Saturday, March 11, 2023

A Day Rare In Form and Beauty


Today has been so beautiful that I did not need to remind myself to look up. That bright sky drew my gaze over and over again. It's like yesterday's weather both washed and swept everything clean. We have a little break from the pollen and on top of everything else, it has been cooler and dryer as if the storm took all of the humidity with it to feed and nurture itself. 

Good riddance. Although my weather app says there's a 70% chance of rain tomorrow. That is fine. It can rain all it wants. I always think of the water filtering down to the aquifer below us and it makes me happy. But it is also a pure blue miracle to have a day like today. The birds have been so busy calling and singing today that I can't help but feel that they are celebrating the day as well although they are probably defining their territories as it is that time of year. I saw two bright scarlet male cardinals on the ground, darting towards each other and they had menace in their eyes. The finches have been crowding the feeder, the cardinals and doves too. 
Everything has felt so alive. 

I read about yesterday's storm in the paper and realized that we were really lucky. I don't think the tornado actually touched down anywhere but there was a tornado and I'm sure that caused the wind that was so strong for a few minutes. A tree fell onto a car a few miles from here and killed the passenger and injured the driver. Roads and even part of the interstate (the part nearest Lloyd, in fact) were blocked by fallen trees. We had surprisingly little tree damage in our yard. I picked up a garden cart full of limbs and branches that fell and hauled them to the burn pile but honestly, I would not have been surprised to see entire trees down. 

I kicked bamboo and this is what the wisteria growing on the bamboo jungle looks like. 


I would apologize for the constant wisteria photos but I will not. I do apologize that they are not as good as I wish they were. Right now I am looking at one of those male cardinals perched on a wisteria vine between two bunches of blossoms and that is just a party for the eyes. 
I am not fast enough to get a photo of that but I give you this.


The mulberries are still green and hard but are starting to turn color. I think it will be a good year and hopefully, I'll be making preserves with them and a pie or two. They are so good, so purple and luscious, and each one I eat is a trip back in time for me to the mulberry tree in Roseland where all the kids in the community gorged ourselves on the sweet fruit every spring, coming home with stained lips, tongues, and fingers. 

It has been a quiet day for me. Mr. Moon went over to Tom's house to finally and actually plane some boards. He figured out how to get the planer working properly with the help of real-life people on the phone. He highly recommends the Grizzly Woodworking Equipment Company. In case you're in the market for such products. 


That's a black walnut board from a tree that got cut down in our yard over a year ago and which has been aged all that time in the old barn. There will also be cherry boards from the tree that was by the kitchen that needed to be cut. And then he will start using them to make things. He has been looking forward to doing this for most of his life. 
This all reminds me of my grandfather who earned a good living working for the Cavalier Cabinet Corporation, going all over the United States and sometimes Europe, buying wood. He wanted to be a cabinet maker himself but cut off all the fingers on his left hand in a saw that did not have the guard attached. That never seemed to slow him down much when it came to making things in his shop. He loved woodwork so very much and I can see him in that shop in his garage, whistling tunelessly as he did, sanding and planing, creating tables and chairs and lazy-susans to put a Scrabble board on. 

I've babbled long enough. I just slid a dutch oven full of leftover mashed potato/sourdough bread into the oven. 


The mighty yeast of Lloyd is still powerfully lifting its burden of flour and water and salt and whatever else the hell I put into my bread. 

Just one more example of everyday miracles. 

Don't forget to set your clocks up. 
Ugh. 

Love...Ms. Moon

30 comments:

  1. We used to have several purple mulberry trees in the yard and I tried making mulberry jam using a recipe I got from the extension service. It was more like syrup, but good. After the fruit ripened there was purple bird poop everywhere. I was not too sad when the trees died

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    1. Eh, purple bird poop doesn't bother me overmuch. And my preserves are always quite thin too but poured over a biscuit- heaven!

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  2. Earlier today I set my "setable" clocks back an hour, quite proud of my efficiency. A while ago I realized my error and made the circuit again.
    It's dark and cold here in Aurora, and has been all day. I'm happy you have decent weather to go with your sourdough loaf.

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    1. Ooh boy. Sounds like something I would do. Glen changes the clocks around here. The coffee pot is exceptionally difficult as all of the markings on the dial have long-since been rubbed off.
      That bread was amazing.

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  3. your photos and your day are a soothing and welcomed *tonic*! Still raining here........ 4 inches and counting.....I long to see blue sky and sun! I did not realize we would be FORCED into changing time tonight.....yet again. Good grief....... leave the blasted time alone, OK (not you, of course!)
    Susan M

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    1. They keep saying (who is they?) that we're going to get rid of DST but then every spring and every fall we have to mess with the clocks. It's so ridiculous.
      I hope you get some sun soon.

