Gratitude Month - Day 26 - Rainbows, Swamps, and Palm Trees

This afternoon I had the opportunity to do one of my favorite activities.  I spent time in my gardens working.  The "babies" in the nursery had to be repotted before it got too cold and some of the others were ready to go into the five gallon and up pots.  I had this rush of gratitude for all things in nature as I sat there in the 'dirt'.

The seeds were gathered a few years back when I was working on my Ph.D. dissertation.  In case you have not followed along since 2008, my dissertation was on the effects of crystal bowl therapy on Pindo palm tree seed germination.  At the end of the year long study, I was left with about 1200 baby Pindo palm trees.  Currently, there are about 600 left that we are still growing.  Some of the earliest germinated seeds are nearly four feet tall.  

The seeds were "rescued" from a mature Pindo palm tree where normally the seed pods were thrown away.  The 'dirt' they are planted in is from our compost project which is all organic in nature.  The containers they are planted in are recycled from a nursery that was going to throw them away.  The water they are nourished with is from our rainwater collection system.  

As I sat there and played in the 'dirt' with the warm Florida sunshine and a soft zephyr breeze, my thoughts wandered to some of the other plantings on the property.  Other than the Pindo palm trees which we water due to them being in a pot, everything is reclaimed from other people's plantings that were going to be tossed aside. Nothing requires my attention other than enjoyment and occasional weeding.  Some I do not weed and allow to grow wild (see a previous blog post on my conversation with stink weed); all of them are natural growers that provide blooms year round.  

Butterflies and dragon flies are constant companions; as are snakes and hummingbirds.  Squirrels are bountiful since collecting seed pods that can not be germinated are left for their enjoyment (and to hopefully keep them from eating my seed pods in the nursery) and can often be seen playing.  

It is quite amazing how everything that the plantings need is provided for by nature.  We were told that the plants would not grow on the property due to the cypress swamp that in also on the property. 

 

However, nature seems to take care of herself when we let her.  The cypress swamp provides for a large array of birds to visit including herons and osprey. Though we did build a 'moat' down the length of the property to keep my fire pit area dry.

Late in the afternoon a rainbow was apparent in the sky.  To me, a sign from my Dad.  (A story for another day.)

The longer I played in the dirt and contemplating nature herself, the more I came to know fully that if nature provides all that it needs, if the Great Spirit sees to it that they are taken care of, why would I ever doubt that the Great Spirit would not love enough to take care of my needs?