Salad Days

Today was an awesome day and the first day my back felt pretty normal as I am now off pain meds. As you read from my last post, I wrenched my back pretty well by lifting a huge bag of dog kibble into the back of my car. Lesson: Lift with your legs and not your back. More importantly, forget about being independent and ask for help. Over the course of several days last week, my back went from bad to worse and by Thursday I was waiting awkwardly and in great discomfort in the ER of the town hospital. After six days of pain meds, I am now pretty much back to normal, although bending over to pick up beach glass is pretty much out of the question for a few more days. In any case, as I mentioned above, today was my first day out of the condo and once again enjoying the outdoors and the cool sea breeze.

Since I haven't been outside for over a week, I was struck by the number of new flowers that have bloomed since the last time I was outside. The area where we live in the summer is full of beautiful plants and flowers--most of them I never see in Texas. One year we tried to bring two beach rose plants to Texas as I was told the plants were so hardy they could grow anywhere; anywhere but San Antonio, that is. The poor things shriveled up and died within weeks of leaving the clime of the Commonwealth.

When we first arrived on the Cape in early June, the incredibly blue hydrangeas were just beginning to blossom and the dogwood trees were in full display. The beach roses were out as were the lilys near the pond. On today's walk I noticed the seven sisters roses on the fence were nearly finished with their bloom cycle, but the yucca plants were showing off their tall, fragile-looking blooms to fill the absence.
Later in the afternoon we went to the nearby organic farm, Coonamessett, where we picked fresh basil, tomatoes, blueberries and raspberries. We have been members of the independent farm for years and I always look forward to spending a couple of hours wandering the farm, visiting the requisite farm animals (llamas, goats, geese, ducks, chickens, miniature donkeys, Oscar the parrot, and a spurred desert tortoise named Peanut), and picking a few days' worth of veggies and fruits.

Last night, as I reflected on the day, I realized that one of the reasons I love coming here for the summer is that I am able to spend so much time out of doors and I truly experience the shifts in nature as the summer progresses. The flowers on my walk change on a near weekly basis as does the bounty on the farm. Each time I venture out the door, if I am truly conscious and open, I experience something new. I believe so much of our typical day to day existence is spent with our heads down, plowing through the day with maybe an hour, if we are really dedicated, spent out of doors and opening up to what nature offers us each day. After being cooped up indoors for a week last week made me even more cognizant of how much I cherish mother nature. Each day is a gift and should be ackowledged with gratitude and wonder.

Thought for the Day: Take an hour to walk or sit outside and open up your senses. How many different bird songs can you hear? What scents and sounds do you notice? Breathe deeply and take a moment to experience gratitude and open your mind up to your dreams.

In my garden there is a large place for sentiment. My garden of flowers is also my garden of thoughts and dreams. The thoughts grow as freely as the flowers, and the dreams are as beautiful. ~Abram L. Urban