Our flags hang at the end of our arbor, welcoming all who visit our cottage.

I change those flags each season and I am always on the look out for one that speaks to me.

It was such beautiful day today, the sun was dazzling and the blue sky made the green trees almost technicolor.

The bees, the butterflies and the humming birds seemed happy and the jasmine on the arbor has started to bloom.

I hope today has been a kind one for you all, I hope there have been moments of bliss and joy.

Ten Years

Ten years ago today I wrote my first blog.  I started writing this blog as a way to encourage my students on their daily path.  Along the way, many who were not my students became my blog friends.  It has been a journey I really had not planned to take.  Through this ten years, I have dealt with illness, pursued my studies, continued to play music and enjoy my art.  I have lost friends and family members and this blog universe has been solace, comfort, amusement and healing.

Tonight I think of the all the changes that have taken place in my life and the world around me.
Through all the good and bad, there are certain elements that have remained the same.
The world is still a beautiful place.  Humans are all connected, we all want the same basics...food, shelter, love, a sense of belonging.

Who knows if ten years from now, I will still be blogging, if I will still be living.  It's a mystery, one that will unfold I'm sure as it should.

For now, the honeysuckles are blooming, and I know I am loved.  Thanks for hanging out with me these past ten years.  Be kind, stay well.

Today is Sunday

We awoke this morning to the sound of rain and thunder.  While we were drinking our coffee I looked at Rick and said Mother Nature wants us to rest today.  He agreed. 

Mid-day the clouds parted for a couple of hours, he was able to continue caring for our bee swarm.
I walked the dogs.  This afternoon the rains returned, monsoonal, interspersed with thunder.
Last weekend we got around five inches, I figure there is more tonight.  I hope our crops have not floated away.

We taped another yoga class this afternoon.  It will be on my site, jilda.com tomorrow.  I hope some of you have had the chance to try my classes.

Tomorrow a new week begins.  Be kind, be well.

Gratitude

"" Gratitude turns what we have into enough."  -Kusala Bhikshu

I give credit for this quote to my friend Kusala tonight.  He shared it with me and his other FB friends yesterday.  I truly believe this quote to be a truth.  I have heard so many people talk about how little they truly need since this shelter in place lifestyle  has taken place.  For many of us, just the gratitude of not being sick has opened our eyes and helped us to see the world in a different way.

I have always told my classes that without gratitude there can be no joy.  This I know, no matter how bad things get, if you can remind yourself to find gratitude for something every day, life gets better.

Here in the south, we are looking at more storms tomorrow.  All of you stay safe, stay well, stay kind, be grateful.

Amazing

Yesterday Jordan helped clean the chicken pen/coop/boxes.  Today he mulched all the blueberry bushes.  What would we do without him?  His mom helped us plant our garden today.  Those two, are amazing.

Cookies

I had promised Jordan I would make Toll House cookies this week.  Today was the day.
I knew he would need a treat.  He had helped his mom for several hours in the garden and then this afternoon came over and helped Rick clean out the chicken coop/house/nesting boxes.  This is one 12 year old who is not afraid to work!  He took a dozen cookies home, I figure most of them are eaten by now.

Tomorrow we finish our garden.  Glad I saved a few cookies for us.

Wishing you a healthy, happy Friday.
Be kind.

Gardening

I sketched the diagrams for the garden today.  We do a combination of gardening, raised beds, containers and then an actual garden site as well.  The container gardens and raised beds are thriving.
We do those earlier.  The garden site will have sunflowers, zinnias, wild daisies, peppers, squash and beans.  The beds contain tomatoes, marigolds and beets.  The containers contain various herbs, potatoes, cucumbers, squash, lettuce, radishes, carrots.  We also have a small strawberry patch.
The blueberry bushes are full of big fat green berries and the blackberry brambles have the most blooms I have ever seen.  I hope our harvests are as plentiful as they appear to be at present.

It has been very chilly since all the storms came through on Sunday.  We had frost last night  and it looks as though again tonight.  Thank goodness there is not a hard freeze in the forecast.

I hope your day has been a good one.  Stay well, wash your hands and be kind.

Happy Boy

Sunday when Jordan brought the Easter rose to me, Kodak  grabbed him by the pants leg and wanted him to play.  That's their routine, Kodak grabs Jordan and then they wrestle, run and chase each other. The look of joy on Jordan's face says it all.  He is a happy boy. May we all know that kind of joy.

To Be Led

"Choose your leaders with wisdom and forethought.  To be led by a coward is to be controlled by all that the coward fears.  To be led by a fool is to be led by the opportunists who control the fool.  To be led by a thief is to offer up your most precious treasures to be stolen. To be led by a liar is to ask to be told lies. To be led by a tyrant is to sell yourself and those you love into slavery."
- Octavia Butler

Easter Rose

Yesterday Jordan brought me a beautiful rose, his papa grew it, my brother Ricky.
He grows amazing roses.  I call this one the Easter Rose.
We have dodged nasty weather most of this evening, small tornadoes, wind, hail and about 4 inches of rain has fallen.  More to come.

May we all stay safe, well and may we all be loved.

Spring Table

Though we won't have visitors this weekend, I got the house ready for spring.  Well the great room ready for spring.  My best friend Kaye gave me this beautiful embroidered table cloth a few years back for my birthday.  The pink crystal vase came from my grandmother Mamie and the little bird house came from my great great nieces and nephews, Parker, Peyton and Kay Lynn.

It is a table full of love and hope.  The flowers are all growing here on the farm.  The table is so big it takes up almost half the room.  But this table has over flowed with food, surrounded by friends and family time and time again.  Laughter has floated up to the apex and the walls and windows have shook with dogs and kids running through.

