Billie's Folly

The interval between Christmas and the New Year is always a welcome respite, an intermission between the tsunami of Christmas and the tide resuming to its normal lunar  pull.   I’m usually alone and the house is still.  Even Sadie seems to snuggle up in her blankets for longer stretches.  

 A long morning walk with the grand-dog...

I don't know what my thoughts will be next week, so I want to get down the feelings of content that the shift to autumn has brought me.  This is by far the most beautiful fall color display we've had since I moved to Oregon.  And that alone has had a profound affect on my mood.  Every time I leave the house, I have a renewed awe at the ever-changing fall colors--they just get better and better.  

I've taken the rolled eyes and not-so-subtle mocking of my 'gentlewoman farmer' beekeeping up until now.  But I think I've jumped the hurtle into legitimacy now that my first year's honey harvest is in!  I got two gallons of rich dark (blackberry influenced I'm told) sweet syrup from my little one-hive colony.  I will own-up to being a hobby beekeeper, but a beekeeper I am.   

After my previous two posts, I thought I might simplify the differences between Lagom and Hygge. While both are Scandinavian countries, Swedish and Danish cultures differ.   These elements of their cultures are similar in their end result, but the means to getting there is not the same.    

Hygge (“HOO-gaw”) is  a defining characteristic of Danish culture and   lifestyle .  As a concept, the word can’t be directly translated into English.  But i t's   about enveloping one's self in an environment of coziness and comfort, by  surrounding yourself with the things that make life good, like informal time with family and friends, conviviality, sharing a meal. There’s no agenda, just appreciating life’s small pleasures and simple everyday experiences.  Hygge not only embraces togetherness and community spirit, it encourages  aligning one’s self with nature and the seasons,  being present and mindful, and ultimately, self-care.   All these to cultivate a sense of balance,  satisfaction, contentment and  well-being,  and a  fulfillment that makes life worthwhile.  

Lagom ( LAW-gom)  is the Swedish art of living a balanced, happy life.  Loosely translated, it means “not too much and not too little – just right.”  It's a less-is-more philosophy.   It's come to define a lifestyle that is all about moderation, and finding contentment in being satisfied.   The Swedish believe all things in life have a natural balance. 

My dad at 100 was just as alert, smart, funny and cheerful as he ever was.  Everyone always told me how lucky I was to have him in my life for so long.  My reply was always an enthusiastic "I know!", followed by, "And he's sharp as a tack--because you know, living to 100 isn't worth anything if your mind isn't intact, if you've lost yourself to dementia, or you don't have a good quality of life."  I am forever grateful for his (and my) good fortune. 

I don't have enough contour of land, stands of trees or hedges to make actual "garden rooms."  I have more of an open floor plan--if you will--taking advantage of the sun and shade provided, colors and texture, and specific plants.  I have very few overlaps in species from 'room to room', but the color scheme has constants, and the areas flow together as you move through the landscape.   

If only...  Regrets can run deep, sometimes for years.  One second can stay with us for the rest of our lives.  You can have regret for something you did or something you didn't do, but wish you had.  Research has found that the most common regrets relate to education, career, romance, parenting and self-improvement.  These are the areas where people see their biggest opportunities or prospects for change.  

In keeping with my (previously unspecified) English Country House, I have three staddle stones in my garden.  Mine were imported from England and probably from the 1700's.  I use them as decorative garden ornaments.  Many people think they're just stone mushrooms, but they actually have a very long and interesting history. 

This is how the garden had erupted into blossom when I returned on Memorial Day. 

I just returned from a long week (week + two weekends) in England (London) and Ireland (Kinsale).  I hadn't been to London in some time, and had fond memories of spring window boxes and afternoon tea.  I went without much of a plan, except to end my London visit with a day at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show.  I stayed at the Beaumont Hotel in Mayfair, which was lovely. 

I'm now several days into my bee-keeping or  apiculture.  But there's more to the story of my initiation day.  As Aurel was about to leave that day, he looked around at the field of grapes.  He spotted the plentiful cover crop growing between every-other row of vines--a crimson clover mixture. 

I apologize for the quick succession of blog posts, but things have been happening and I want to keep up.  I mentioned several months ago that I was going to get a bee hive.  In the meantime I mentioned this to a friend who said she knew just the fellow to give me any help I needed.  His name is Aurel and he lives close by.  He makes his living with bees--leasing them out to pollinate orchards in different parts of the country.  He came over once, shook his head at my 'hobby' hive, told me the additional things I would need, and showed me where the hive should go.  Not to look lovely in my meadow as I had planned--but to the spot with the longest hours of sunshine--near the grapes and my fruit tree saplings. 

