it's that time of year

it's that time of year

a middle tennessee garden blog


finding beauty in the natural things around us makes for one happy self and a lovely life. ~marmee

dash home farm, leiper's fork, tennessee

Tuesday, October 6, 2009

slice of an abundant life

mixed green leafed lettuces growing abundantly.
.
csa(community supported agriculture) basket for july
.
the natural images that were conjured up were of a bountiful harvest...
.
...like this wagon load of watermelons.
or the bounty from our new farmer's market in leiper's fork.

all over flowing with the harvests of the latest season.

wonderfully bountiful apples...crisp and ripe at this harvest time.

baskets full of multi~colour okra....just waiting to be eaten.
but then my mind, heart and the images before me....told me of
a different type of abundance.....a bounty of gratitude....of love....of family.

so with that in mind i thought of how we had picked a special puppy
to be part of our family....beatrice.
how very happy we were and thankful to have her.
then she disappeared we were devasted....but we held out hope.....for the best.
you my bloggy friends said prayers...and made us feel we were
not alone.........remember the day she was found....and by the
kindness of strangers was returned....she was a little frazzled around the edges
but with love, care, and time just look what she has done...
she has fully recovered and we have a bounty of love returned to us.
this year with all the rain....grasses grew.....they were left for
longer periods of time. so what do you do when you have an abundant
bounty of grasses...you cut paths thru the very long stalks...then
run and play in them.....of course.




..........you let your inner child rejoice.
.
.
.
what about when you do have an abundant crop from your
garden...you harvest it (photograph it) and then eat it.
this image of fresh from the garden okra speaks volumes of abundance.

then there are all those apples...especially right now....

sure there is apple pie, apple crisp....but what is better than

throwing caution to the wind and tossing your freshly picked
apples into a galvanized tub adding water and letting some
costumed guests have at it.



this is sweet bounty.

you know this is the season of abundant loads....truck loads of pumpkins.
okay there is pumpkin in every recipe right now and
on every doorstep, piled high in your decor but why
not have a pumpkin carving with lots of family and friends.

now you have an abundance of fun, creativity.....
....it gets pretty competitive around here come pumpkin time.

we had a bountiful harvest of herbs this year and
love seeing them fill in the garden.......especially the mint.
with all the abundance of herbs....we carefully chose some
fine specimens from the garden....brought them in and
cooked.....until our hearts were content.
having a bounty of herbs means delicious things to eat.

this last year along with a bountiful garden.....
we had something else in abundant
proportion .....

hair.....jesse's hair....
.
.
.
.
some mothers might have a problem with this
but for me ....i am okay with personal expression...as
long as you are still being a loving person.

well jesse is a really great kid with a huge heart.
he said he was ready to get rid of his bountiful head of
hair but wanted it to mean something....he decided to donate
his locks to......locks of love.
my mother's heart was very touched....and someone got the
gift of hair from jesse's bountiful blessing.

one thing we did not have in bounty this year was our own pumpkins
but none~the~less....we were very grateful for our one little pumpkin.

success/abundance should not be measured in how much you have
but in how you view it....we were overjoyed.
.
.
.
.
another area of abundance in our lives is the ability to buy
farm fresh food......from local growers....we get to pick and
choose what we want...when we want.....i call that a life in abundance.

market flowers
local farmer's bringing and sharing their abundance.

we grew a variety of heirloom tomatoes this year and received
an abundant harvest....to enjoy looking at....
.
and of course partake of....as well.

this is our first try to grow raspberries....i was happy with our harvest.

...it gave me an abundance of photo opportunities.

also just one more of the many things that were abundantly bountiful were
our sunflowers....these are mammoth grey striped sunflowers
that reached into the sky at 9 feet high and their faces measured
12 inches across....this gave us a bounty of sunflower seeds....for
the birds....for us to replant and for us to give away.
we are living a life of abundance here on dash home farm....
we are very grateful and fully aware that this is a blessing....so
we are not taking it for granted....not for one little moment.
marmee

36 comments:

naturewitch said...

beautiful, simply beautiful!

we are just starting our planting season, so it's inspiring to see someone's harvest bounty. xx

marmee said...

naturewitch,
thank you. i hope you have wonderful success with your crops.
happy autumn.

