The
Good News
The
good news
they
do not print.
The
good news
we do
print.
We have a special edition every moment,
and we
need you to read it.
The
good news is that you are alive,
that the linden tree is still there, standing firm in the harsh
winter.
The
good news is that you have wonderful eyes
to touch the blue sky.
The good news is that your child is there before you, and your arms are available:
hugging is possible.
They only print what is wrong. Look at each of our special editions.
We
always offer the things that are not wrong.
We want you to benefit from them and help protect them.
The
dandelion is there by the sidewalk,
smiling its wondrous smile, singing the song of eternity. Listen.
You have ears that can hear it.
Bow your head.
Listen
to it.
Leave behind the world of sorrow, of preoccupation,
and get free.
The
latest good news
is
that you can do it.
Gardening to me has a spirtual demension. Last Thursday during the six hours plus, I tended the Gardens, I had many moments when I felt free of the world of sorrow, connected to those who were helping me tend the Gardens, and felt connected to the natural world.
Pictured here is the Conservation Crew from Operation Fresh Start (OFS), a Madison youth program. This was the second time a OFS crew worked in the Gardens this year. The crew was provided through a contract with the City Engineering Division. Thanks Maddie Dumas, the Division's Greenway Vegetation Coordinator, for making the crew available. The crew worked diligently and I enjoyed my interactions with them. The four youth, each in their own way, contributed to making it a "good news day".
Ryan, the man with the sunglasses, is the Conservation Crew supervisor. Ryan also has an important teaching role. I watched Ryan use "teachable moments" to instruct his charges on matters related to prairies, invasives, and plants found in the Gardens. Ryan knows a lot about prairies. I asked and he gave me advice about spacing columbines that I was planting. Ryan also cultivates day lilies. He gave a brief lesson on cross pollination after plucking a day lily and explaining its various parts. His charges and I listened attentively.
The crew weeded and specifically removed Jewelweed, a plant with many benefits while being aggressive. Native Americans and Herbalists have used Jewelweed plant for centuries as a natural preventative and treatment for poison ivy and poison oak; and it is a folk remedy for many other skin disorders. I can attest to how the liquid from a split open Jewelweed stem eliminates the pain from Stinging Nettles, which are in the Gardens.
Jewelweed spread over a substantial area and were competing with grasses and prairie plants. With some hesitation, I decided to have the OFS crew reign in the invaders. By 11:00am, the OFS crew had cleared the affected area.
Most of my time involved creating other new beds, planting and mulching while OFS tackled the Jewelweed. Pictured are the some of the results. The bed near the bottom of the picture has grasses. If you look closely you can see the prairie drop seed plugs. The middle bed has Columbine which will hopefully thrive and bloom next spring. The top bed has Black Eyed Susans and Lanc-leaf Coreopsis. The Gardens will have a swath of bright yellow when both plants bloom, hopefully later this summer.
The following five blooming plants contributed to the "good news of the day" and a mood of tranquility. Here's the Oxeye Daisy adding a dash of yellow and white. I wonder why they are called "Oxeye?" Perhaps the yellow center is the eye?
The Blue False Indigo blooms again after being in the Gardens for years. This one's ancestors was one of the first plants when the Gardens were first developed. Speaking of ancestors, I received the results of Ancestry's DNA testing. No surprises: 97% from Eastern Europe and the remaining 3% Western Europe. It's confirmation of my Polish heritage.
This is the third year for the Golden Alexander. Zizia aurea, the official name, is a perennial forb of the carrot family. Didn't know that until I Googled to learn the correct spelling of Alexander. "Forb", just in case your are interested, is a flowering prairie plant. Oh,the magic of the Internet.
Here's the wild Spiderwort with its delicate lite purple blossoms. Another variety has white blossoms. The flowers open in the morning and close sometime during the day.
The Gardens have perennials besides prairies plants. Here's one of my favorites, the Japanese Iris. I love the purple color. The Gardens also have Day Lilies and Hosta. It looks like we will have an abundance of raspberries and cherries.
On Saturday, my brother Louie and his wife, Corine, were in town for a nephew's rugby game. A team from Pulaski, my high school almamater, was playing for the state championship in nearby Cottage Grove.
