There Are Kingdoms and Reaches

far more than we know.  There is a world within our world where magic lives by many names and coexists with the ordinary. A few glimpse it and sense it around them in Nature's Realm.

Every tree has its Dryad and each Dryad has its dragon/tree.  It is a special relationship. One cannot exist without the other.  If one should die, the other will too.

Sometimes an ordinary moment with extraordinary power can bring back the Dryad's music and lift the dragon's wings so they may live again.  Few are fortunate to witness this re-birthing.

Many may remember the discovery, the imagining and the journey.  Who knew it would take me so long!

Presenting the rebirth of a tree dragon and her Hamadryad living again in my heart and my yard.

She may change as she tells me

but for my birthday she is poised for flight.

May we celebrate the magic and beauty around us
and always feed our imagination. 

Rocking In My Flip Flops

Alway something interesting

to find on a walk

A rock outcropping covered in lichen

shapes and types

you may not have seen.

Grateful the flip flops are still able to rock

Keep your eyes on the trees cause you never know what's watching.

See the face?

Chestnuts and Figs

It's fall

 and the chestnuts are falling.

The trees look prehistoric to me.

A disease killed out the native Chinquapin years ago.

Dad planted a few chestnuts.

He also planted figs which aren't supposed to grow in our climate.

Dad's love of figs began when he cowboy-ed in California. 

You had a great crop of figs this year, Dad.

Your chestnuts are plentiful, too.

The figs are far easier to pick

I wish you'd planted the chestnuts much further from the house, Dad.

Thanks.

Into The Woods

is where I go for peace

There is always something to see

that tells me

that, at least here,

there is balance and life.

Nature's Art

Sunshine

through cedars,

mushrooms 

grow up, down, 

and sideways, 

and trees flourish

against all odds.

Sometimes

we do something besides work. It was doctor day.  I enjoyed the flowers at their office.  We were in and out quickly.  Surprise.

We took a back way to a WalMart

and had an early lunch out. This unique salad bar was in a canoe!

From our table we viewed a boat dock and the great White River.

Hubby had fish.  I had mussels.

We were both pleased and full.

We crossed White River as we took Highway 9 home.

The roads were curvy.  The driver drove fast.

It felt good to see someone else's trees.

I Don't Know About You

but my poor coffee table is lined with things I have jotted down, random quotes I've heard or read or even random thoughts.  Sometimes I do some thing with them, sometimes not.  I wonder many times how my mind works.  If you figure it out, please tell me.

My spiders are dusty
My legs not shaved
I leave so seldom
I must be caged...Me

"RTC-Reasons to continue"...from the series Zoo.

Delta airlines advertisement..."...wild eyed and big figured dreams..."

Peyote gave me visions of a world never seen
Where animals and people play on the same team...Me

Belle Starr's tombstone...
"Shed not for her the bitter tear
Nor give the heart to vain regret
'Tis but the casket here
The gem that filled it sparkles yet."

And now my table's clear.

Persimmons

Persimmon trees can be small

or very tall.

This time of year they are ripening.  Because of the dry weather the leaves have already fallen.  My horses loved persimmons and learned how to rub against the tree to make them fall.

Looks like a good crop this year.

These are wonderful for farm fights, ripe or green.  I have enjoyed many "fights" with cousins and sisters growing up.  Ripe they are soft and sweet.  When green, they are very hard and bitter.  Pick your ammo.  Each has its pluses and minuses. 

The fruits are small but do vary with the type of tree 

and the weather that year.

You basically eat the fruit and spit out the seeds.  Wild animals love them!  There are many great recipes for breads, cakes, and spirits.  The seeds are the famous winter forecasting seeds.  You cut the seeds and the shape you discover forecasts your winter.  Carolina Nana can show you how.  Her persimmon seeds predict a cold winter.  I'm hoping my forecast is different.

UPDATE:  Our seeds show spoons so lots of precipitation for this winter.

Black Walnut Trees

Across the valley by the garden spring are several Black Walnut trees, in fact, there are many spread over the farm.  Picking up walnuts to sell was one of our childhood chances to make some money. Each year some one will have a walnut huller operating and will pay by the pound for Black Walnuts after they are hulled.

This is a Black Walnut by our house showing many walnuts still on the trees.  I left the corner of the roof so you can imagine how big the trees are.  This is one of the smaller trees.

These have fallen and are ready to pick up.

The way they look when they fall

and the color they turn

One without the hull but still in the shell.

First you remove the hull

then break it open with a rock or hammer

...they are a tough nut to crack...

and you get the wonderful "meat" or "goodies" to eat.

This is about half of a walnut's worth.  They can be used as any other nuts in cooking, baking, or just like this.  The hulls in water when changing from green to brown will make a wonderful "tea" to dye cloth with not to drink.  We also discovered a good strong tea will kill thistles.

Black Walnut wood is highly prized for furniture making and for gun stocks.  The living room here At The Farm is Black Walnut tongue and groove routed lumber varying in widths with almost an inch thickness. The shelves on each side of fire place and through out the house are made from Black Walnut.  All walnut in the farm house was harvested here, seasoned, milled, planed and routed for use in building this house.  It will never be painted nor removed.

Thanks to Lynne at Irish Garden House for suggesting this post.