Lola said...

A very poignant post. It does make one step back & realize just how fortunate one is. You had lots of things to enjoy. I love the farmers market idea so some folks get an opportunity to have fresh. I'm truly glad that you can enjoy all natures bounty.
Happy Autumn to you.

Renaissance said...

Wow! Abundance indeed and such a lovely thankful post for all those good things.

tina said...

Lots of abundance for sure. Glad Beatrice is doing well and back with you. Most nice of your son to donate his beautiful hair.

Susie said...

Marmee you always have the nicest and most sincere posts. It's always fun to come over here and see what you're up to.

So does that red okra taste the same as the green? I've never tried it before

ShySongbird said...

A wonderfully abundant post Marmee, so many lovely things, a marvellous harvest.

I don't think any of us who walked with you through those dark, sad days while dear Bea was missing will ever forget...I know I won't, she has a very special place in my heart. It is lovely to see her looking so well and settled now.

I wish you success with your photo entry, the melon is positively mouthwatering!

I do so enjoy my visits to you dear Marmee, your posts are always so full of joyfulness, it is such a pleasure...thank you.

Roses and Lilacs said...

Donating his hair was a kind and thoughtful gesture.

I'm glad to see Beatrice is no worse off for her adventure.
Marnie

TexasDeb said...

When someone has true generosity of spirit - such as comes shining through so clearly in your blog - the abundance grows with every click in, and then hopefully multiplies as the joy and peace you spread are shared by others. Thank you so much, for so much. A deeply touching post....

Cheryl said...

Dear Marmee.....

What a heart warming post this is.
You are a real family.....enjoying life, despite the pitfalls and heartache. All the events I remember, especially Beatrice. I worried for her so much when she disappeared. It might as well have been my own dog....and I prayed. I was so happy when she was back......

It is wonderful to know there are others out there who love their family and life as much as I do........

It was an absolute pleasure reading this post Marmee......

We have a very similar attitude with regard to food. Although I do not have the time or space to grow my own.....it is all from the farm along the road and organic.
I grow herbs and pick fruit from my garden and hedgerows........

joey said...

Outstanding post, dear Marmee ... love your abundant life but special appreciation for your Jesse and his unselfish gift (we've had several members of our family do this also). A bountiful harvest in your gardens but, no wonder, everything you touch seems to flourish!

marmee said...

lola,
thank you so much...we should all be so thankful in this country where so much abounds.
i am a nature girl for sure and i love being in it and around it.
happy autumn.

marmee said...

re,
i want to live in a thankful atmosphere...it makes life so much more pleasant.
happy autumn.

marmee said...

tina,

this is the time of year to take stock and realize all of our blessings. jesse's hair is so thick and nice it would make a great wig for anyone.

marmee said...

susie...thank you...i really want to live a life of gratitude....it makes for a pleasant life.
yes the red okra tastes pretty much the same...not at all stringy...very tender and good.
you should give it a try...if you have it available.
happy autumn.

marmee said...

ssb,

i am delighted you like to come visit with me...i would miss you if you didn't come.
life is too short to live in it grumpy. i prefer gratitude.
that whole thing with bea missing was so distressing and to have her returned was more than overjoyuous.(is that a word>?)
we have so much to be grateful for so why not proclaim it. life is good.
happy autumn.

marmee said...

marnie,

jesse has a great big heart and it is always ready to give or help someone out.

we are enjoying beatrice so very much and watching her flourish is the best.

happy autumn.

marmee said...

tdeb,
you make me feel humbled by your very kind words. i think it is only the way to go...to share when you have so much. it makes me happy to have you along for the ride. i am touched by your words...my heart is full.
happy autumn.

marmee said...