One day soon I hope this room is filled once again, with kids and dogs and adults laughing.  The floor covered in sugar crystals from marathon cookie baking and gallons of tea and lemonade flowing endlessly.

Tonight I looked at Mamie and Johnny's picture on the mantle and felt hugs from them and my parents.  The love exists even when their bodies don't.

Tomorrow, may we be safe, may we be well, may we know peace and love.

A Kodak Moment

He is no longer that gangly puppy that came to us in the winter.  There are times his name is still "dammit", but those times are not as often as they were.  He loves Jordan more than life itself and Jordan loves him.  He has been Jordan's best friend during this shelter in place time.

I was sitting drinking coffee this morning when he sat and looked at me.  I think he understands stress well, it started when Calliou died.  I wake up at night and he is laying beside the bed, keeping watch.

I didn't want to admit it, but he has stolen my heart.
Kodak is now part of the family.

Happy Flowers

I dropped off my video at work today.  A work buddy walked out to the parking lot to get it from me.
There we stood,  masked and gloved, in a parking lot, wanting desperately to hug each other and all we could say over and over, " we will be so glad when this thing ends."

I got back in my car and had a meltdown driving home.   I miss my work family, I miss spending class time with the patients, I miss what we all once had.  I have to remind myself almost hourly now to be grateful for health, that is the most important thing/gift that anyone can possess now.  I wake up during the night, after strange dreams.  Some are good, some are crazy, some are scary.  I find myself constantly whispering blessings of good health for family and friends.

We live in an area where many joke and laugh about the disease, and even though the governor has ordered a stay at home, except for trips for food and meds,  we are still one of the most traveled states in the union .
I am constantly telling myself to breathe deep, to send love even to the foolish and uncaring.
I know that one day, this too shall pass.

The storms brought intense blue skies and our world looked like an old technicolor movie.  I am grateful for its beauty.  Yellow flowers always look happy.

Purple Patch

Today I am so grateful for the beauty of nature.  A gentle reminder that life is always good.
I did my first video for work today for my pain management class.  Being on camera, doing a lecture and teaching a class is exhausting but I am so happy that I can do this.  Storms are supposed to  move in after midnight. I hope we are not in for a bumpy ride.  Everyone stay safe.

Be kind, stay well.  I hope this patch of purple violets makes you smile.

Tonight

Thanks to those of you who went to my website jilda.com and watched/participated my class.
Every class is different.   The first one I did was really to help with anxiety.  The next two were shorter classes, one for lower back and hips, the other for the upper body.  The one last night included a moon salutation which is wonderful for those who have sleep issues.  Moon salutations are sequenced so that stressed areas of the body are targeted and the body relaxes for sleep.  Most of the time the classes are around 45 minutes.  I hope ya'll continue to enjoy them, a new one will be posted next Monday evening.

This social distance/shelter in place is at times, surreal.  Some days it is easy and then there are days I would give anything to meet someone for lunch or see someone at the grocery store and hug. I miss working on site, being face to face with my students.  I am scared for all those I know in the medical field, those I know who are doing essential service work, for my family and friends. I find myself holding my breath and then I have to gulp for air.  I want to create, but  I am not sure where my creative energies might take me at this point.

Tonight I am grateful that rain is falling.  I needed the sound of rain on our tin roof, knowing that at least the pollen was being washed away...if only the rain would wash this virus away.

May we all be safe, may we be kind.

Dog Yoga

We did another video for my website this afternoon.  We haven't posted yet, it's still loading.
Doing these videos at home has brought something wonderful to my attention.  Although Hook is deaf, when he becomes aware that I am teaching my yoga class, he walks in, lays down and within seconds falls asleep.  He can't hear me, but somehow he feels the peacefulness and calm and sleeps soundly.

Im most of the classes you see or hear him snoring.  In today's class at the beginning Taz spots my yoga shoes, looks around and then grabs one and sneaks away.  Not everyone might like my class, but they are entertaining.

Don't forget if you want to do yoga with me, go to my site.  jilda.com

stay safe, stay well, be kind

Planting

We planted again today, we are doing a lot of that these days.  Today in our raised beds, we planted tomatoes and peppers and cucumbers.  We planted basil in pots.  Tomorrow we plant crookneck squash and bush beans in the garden.  We also planted strawberries.  I am a bit tired.

I am grateful for beautiful weather.  I am thankful for health.

Dogwood Shimmers

Rick and I sat in the back yard this afternoon after gardening most of the day, just basking in the beauty that surrounds us.  We both agreed, this has been one of the most beautiful springs  in a long time.  Nature is showing us that slowing down is not so bad.

Our dogwood  shimmered in the the sun today.

Enjoy your day tomorrow, I hope it is filled with peace and good health.

Waiting Welcome

I miss friends and family knocking on our door.
Most of our daily routines have not changed, I am still teaching yoga ( by video), Rick is still writing for the paper, and farm work never changes.
Spring is when we start having friends and family over, for cook outs, etc.   Maybe by summer.

Stay well, wash your hands, keep your distance, be kind.

Tomorrow we are going out for supplies.

Buckeye Bee

The buckeyes are blooming and every sort of bee imaginable has been enjoying their blossoms.

Stay well, wash your hands, keep your distance, shelter at home and be kind.

Blackberry Winter

Blackberries are blooming and blackberry winter came to visit yesterday.  It was rainy and cold, in the 50's, down in the 40's last night and again tonight.
Warmer tomorrow. 

Last year the blackberries bloomed and then heat and drought hit.  There was no crop.  Hopefully this year Mother Nature will take pity on the farmer, bless our crops and give us a bountiful harvest of fruits and veggies.