It has been quite warm the last few days, in fact it has been sweltering at times. It started cooling down last evening and this Morning it was 46 degrees, close to a record low for this date. I haven't heard a meteorological explanation yet. But, hey, it's Minnesota.
Perhaps twenty years ago, we were given a seedling black walnut, from some good friends of ours [a couple]. It grew in the yard of the the woman's Mother. I named the tree Sophia's tree after her Mother.
The tree in now a magnificent specimen, It has a straight trunk and is beautifully shaped. It produces a copious amount of nuts that the squirrels plant all over. We have to pull up little black walnut seedlings from the flower and vegetable gardens.
I would like to have a black walnut grove and I have wondered why one hasn't developed in places where I haven't pulled up the seedlings. There was a nice young tree about seven or eight feet tall growing in a small fenced area where I have raised broilers in the past. I had opened the gate to the area from the sheep pasture because I wanted the sheep to keep the weeds down in the enclosure. The sheep didn't bother the tree.
However, a couple days ago I saw a deer chewing on the leaves and this Morning the tree was pretty much denuded. Perhaps that is why we don't have a walnut grove.
I have discovered a downside to black walnuts. The roots produce a toxin that is harmful and even fatal to some plants. The rule of thumb is to keep vulnerable plants at least forty feet from the drip line. My favorite apple tree, a Fireside, is showing signs of distress. I am not sure that is the problem but it is little too close. I have another Fireside I planted a few years ago, so I have a replacement in case the worse happens.
Getting back to deer. I love them. They are a joy to watch. They love our yard. They prune our apple trees as far as they can reach. They are getting to be more of a pest. We don't hunt, but our neighbors do and the deer still keep multiplying. They seem to be getting more tolerant of the human presence. They come right up to the house and eat the lilies and tulips growing around the foundation. This year they don't startle when I approach. I can walk to about twenty feet of them and then they just amble off like they didn't have a care in the world. Something has changed,
And, we are all changing. We are learning to accept life as it comes, without judgement, without regret, without remorse. Perhaps these feeling flicker momentarily. They don't drive us. We can see the love in everything. There is only love and learning about love.
It seems to me that, we as a people, have to re-emerge ourselves in Nature and reclaim our place as one of our Mother's residents. First, we need to understand and experience our oneness with the planet. We are individually and collectively part of the planet system.
We are not only residents. We have the capacity to be caretakers. Would we have the capacity to be caretakers if it wasn't our function?
We have done everything to destroy our Mother. It is now time to make amends. Each of us has some ability to enhance life on Planet Earth. Perhaps cleaning up. Perhaps improving soil on a small garden plot. As we sense our oneness with the Earth, we will insist all pollution and destruction end. Yes, we do have the power. Don't doubt it.
We may begin by loving and appreciating Nature and our part in it. When we meditate, let us listen to what the Earth is telling us. Let's ask for direction. How can we help?
Love and Peace, Gregg
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