More good news. We visited for a few hours as we toured University of Wisconsin's Alumni Park ,which I mentioned in a previous blog entry, and during lunch in the Memorial Union's Rathskeller. More opportunities to leave behind the world of sorrow while feeling the love of family.
Facebook informed me that Pulaski won the game. They are now the state champions. Fifty two pictures showed the action and the post-game celebration.
After a nap in the mid-afternoon, Ann and I ventured to Home Depot and the Bruce Company. We purchased annuals for the pots on our deck. The bright colors will continue throughout the summer. I usually have breakfeast on the deck as well as do my Tai Chi.
May you have many moments of tranquility as summer unfolds and experience the freedom expressed in Thich Nhat Hanh's poem.
Gardening to me has a spirtual demension. Last Thursday during the six hours plus, I tended the Gardens, I had many moments when I felt free of the world of sorrow, connected to those who were helping me tend the Gardens, and felt connected to the natural world.
Pictured here is the Conservation Crew from Operation Fresh Start (OFS), a Madison youth program. This was the second time a OFS crew worked in the Gardens this year. The crew was provided through a contract with the City Engineering Division. Thanks Maddie Dumas, the Division's Greenway Vegetation Coordinator, for making the crew available. The crew worked diligently and I enjoyed my interactions with them. The four youth, each in their own way, contributed to making it a "good news day".
Ryan, the man with the sunglasses, is the Conservation Crew supervisor. Ryan also has an important teaching role. I watched Ryan use "teachable moments" to instruct his charges on matters related to prairies, invasives, and plants found in the Gardens. Ryan knows a lot about prairies. I asked and he gave me advice about spacing columbines that I was planting. Ryan also cultivates day lilies. He gave a brief lesson on cross pollination after plucking a day lily and explaining its various parts. His charges and I listened attentively.
The crew weeded and specifically removed Jewelweed, a plant with many benefits while being aggressive. Native Americans and Herbalists have used Jewelweed plant for centuries as a natural preventative and treatment for poison ivy and poison oak; and it is a folk remedy for many other skin disorders. I can attest to how the liquid from a split open Jewelweed stem eliminates the pain from Stinging Nettles, which are in the Gardens.
Jewelweed spread over a substantial area and were competing with grasses and prairie plants. With some hesitation, I decided to have the OFS crew reign in the invaders. By 11:00am, the OFS crew had cleared the affected area.
Most of my time involved creating other new beds, planting and mulching while OFS tackled the Jewelweed. Pictured are the some of the results. The bed near the bottom of the picture has grasses. If you look closely you can see the prairie drop seed plugs. The middle bed has Columbine which will hopefully thrive and bloom next spring. The top bed has Black Eyed Susans and Lanc-leaf Coreopsis. The Gardens will have a swath of bright yellow when both plants bloom, hopefully later this summer.
The Blue False Indigo blooms again after being in the Gardens for years. This one's ancestors was one of the first plants when the Gardens were first developed. Speaking of ancestors, I received the results of Ancestry's DNA testing. No surprises: 97% from Eastern Europe and the remaining 3% Western Europe. It's confirmation of my Polish heritage.
On Saturday, my brother Louie and his wife, Corine, were in town for a nephew's rugby game. A team from Pulaski, my high school almamater, was playing for the state championship in nearby Cottage Grove.
More good news. We visited for a few hours as we toured University of Wisconsin's Alumni Park ,which I mentioned in a previous blog entry, and during lunch in the Memorial Union's Rathskeller. More opportunities to leave behind the world of sorrow while feeling the love of family.
Facebook informed me that Pulaski won the game. They are now the state champions. Fifty two pictures showed the action and the post-game celebration.
After a nap in the mid-afternoon, Ann and I ventured to Home Depot and the Bruce Company. We purchased annuals for the pots on our deck. The bright colors will continue throughout the summer. I usually have breakfeast on the deck as well as do my Tai Chi.
May you have many moments of tranquility as summer unfolds and experience the freedom expressed in Thich Nhat Hanh's poem.
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