I hired a drone photographer to take some shots of my property.  The house and garden photos were great, the territorial shots were most interesting, but I especially like this direct overhead of the house and cottage.  

Wabi Sabi  is a deep and profoundly rooted notion in the Japanese spirit.  Something between an artistic concept, a philosophy of life and a personal feeling.   It   is imperceptible but everywhere  in Japanese culture; as subtle as the appreciation of a crack on a teapot, the wood of an old door, green moss on a rock or the reflection of the moon in a lake. And characteristics of the aesthetic, including asymmetry, economy, austerity, intimacy, and appreciation of the integrity of natural objects and processes  are applied in classical Japanese aesthetics like flower arranging, poetry, the tea ceremony, and Zen gardens.

After only three years in my house, last fall I hired a chimney sweep to clean my family room chimney.  Most people have never hired one, even after living in their home for years.  But I had swifts nesting in my chimney last summer.  The chimney cleaner confirmed that swifts are the birds that roost in chimneys.  Mine are either white-throated or Vaux swifts. Swifts are small, cigar-shaped birds.  They are one of the fastest birds on earth (can reach over 60 mph) and use gliding to stay aloft, only flapping their wings to gain momentum.  No other bird spends as much of its life in flight.  Swifts can spend up to ten months in continuous flight, and it's estimated they fly more than 500 miles each day.  They eat, drink, bathe, sleep and mate in flight.  Their legs and feet are small and weak and prevent them from perching or walking.  A swift that lands on the ground may be unable to regain the air.  But, with the aid of sharp claws...

To adapt an old Yiddish adage: Gardeners plan and Nature laughs.  We can make our garden plans, but Nature often has a design of her own.  Some plants will spread, divide or seed, others may revert to a previous version of themselves, and sadly some don't thrive.  Having a good knowledge of plant characteristic and growing needs helps, but some of it is unpredictable and up to Nature's fickle nature.  

I spend a lot of time alone.  Mostly by choice.  I love my alone time.  I keep very busy, but would be hard- put and even a bit embarrassed to admit some of the things that fill my time. I have gardeners and house cleaners around some days, but that doesn't count.  If I haven't left the house or driven my car for several days, I will start to feel antsy.  Sometimes it's just to get out of the house by myself.  But it's often to socialize--to talk to someone besides Sadie.  But fortunately, I never feel lonely.

I don't think I'm alone in the Northwest in feeling a transformation when the sun comes out for a few days and teases us with spring.  The plants are fooled too.  It's amazing what a couple warm (70s) days can do for the awakening of leaves and buds.

I'm still debating whether to get chickens or ducks--which would need tending when I travel--so in the meantime I'm venturing into another, fairly low-maintenance agricultural project.  Beekeeping.  I didn't buy a standard hive, but a more user-friendly style developed in Australia.  It's called a Flow Hive.  It's based on vertical frames, partially made of an eco-friendly plastic.  The bees build the other side of the hexagons, fill each cell with honey, and cap them with wax.  When you're ready to harvest the honey, instead of opening and intruding into the hive, you insert and turn a handle, the cells crack, and the honey flows down into a trough and directly into your jar.  Without the mixing that happens with standard harvesting equipment, honey straight from the frames often has more distinct color and flavor variations.  I'm very excited about this new hobby--but I have a lot to learn!  

In Greek mythology, Daphne was a free-spirited nymph  who rejected the idea of marriage for a life of simple pleasures.  From there, the story  doesn't go well for her.

I've had an extremely happy, healthy and comfortable life.  The one tragedy was my brother passing away from cancer before he turned 50.  And my personal low was ending my marriage--but even that had an upside.  Otherwise, it's all been good.  So what are the chances I'd win the lottery in l ife? 

We've had a lot of f og the last couple months.  Up on our hill we're either above it or shrouded in it while the lower areas are clear.  And we finally had a little snow.  It wasn't gentle flakes softly drifting down--it was a  15 degree  blizzard of high winds and snow mixed with freezing rain .  It's been pretty miserable ever since, except for this one day of sunshine.   The fountains always provide a dramatic freeze.  

Why are some of us optimists and some not?  I think we're at least partially hardwired--just like we’re predisposed to much of our temperament--it's our default mode.  After that, the positive or negative environment we grow up in is an influence, along with all our experiences along the way.  

The holidays are over and I did my bit to spread cheer.