ramblings from an arkansas farm girl
I heard a voice,
a mere whisper
in the breeze.
When I paused
to listen,
only the rustle
of winter
echoed back.
I heard a voice,
urging me along
an unfamiliar pathway
beneath a vivid
sky belonging
more to June
than January.
I followed the voice.
It was the only voice
that could save me.
Grace Grits and Gardening
Musical Pairing:
Winter, Tori Amos
Hey! Just because we are smack dab in winter doesn’t mean you can’t visit your local arboretum. Dallas Arboretum is a wonderful place to visit any time of year, but in winter you can connect to nature, dream of spring, breathe in a little fresh air without the crowds typical of spring and summer.
Whale Tongue Agave
Not to mention, the Dallas Arboretum is one of the most scenic places in Dallas. While throngs of people drive in from all over the Metroplex (and state) to attend Dallas Blooms and Holiday at the Arboretum, my favorite time to attend is off-season. I prefer to visit when the garden is quiet, when the lake vistas are clear through bare branches.
Last weekend we took advantage of the amazing weather and spent the afternoon at the Dallas Arboretum. Trust me, even though the tulips aren’t yet up, there’s plenty to see.
The trees are architectural.Continue Reading
According to the Old Farmer’s Almanac, January’s full wolf moon was named for wolf packs that howled outside Indian villages “during the cold and deep snows of midwinter”.
My fascination with the moon began in the fall of 1969 when Mrs. Hilliard wheeled the bulky black and white television between desks in our first grade classroom. Instead of doing alphabet worksheets, we watched Buzz Aldrin and Neil Armstrong walk on the moon from high above our spot in Keiser, Arkansas. At the time I had no idea the news clip was a rebroadcast. (I was probably at the lake on July 20 when the giant leap actually happened…)
A few years later, Mr. Ring assigned a month long moon project in science class. I was just weird enough to love month long projects…especially about space.
Each night I stared at the black sky from my location in the backyard between the pump house and the cotton field. On a piece of plain notebook paper, I charted the moon’s positions and phases. In thirty days it waxed from new to full then disappeared again. I began to realize even though it looked different every night, it never changed. It was the same moon, the only moon, the moon that guided Columbus, the moon that had watched over our Earth forever.
By month’s end, my project was detailed and accurate. A work of art.
I’m pretty sure most of my friends threw their reports together without a glance toward the heavens…
Wherever you are, be sure to glance at our Full Wolf Moon tonight.
Grace Grits and Gardening
Farm. Food. Garden. Life.
“It is a beautiful and delightful sight to behold the body of the Moon.”
― Ptolemy
Musical Pairing:
Mindy Gledhill, Winter Moon