cheryl...we are kindred spirits in very many ways. life is full of it all....the good....the bad. we know this and yet it doesn't detour us from our goal of family first.
right along family is our animal friends who give us so much joy...
we are loving watching beatrice thrive. her and lylah have made the best of friends...they play nonstop. it is funny to see huge bea being so gentle with still smallish lylah.
food is such an intrical part of our lives it should be the best we can give to our families. when you what goes into it you have a certain confidence...i like that.
i am so glad you and i have been able to share so many of the things of life together.
happy autumn.

marmee said...

joey...isn't that a mother's heart to watch the people, animals and the things she loves flourish.
we are nurturers by nature. i know you are the same way with your large family. thank you for your heartfelt kindness. i do so enjoy you coming to visit me.
i do love the idea of someone having hair because someone else saw fit to share. bravo to your family too.
happy autumn.

Q said...

Abundant living is living in grace.
Thank you for opening your pantry, your gardens and your heart.
Sherry

marmee said...

sherry.

it is my pleasure to share our abundance...
grace has everything to do with it.
happy autumn.

Becca Joy said...

Wow, I wish I had a garden right now because I want to plant things! I love pumpkins, and your story about losing and finding your puppy made me sad, but then made me smile.

I adore having a farmers market so close to me and it makes me happy to go visit the farmers and buy local food too.

marmee said...

b joy,
i am delighted you found my blog and came to visit "things i love."
it was such a wonderful day when beatrice was returned...we love her and she fits into our family perfectly.
buying local is the best of the best...so glad you have a farmer's market available.
happy autumn.

Meems said...

Oh, Marmee,
I just loved all those abundant images... the beauty of fresh grown food in every form is so energizing. Getting to see your beautiful family and farm and successes with gardening is a blessing. It must be hugely gratifying to you to have all that gardening abundance. Grateful and thankful for you, dear sister and happy for your abundant life.
hugs* Meems

Teresa said...

Sounds like you have plenty to be grateful for and the beauty is that you are grateful. We should all be so lucky and all be so thankful. Good for you. You have a wonderful family and what could be better.

marmee said...

meems,

i am grateful for your encouraging words...too.
seeing fresh produce is energizing to me also. i love the colours, the smells, and of course the tasting of it all.
we are learning so much about life with our sucesses and our failures. gardening is definitely a metaphor for life.
i am truly grateful and thankful for you as well my dear friend, my sister.

marmee said...

teresa,
i am so delighted you decided to join me at "things i love."
believe me when i say there are challenges too but i choose to look at all the good in my life and dwell in/on them. i do have a wonderful family...and that is a true blessing.
happy autumn.

Lisa said...

So beautiful!! Everything looks wonderful and does remind us of our abundant blessings.

And what a great thing to cut and donate your hair for a good cause. Bravo!

Lisa Q

Gail said...

Marmee, You've written an absolutely beautiful post...and filled it with your sweet photos of your family and friends and great shots of the bounty in your life. Have a sweet weekend. gail

marmee said...

lisa,
thank you...we have to remind ourselves daily of all of our blessings.
happy autumn.

marmee said...

gail,

looking forward to the weekend...hope it cools down a bit.
life is a beautiful blessing and it is to be enjoyed.
happy autumn days to you.

Rothschild Orchid said...

What a fantastic post! I really loved looking at your beautiful photo's.

Good luck with the competition,

RO :o)

joco said...

Dear Marmee.

That is the post-of-the-year,
and not just for your blog: for all gardening-life blogs I have ever read!

If you decide to do a book version of this blog, that post alone would deserve a lovely hardback cover. Talk about a legacy: It sums it all up, doesn't it?

We all enjoyed it with you. Thank you so much for taking the trouble to write it down for us.

marmee said...

r/orchid,

thank you so much...i am delighted you enjoyed.
happy autumn.

marmee said...

joco,

wow i am speechless...thank you for your kind words. i just write what i feel...and i do feel deeply.
happy autumn.