The Garden by Christine DePetrillo

Nothing pleases me more than playing in the dirt on a summer's day. My backyard is a NWF-Certified Backyard Wildlife Habitat. I have plants that attract butterflies, dragonflies, and birds of all kinds. The Northern Flicker woodpecker is among my favorites.

In the garden I have the following edibles:

• tomatoes
• green peppers
• basil
• mint
• parsley
• lemon thyme
• oregano
• lavender
• strawberries
• peaches
• blueberries

We also have:

• catmint
• roses
• impatiens
• grapevines (the grapes are never edible)
• azaleas
• rhododenrons
• weigela
• lilacs
• spirea

And:

• butterfly bush
• barberry
• coltsfoot
• dogwood
• arborvitae
• fern
• hosta

Now I'd love to have a ton more stuff growing (especially stuff I can eat), but my yard is pretty small and we've made the best use of the space we have. The Werewolf also runs and accidentally ruins things sometimes so I have to be careful where I put stuff. 

I love tending to all these plants during the summer months. Love to drink in their beauty, smell their fragrances, and taste their deliciousness. Coexisting with them when they are so green and alive invigorates me like nothing else can. 

That's why I love being in The Outdoor Writing Office. I can't help but be inspired to write when surrounded by nature. 

Everything is better outside. It just is. 

Do you garden? If so, what are you growing? 

Toodles,

Chris

www.christinedepetrillo.weebly.com 

Butterflies

“Happiness is like a butterfly which, when pursued, is always beyond our grasp, but, if you will sit down quietly, may alight upon you.” ~ Nathaniel Hawthorne

Have you ever had a butterfly alight upon you? I have. You must, as Hawthorne suggested, sit down quietly. You have to still everything going on in your body, in your mind. Release all tension. Be in tune with the natural world. Open yourself.

It helps if you have a butterfly bush too. That might be cheating, but hey, I’m not above that. I go to great lengths to bring wildlife in plain view. In the summer, the two butterfly bushes in my backyard provide an all-you-can-eat buffet for butterflies, tiger swallowtails in particular. When the temperatures soar, the summer breezes are like warm caresses, and the purple blooms are at their peak, the butterfly show is in full swing.

I love to take writing breaks to watch them when I’m in The Outdoor Writing Office, one of my favorite places to be. The swallowtails are like yellow and black trapeze artists, swooping and looping and hovering. I always want a closer look, but as Hawthorne said, if you get too close—if the butterflies know you’re there—they’ll take off. When that happens, I can’t help feeling a little empty. I berate myself for not being stealthy enough. I curse my clumsy human form. I give my dog the look that says, “You’re not helping things, you big oaf.”

Then I remember. Be quiet. Be still. Be open.

Put the extra large German Shepherd in the house.

Back outside, I’ll take a few cleansing breaths. I’ll sit, closer to the butterfly bushes this time. I’ll wait. The butterflies always come back. They can’t resist. The eating is just too good in The Outdoor Writing Office.

And if I can manage to barely breathe at all, a butterfly will land on me. I’ve had them land on my shoulder, my head, and in the palm of my hand. The trick is to not get too excited when this happens, which of course, is exactly what I want to do. Any sudden movements though, any vocalizations, and POOF… the butterfly will flutter by.

I can see that happiness is much the same. Whenever I have become too consumed with chasing something I think is going to make me happy, it never works out. I end up missing out on the great things that are right in front of me. I don’t take pleasure in the simple things. I lose my true path.

I forget to just be.

When a butterfly lands on me, I take it as a reminder to scrap the superficial stuff and appreciate the things that really matter. My family. My friends. The natural world. That extra large German Shepherd. I remember that getting in a good laugh is more important than getting ahead. I remember that having love is better than having pretty much anything else.

I remember to stop and hug the butterflies.

My wish for you this April, as you enjoy all sweet Spring has to offer, is that you spend some time outside, looking for your own butterflies to hug.   

Toodles,

Chris

www.christinedepetrillo.weebly.com

The Maple Leaf Series

More Than Pancakes (Always FREE!)

More Than Cookies

More Than Rum

More Than Pizza, Coming Soon!

Great Outdoors Month by Jena Galifany

June has been designated Great Outdoors Month. It is the time to get out in the open as much as possible and enjoy the world around you. I live in the high desert so being outside in the daytime can be hazardous to my health. Temperatures can reach from high nineties to the low hundreds. It is better to get the outdoor time in after the sun goes down.

Doug and Steve @ Knotts 2011

What can be done after the sun goes down that’s fun for the kids? Did you ever play hide and seek? It’s a simple childhood game where one person is “It”. That person would cover their eyes and count to twenty while the others all hide. Then the It person has to find them. If they are found but can make it to the counting spot, aka “home” before It tags them, they are free. If It is looking for someone else, the others can try to run for “home” and be free. Simple, right?

Now, our version of the game is this: Everyone wears black clothing that they don’t care if they get wet in and a sturdy pair of old sneakers. Each player is armed with a super-soaker and a squirt gun. Have a centrally located plastic kitchen sized garbage can filled with water. Floating in that water is a large stockpile of water balloons ready for use. If an attack is going on a balloon can be scooped from the container as you run by. These are ammo for every one to use.

The game is now played along these lines. No lights should be on in the yard so hiding can be creative. Be sure that there is nothing that can be a hazard in the dark yard. You don’t want anyone to fall during the game. Everyone hides. I’ve hidden by lying down in the shadow of a fence. I suggest checking for ants before trying this. My husband has spent time sniping from up in a tree. My youngest took a pail of water balloons up into her tree house and clobbered anyone who tried to sneak by below her. She was only five when she did this.

Now, everyone is It and everyone is fair game. The players may take up a hiding place to snipe from or if they are more adventurous, they can go out hunting the others. It’s all good fun and cooling in the summer heat. I have two and a half acres so our games got to be rather large.

 For her sixteenth birthday, my older daughter wanted a game of water wars, our name for the game. She wanted to have a couple of her friends on her team and she wanted to “hunt” boys. My son, my nephew, and my husband were the branded targets for the night. The girls had a blast keeping the guys on the run.

One should note that after the game has ended, be sure to let all the targets know. After the girls had their fill of hunting, they came in to watch a movie and eat popcorn. After a while, I noticed that my husband was missing. I went out to the yard and found him. He’d been sitting up in a tree, getting eaten by bugs, waiting for the girls to sneak by. No one told him that they were coming in for the night. Now, there’s dedication to fun in the out doors!

Jen in meditation @ Knotts 2011

All of this fun can take place once the sun goes down, after a barbeque or a day spent back-packing or taking a nature walk at a local park. The important thing is to get outside and enjoy the health benefits of fresh air and exercise.

What are your favorite out door games? Did you ever have a Badminton set or a croquet set out in your yard? We did when I was a kid. We also had a large tent set up in the back yard all the time. I spend a lot of time in that tent. My siblings and I were always out side and we had a great time. How about you?

Cheers!

 _____________________________
Jena Galifany writes in the genre of sweet romance and adventure. She can be found at her WEBSITE, or on Facebook.