Jack Frost's Visit

My last look at the beautiful morning glories before
Jack Frost's visit. It was time to say good-bye. Deborah Moon Moen

What a glorious garden this year on Little Utah Farm.  We heard that Jack Frost was to visit by morning and that meant saying good-bye. I drove up the pasture road and paused to bask in the beauty of my vibrant garden.  

What a glorious garden we had on Little Utah Farm

I smiled at the bright colorful zinnias, the lovely faces of the morning glories climbing up the arbors, the soon to blossom cosmos and bachelor buttons, the thriving red clover, and the stately row of sunflowers with their heads bowed to the east.

The garden continued to thrive and enjoy life even up to Jack's visit. Then the garden let go gracefully and now exists in my memory.  It is quite a shock to see it happen so quickly. But my heart was ready for it as I did take time to relish and appreciate my moments in my garden. 

Jack Frost visited the garden.

Next came the task of dismantling the garden. I released the grip of the vining morning glories that grew up the trellis and the fence, pulled up the wild sunflowers, dug up the red potatoes and cut the herbs that survived the frost such as rosemary, oregano, sage, and thyme. 

Autumn is in full force. Nearly all the leaves have been blown by strong winds that whistled and whined through the wires and bare branches. The orb weaver cat spiders, which came to visit us this year, transitioned in the cold leaving their beautiful webs. The grasses in the pasture began to brown and the leaves that fell from Grandmother Apple Tree were chopped up and placed in a pile by the corn field to mulch the roses, silver lace vine, and the soil before winter. 

Though I believe in everlasting life, our life here on earth is not forever. I am determined to enjoy it. 

Appreciate every day by being conscious and aware of the earth beneath your feet, the colors, sounds and the emotions thoughts and feelings that swell from that. 

 Rushing and wondering where the "time" went does not feel good to me anymore. I want to connect to that awareness which is timeless and true. All it takes is to stop and look around and take a few deep breaths to turn time into a doorway for appreciation.  

I thank you for visiting Nature Loves Appreciation (3,592 page views)

DeborahMoonMoen

Until next time, here is a favorite quote to ponder by John Muir,

Nature's peace will flow into you as sunshine flows into trees. 
The winds will blow their own freshness into you, and the storms their energy, 
while cares will drop away from you like the leaves of Autumn.” 

Autumn's Yellow, Orange, Red !

Mammoth Creek Area, in the Dixie National Forest, Utah
September 8,2016

Colors are appearing and flourishing in the high country elevations. Never mind the calendar, this was taken on September 8, 2016. Nothing can hold it back as the evenings cool crisp air turns the mountain sides of brilliant colored aspen from summer green to the golds and yellows, oranges and reds of autumn. 

Rabbit Bush signals the end of summer in Utah.

Even in my backyard at 6,000 ft, autumn transforms the rabbit bush to a bright golden yellow. And there are other yellow, bee loving, cousins like the wild sunflowers full of yellow petaled blooms and the California Poppies. 

California Poppies , bees love them. See the yellow pockets on the bees legs full of pollen?

Thank you for visiting
 Nature Loves Appreciation (2,234 page views)
Get out and appreciate your beautiful seasons!
Until next time,
ENJOY!
Deborah Moon Moen
Nature Lover, Writer, Photographer,  

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The Mouse Surprise Garden Row

The Mouse Surprise Garden Row 12 days after planting. Even the beans sprouted! www.NatureLovesAppreciation.Blogspot.com

"Is is too late for a garden?" I thought to myself. Digging the soil and making rows in late September sounded like a fun experiment to see how it would do in the cold weather.  I had a nice big garden box that my husband Paul made me and this year he added a lid to make it what they call a cold frame. It worked really well before the last frost keeping the plants protected and warm. 


I grabbed the hoe and shovel and began to open the soil and turn it over. I made nice rows with the hoe and watered the freshened soil till it was damp through and through. Next came a generous dose of fertilizer to replenish the soil. I searched in the shed for my seeds and found them on a table inside a green bucket. 