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  4. Your grandfather sounds wonderful. It's also been a gorgeous day here, but cold. After all this warm weather we're finally getting cold nights again, supposed to be down to freezing a couple of times next week....UGH! Things are too far along for such cold weather! I see wisteria growing in the trees all around my house at the moment, and the dogwoods are blooming. There's Spanish moss, too. Such a beautiful time of year!

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    1. A freeze is definitely going to put a kink in spring for you guys. I can just hear all the plants going, "Wait! WHAT???!!!"

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  5. I love that black walnut board, it's wonderful. I hope we'll see what Mr M makes. You sound a lot happier today. Humidity has a massive effect on mood.

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    1. I think you are absolutely right about humidity. It is literally wearisome.
      I hope you get to see something that Glen makes with these boards too!

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  6. That black walnut wood is gorgeous! I look forward to seeing what Mr. Moon creates with it!
    I popped most clocks ahead at Noon and took a nap and I figure I am not losing an hour of sleep because of that! LOL

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    1. So clever! Way to trick your body AND get a nap. Good thinking!

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  7. That bread looks good, and I'm glad you had a good day.

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  8. Wood is beautiful. How lucky Mr Moon is to be able to fulfill a long held dream.
    Our clocks go back in April (and forward in October). This used to be the weekend they went back but the powers that be decided we should have 6 months of each time which is a bloody pain in the proverbial as it's too late for autumn and to early for spring.

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    1. I always feel like it's so ridiculous for humans to feel like we can just mess with time without messing with people's entire lives. And biorhythms! If there really are such things. But you know what I mean.

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  9. That is a BEAUTIFUL board! I have envy here. We have a mulberry tree in the grounds out near the main road but far enough in to be safe and the branches used to hang to the ground and we would step inside and stuff our faces, then two years ago someone pruned the tree so high we couldn't reach the branches and there hasn't been a single mulberry on it since then.

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    1. That would piss me off if someone did that to a beautiful mulberry tree near me. Maybe it will come back. I hope so.

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  10. Can you imagine that moment when your grandfather had that accident? How does one mentally cope with having cut off all their fingers? Dear God.

    It does look like a bright, beautiful spring there. I can imagine that cardinal sitting among the wisteria blossoms -- even if you didn't get a photo, you gave us a good word picture. :)

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    1. You know, Steve, I have literally spent my entire life wondering about that moment when Granddaddy realized that he had lost all of his fingers. He was quite young. I never saw him express emotion of any kind, really, except once in a blue moon he would be angry and that always made me feel terrible. I wonder if he passed out. I wonder if it took him a moment to realize that he'd done what he'd done. Ugh. Just such a horrible accident.
      The bird in the wisteria was a very lovely sight.

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  11. Our clocks change in about two weeks . I can't show the pictures of the wood to my husband as his cries of envy would be heard in Florida.

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    1. Where are you, Jessica?
      Board envy? Sounds better than wood envy, I think. Or was that too risqué?

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    2. In South West Scotland where I live gentlemen may refer to getting a woody to explain certain discomfort in the trouser area and no carpentry won't make it better lol.

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    3. In South West Scotland where I live gentlemen may refer to getting a woody to explain certain discomfort in the trouser area and no carpentry won't make it better lol.

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  12. My grandfather was a woodworker too! I remember being fascinated by the stump of a finger on his right hand. I cannot imagine losing all your fingers. Wondering if your Florida bamboo is the same as the Japanese Knotweed that is taking over here in Pennsylvania. Local beekeepers have begun marketing Knotweed honey - alongside the goldenrod, wildflower and buckwheat varieties.

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    1. He did not lose his thumb and I am sure he was grateful for that.
      I have no idea if our bamboo is similar to what you have in Pennsylvania. Doesn't really seem possible, does it? Okay. No. I just googled it. It doesn't look like our bamboo at all. I would love to try the honey of the knotweed.

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  13. I had no idea there was a terrible storm in Florida yesterday. it's windy here, started yesterday and blew all night as I listened to the windchimes through the open window in my bedroom. windy today still but no damn rain. the wisteria over at the shop isn't blooming all that well, already greening up with foliage. too dry I guess.

    my brother is a woodworker. he makes really gorgeous furniture and model cars. he also cut off two of his fingers.

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    1. Well, the storm was pretty localized. I sure wish you'd get some rain. We're getting more today!
      Good Lord. Woodworkers just can't seem to keep all their fingers, can they?

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  14. That storm from yesterday's post made me laugh. When Tim was having all his sleeping problems, I tried some of those soothing nature sounds. One of them was 8 hours of a thunderstorm. I fell asleep, but woke up in the middle of the night. I couldn't figure out why Tim would be showering in the middle of the night. Then there was a rumble ot thunder. I reached over and shut off my phone.

    Florida is just such a fecund place. Everything thrives: the good, the bad and everything in between!

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    1. Heh-heh. I can see why rain sounds would be soothing. But thunder? Not so much in my experience.
      Florida is fecund indeed! We grow everything from oranges and papayas and live oaks to Florida Man! It's amazing!

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