Wednesday, July 23, 2008

The night is darkest just before the dawn....

This has been my mood lately---dark, brooding, heavy, intense, stormy, etc. Is it from watching The Dark Knight along with Lust, Caution over the weekend that has thrown me for a loop? (Let it be known these two don't pair well!) Or is it from listening to podcasts about our government's soul being sucked so far into the vortex of greed and corruption that our nation is no longer of and for the people but of and for the money? And the call to drill for oil off our coast? HAVE WE ALL GONE MAD???? Our government condoning usury by bailing out Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac with our tax money no less? The Iraq war is still going on? Congress and the senate stalling on passing the renewable energy credit bill while in the meantime subsidizing oil and coal companies that destroy our environment and make record profits? Sometimes it's all too much for my simple heart to hold and manage. My mood could also be attributed to one of Wendell Berry's agrarian essays from his collection, The Art of the Commonplace. I just finished "A Native Hill" and it was so beautiful. I haven't read anything with as much depth as this essay holds in some time, and it basically wrenched me apart---in a kind of good way I guess. Enough to make me re-examine my existence and my relationship to nature, to death.
Meanwhile in the fluid daily life I live, small joys abound. The oriental lilies we planted in April are blooming and are glorious. It's unfortunate the Durham crowd is so jaded with lilies. They truly are a spectacular flower. We put about five in a vase that were leftover from Sat. market last weekend and I have been enjoying them immensely. Fragrant, strong, elegant and bold. I could use a few of their characteristics now that I think about it. We gave them to our CSA flower members today and I hope they enjoy them as much as I have. The only downside about the lilies is that they come and go so fast. We'll have to do a few more plantings next year even though their bulbs are expensive.
Another great thing going on at the farm: biological control. This hornworm here has been attacked by a parasitic wasp that laid its larvae inside the worm. The larvae feed internally and then emerge from the body and spin cocoons. The hornworm meets a timely death and can no longer munch on our tomatoes. Lovely, eh?
And of course there are other great things going on at Bluebird Meadows. We have discovered a bird's nest with eggs in one of our tree peonies. What a delight! We have also been spotting a blue heron frequenting our pond. It has finally gotten to the point where the stately bird will no longer fly off when he spots us. Took a while for this to happen. We're trying to come up with a name for him. The great blue heron is Stuart's favorite bird. One graced our wedding during the ceremony, but neither Stuart or I saw it. I've also done a nice drawing of one as a gift for Stuart one year, symbolizing our relationship together.
Another simple pleasure to catch at Bluebird Meadows? Ladybugs getting it on is always a treat. Amazing how fast the male moves. Did I just hear pervert cross your lips? When farming one must enjoy the small things one encounters.......

4 comments:

marko said...

Hey, nice work on the video! I know you'll be modest about it, but it's really terrific work.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M-X8__L-WSw

MikaJ said...

lovely post! and nice caterpillar pictures. i am currently rearing some polyphemus moths. right now i have 23 little guys. i am hoping to save a few of the adults to mount in my collection. yes, total science/bug nerd here!! ( :

i have a blog that i have been bad about updating lately. it is private, since i talk about students and post pics of them on it, but if you are interested in reading, let me know! mikajhunter@yahoo.com

Alice and Stuart said...

Marko-Wow, I didn't think anyone would make that connection, but I'm glad to see someone appreciates all the hard work that went into that short. The females took some cajoling, especially the one that had to endure the spin-round guy.

Mikaj-Looking forward to reading your blog. I'm sure there are some fascinating tidbits in there! And wow, the polyphemus is gorgeous! Very cool looking caterpillar. I'll now be on the lookout for them.

MikaJ said...

Hi!

I didn't stop by, because you guys were swamped! Next time, I promise I will! (might be in 2-3 weeks...I have a few short trips before school starts). Will you be there on Wednesday?

Hooray for Ben!! He is a great essay writer. I can't wait to get the rest of the scores and tell Mrs. Christenbury - who was my mentor teacher and Ben's "real" AP Bio teacher, and the lady I am replacing - she will be so proud!

I am sorry your AP teacher wasn't the best. Mine was great, and one of the main reasons I decided to be a teacher. Maybe I can convince you to come guest lecture this fall...