I brought my bucket in to the house and sat on the couch and began sifting and sorting through the seed packets with visions of my autumnal garden when a mouse appeared inside a Ziploc bag!!! "HELP" I yelled. I quickly ran out the front door with the bucket in hand and swiftly scooted as far out towards the garden as I could to release the mouse. As I rounded the brick borders of the carport, the mouse sprang upwards into the air, out of the green bucket, and landed like an acrobat on the soft dirt then scampered off. Whew* I was so relieved I made it out of the house before he leaped out of the bucket. I have had quite a few experiences with the acrobatic mice leaping from grain bins and buckets. 


While inspecting the rest of the seed packets outdoors I saw that a good share of the packets had been chewed through and the seeds had fallen out into the bottom of the bucket. I had no idea what seed went to what packet. That is when I got the idea to plant a row of these mixed surprise seeds and call it The Mouse Surprise Garden Row. 


I giggled to myself as I planted that row. I had no idea what would come up. I did recognize the green bush beans, though. I finished planting the other rows with seeds of lettuce, spinach, bok choy, parsley, beets and kale. Those seed packets had not been chewed on.


 All the chewed seed packet edges were repaired with tape and put into a Ziploc bag and into the fridge till next spring.


Six days later I opened the lid of the garden box and my seeds were beginning to sprout. The back row, which I dubbed The Mouse Surprise Garden Row,  had the most sprouts. I laughed and smiled and so much appreciated what fun it is to have a mystery garden row. 

What comes to mind now are spring bulbs. Never have I planted spring bulbs at the right time so before winter comes I shall search for narcissus, daffodils, hyacinth bulbs to plant before the ground hardens. Can you recall the fragrances of those flowers? 


Thank you friends, for visiting Nature Loves Appreciation
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Did you know that when you appreciate nature there is more nature to appreciate. The benefits are accumulative!

Deborah MOON Moen
Nature Lover, Scout, Writer, Photographer, Recorder/Chronicle

Autumn Morning In the Forest

Aspen's Crown:  Dixie National Forest, Utah. Prints, Greeting Cards and more...

http://deborah-moen.artistwebsites.com/products/-the-aspen-crown-dixie-national-forest-utah-deborah-moen-art-print.html 

Autumn Morning In The Forest.

 Come into the  forest with me,

Behold the falling leaves and hear the
ushering Winds which escorts them to earth...

Twinkling in the sunlight....

The leaves...briskly blowing down...

Winds....make easy soaring too for a lofty cloud's journey in a sparkling sky...

Transformational...
Revealing life's rhythm...dancing, twirling, floating
Leaping...swaying...living... breathing... rustling... 

                                              ~ by Deborah Moen

Thank you for visiting and spending time with Nature.
I hope you enjoyed your time here,
Until next time,

"Every leaf speaks bliss to me while fluttering off the autumn tree."
~ by Emily Bronte 

Nature Loves Appreciation ( page views  1219 )

DeborahMoen

A Nature Lover

Antelope Totem

www.naturelovesappreciation.blogspot.com
Antelope Dixie national Forest, Utah

Oh, give me a home where the buffalo
    roam,
    Where the deer and the antelope play,
    Where seldom is heard a discouraging
    word
    And the sky is not clouded all day.

~ Dr. Brewster M. Higley  1870

So do they play?  

Absolutely.

I have always admired the mammals, reptiles, fish and insects for their ability to know what to do at any given moment. They know how to take care of themselves and work either alone or with
their families or species and Nature.

I admired them for this wonderful natural gift because I had many questions growing up like,

•  how to do things 
•  how to have good relationships
•  how do I support myself.

Wild animals are connected to the Nature, the force that beats our hearts. It is an uplifted, high powered, kind of experience that we humans can also enjoy. When we are fully connected to nature, we shine with an appreciation and well-being that feels great. We are then more inclined to play, to enjoy, and tend to move around freely, like the antelope.


