Idyllic

My ideal community would be what we have already. It’s organized as we choose as residents. Some of us live in high rise buildings overlooking the community, some live in large houses, some live in small houses. Some have large yards full of vegetable and flower gardens, some have very little yard because they don’t like the outdoors. Our life structure, like everything else, is what we choose as adults. We don’t have to be the same or agree about things. We just need to accept and appreciate our differences.  It is because of the diversity that we learn and grow.  If we change that fact, we whither like a flower with no sun.

Companion Planting

Although many are experiencing a winter snap, spring is “just around the corner.” Because of that, our gardens are much in the forefront of our thoughts. I’ve been studying about companion planting. Something nature does….well, naturally! Here are a few of the plants in our garden, and what they are planted with.

• Tomatoes – Plant with chives, onion, marigold, nasturtium, and basil.
• Potatoes – Plant with beans, corn, and marigold.
• Cucumber – Plant with beans, corn, peas, and sunflowers.
• Basil – Plant with tomatoes ( improves growth and flavor).
• Squash – Plant with nasturtium, and corn.
• Corn – Plant with squash, potatoes, peas, beans, cucumbers, pumpkin.

This information is from a book I bought for a dollar at a yard sale. The Encyclopedia of Organic Gardening – Rodale Press 1978 I also found a full chart online that can be downloaded here: http://downloads.smilinggardener.com/files/images/articles/vegetables/companion-planting-chart.pdf

Photo From http://hermionesgarden.blogspot.com/2011/02/companion-planting-almost-magical.html

Safe

A picture is worth 1000 words. This safe has been through a lot. Tell its story. Image credit: “safe” – © 2007 Paul Keller – made available under Attribution 2.0 Generic

The Safe

by Okitsmetalking

It sat in the courtyard, alone, unwanted,

Broken, rusted, empty, almost haunted.

The lock doesn’t work, the doors no longer close,

But oh, if we only knew the story it bestows.

It held the town’s history, the money and stock,

Yes, five days a week, bankers opened it’s lock.

It knew every property, bought and sold,

It knew who owed money, and who had the gold.

Time passes on; it’s replaced with one new.

Moved from the bank, now what will it do?

It’s sold several times, and stores different things.

Sacks of flour, some clothes, guns, even rings!

Now 100 years old, its end is soon near,

Until finally, deemed useless, it ended up here.