Antelopes are players on the great stage of wilderness.



Spend time with these and all animals, they are our teachers. We can also learn from the plants and trees and many landscapes like ocean, streams, prairie, mountains, lakes, fields, hills, parks our own back yard.

Thank you for visiting !

Until then,

Nature Love /Appreciation


Related information :
Home on the Range: who wrote and how it evolved as Kansas' State song. also contains all 6 verses. http://www.kshs.org/kansapedia/home-on-the-range/17165 

Discover the tool that millions of people worldwide are using for guidance, inspiration, and help in finding answers to life's questions. now, revised and expanded to include eight additional cards, this unique and powerful divination system draws upon ancient wisdom and tradition to teach the healing medicine of animals. Medicine Cards and found its way into the hearts and hands of many, guiding the way to healing the body, emotions, mind, and spirit, and providing insight into and understand of one's unique purpose in life.

Fast And Furious Harvest

The forecast was a coming... a hard freeze coming tonight!

Photograph by ©DeborahMoen  Poppies First Frost October 2014
www.facebook.com/DeborahMoenRuralPhotography

I looked out over my garden and memories flooded my mind

The corn had just been picked the day before. I admired the wild sunflowers bordering the fence, now just hard prickly bones rattling in the breeze. The garden was brimming with Green Ice lettuce, Heinz tomatoes just turning red, yummy pungent basil, fragrant cilantro, tall graceful dill and my Shirley Poppies and Cosmos were just beginning to open their faces to the sun.


A bit of denial and stubbornness came over me when I heard the weather report. Then I did what any smitten gardener would do and harvested all I could that night. UP came the Ruby lettuce. UP came the basil roots ripping from the cold soil. Down came the sheets and blankets to cover the dill and the pretty wild flowers.  I picked all the tomatoes green, red, big, and small.

I felt worried and sort of panicked at the sudden news, then a calm came over me. I knelt down and whispered to all my lovelies,  " I love you, I thank you, I will see you next spring."

The very act of communicating and thanking the garden calmed my stress. It was healing and soothing.


There are no good-byes

There are no good-byes. Maybe a twang of bitter sweetness.  I prefer to get caught up in the thrill of fragrances, textures, feelings of appreciation and fun projects like washing, cutting, drying and cutting the string to hang all the green stuff up in the kitchen.

Drying my herbs Fast and Furious
 Harvest. www.naturelovesappreciation.blogspot.com

The garden is a perfect example of how life goes on and on, in a sort of Circle.   Life is eternal.



Jack Frost came in the night

I checked the garden the next morning and discovered a sugar-like frosting on the uncovered plants. There is a child-like wonder that comes over me when I see the ice sparkling in the morning sun. The tomato plant already had gone to sleep with blackened leaves and limp stems. Everything else did quite well and I had an abundance of leftovers still living and thriving in the garden.



Nature is my teacher

I learned to enjoy each day as well as I was able. This is not a rehearsal, you know. Each changing mode of seasons scolds me and holds me in it's arms and makes me look at myself.

There seems to be a re-occurring mantra that I have yet to learn, busy-ness. I am constantly hearing that little voice in my head saying, " Go sit out in the garden. Enjoy what you have here". I do not always listen because I have this and that to do.  I do believe it is good to take time to enjoy and savor.  It feels good. All the systems in the body get oiled with all those feel good chemicals as you relax into the wonder and elixir of Nature. 

I live and learn....next year I hope I will spend more time basking in Nature. How about you?


Thank you for coming to share in my joy.

Tel us about your harvest this year.

Until next time,

Nature Loves Appreciation

John Muir's stories are narrated by Lee Stetson. He actually performs as John Muir in the Yosemite National Park. This is the audio opened my heart to a deeper understanding of nature appreciation.