I love scarlet runner beans! I grow them for the vines and flowers, but last year I got pods for the first time, and when I opened them up it was indeed magical.
Oh wanted to add here, reader Miya recommends the book "Time and the Art of Living" by Robert Grudin... She says it was "really rich with ideas to contemplate and revisit." Seems good!
Hi, I’m looking forward to reading Jenny’s book, I loved her previous one. I’ve been watching, noticing and photographing a couple of local trees for a few years now - to trace the passage of time and to use repetition to make interesting pictures. I try to take a photo most days, when I walk past on the way to school with my children. I started daily photos in Covid lockdown and then made this website https://100trees.netlify.app/
Last night, as we returned from a summer sojourn, I rushed to my vegetable garden once the car was unpacked. I wanted to see the time that had passed for my plants, the pepper that had gained shape, the tomatoes that turned red, the hops plant that survived despite a violent and accidental uprooting. Looking at my garden recognized the time I was gone and celebrated the coming home.
I love that. The return home! And you immediately go looking at the babies. (I do the same thing, and sometimes the bags are still in the trunk!)
You know what I also love: that little seedling of something you didn't really notice before you left, but when you get back, it has gone wild and you're staring at a real plant. That happened with a mallow in my yard when I was just gone for 5 days.
Also, I am happy that the hops survived. I lost a couple of my prize scabiosa on my last trip just from random accidents (I should have supported them better).
<vent>A thing I loathe about the podcast industry, treating the folks who do so much key work as anonymous worker bees. Truly surprised to find this in your writing.</vent>
I’m sorry it read that way! In our specific case: I truly don’t know who sends individual comments. We work in a Google Doc and it could have been one of any number of people. I understand why it read that way, tho, and I’ll watch out for that language creep. Thanks for pointing it out.
What wonderful thoughts, I have a tree in my back yard that has grown from a weed and is slowly destroying my veranda. It is so beautiful to watch it change through the seasons and to enjoy the birds in it that I would rather remodel the veranda than cut it down. After reading your writing I will take even more notice of is changed in foliage. Thank you.
We did encounter some "holy shit" in the kindergarten in between coffee bean and black kidney been - not sure why was told it was just some rabbits poop - are there other why after generations
I watch generations of lizards in the little strip of (flower) garden between the sidewalk and the house. there are at least 3 different species. Start out seeing them when they are about 3/4 inches long until they are adults at 3 to 4 inches long, and the males posture to attract mates. I keep that little "garden" jungle-like which seem to suit them well.
You know, I love lizards and have since I was a little kid in LA trying to catch them. But I have never gotten to (slash taken the time to) watch them over a longer stretch. Now, I see them mostly along a big rocky wall at the top of Claremont Canyon. And my main thought about them has been to see their actual physical distribution as a chart of risk tolerance. There are the lizards that seem willing to be many feet from their hidey holes. But then others stick close to safety. So many ways to live, and definitely some ways to die (a crow circles).
It's my first time reading this email since it appeared in my feed this morning. I enjoyed the ode to beans, my favorite food. Missing is the most important information, the nutritional benefits and huge impact eating beans, legumes and pulses. They're a perfect replacement for animal protein, high in nutrient value, and a perfect combination with other grains and carbohydrate foods to complete the protein. As a Puertorican and registered dietitian nutritionist, I limit animal proteins in my diet. Beans are my traditional food and my husband's, a New Orleans native. Beans and rice, bean soup with pumpkin, beans and cornbread, beans with corn, or just beans. I know what's on the menu tonight.
Brilliant description of now, which is necessarily a-temporal, which means independent of time. Now is making jam, watching the sun set, haveing an orgasm. Time is what seems to go by as you are present in the now.
“Ignored safety concerns become landscape.” I have a different interpretation of this phrase. Ignored safety concerns will destroy what you have reverting everything back to landscape.
We have two large sycamore trees in the back yard. The bark peels off in huge pieces after storms. Picking up the many scattered pieces before mowing the grass is a chore, but the peeling bark is a sign of a healthy tree that is growing out of its old skin. So I don’t mind the clean up. A spot on one of those trees will be my new daily focus,on the slow seasonal changes and life rhythms.
I love that. I have to say my least favorite garden task is definitely cleaning up after a neighbor’s tree’s leaves. Maybe I should try to come to more acceptance around it this way.
If more of us would be this observant in our daily lives, just wonder how our world would change. So many miracles around us, we some how have no time for.
I went to a retreat event in the Fall of 2019 and the theme of it was Time. One of the speakers was an artist who creates clocks that measure time a bit differently... https://thepresent.is/
It's a nice present, I think, to ourselves -- when we imagine things differently.
I love scarlet runner beans! I grow them for the vines and flowers, but last year I got pods for the first time, and when I opened them up it was indeed magical.
This is gorgeous. Thank you.
Thank you for reading it! Mostly just following Jenny's line, which is fascinating.
Oh wanted to add here, reader Miya recommends the book "Time and the Art of Living" by Robert Grudin... She says it was "really rich with ideas to contemplate and revisit." Seems good!
Time and the Art of Living is a brilliant book that seems almost undiscovered even though it was first published in 1982.
I’ve been very into several early 1980s books about plants, nature writing, biology. And I think you are right that they are quite under appreciated.
Hi, I’m looking forward to reading Jenny’s book, I loved her previous one. I’ve been watching, noticing and photographing a couple of local trees for a few years now - to trace the passage of time and to use repetition to make interesting pictures. I try to take a photo most days, when I walk past on the way to school with my children. I started daily photos in Covid lockdown and then made this website https://100trees.netlify.app/
Sometimes I post daily tree photos on Mastodon https://assemblag.es/@tristanf/110649354002221223
Last night, as we returned from a summer sojourn, I rushed to my vegetable garden once the car was unpacked. I wanted to see the time that had passed for my plants, the pepper that had gained shape, the tomatoes that turned red, the hops plant that survived despite a violent and accidental uprooting. Looking at my garden recognized the time I was gone and celebrated the coming home.
I love that. The return home! And you immediately go looking at the babies. (I do the same thing, and sometimes the bags are still in the trunk!)
You know what I also love: that little seedling of something you didn't really notice before you left, but when you get back, it has gone wild and you're staring at a real plant. That happened with a mallow in my yard when I was just gone for 5 days.
Also, I am happy that the hops survived. I lost a couple of my prize scabiosa on my last trip just from random accidents (I should have supported them better).
“A producer sends it to me […]”
<vent>A thing I loathe about the podcast industry, treating the folks who do so much key work as anonymous worker bees. Truly surprised to find this in your writing.</vent>
I’m sorry it read that way! In our specific case: I truly don’t know who sends individual comments. We work in a Google Doc and it could have been one of any number of people. I understand why it read that way, tho, and I’ll watch out for that language creep. Thanks for pointing it out.
What wonderful thoughts, I have a tree in my back yard that has grown from a weed and is slowly destroying my veranda. It is so beautiful to watch it change through the seasons and to enjoy the birds in it that I would rather remodel the veranda than cut it down. After reading your writing I will take even more notice of is changed in foliage. Thank you.
We did encounter some "holy shit" in the kindergarten in between coffee bean and black kidney been - not sure why was told it was just some rabbits poop - are there other why after generations
I watch generations of lizards in the little strip of (flower) garden between the sidewalk and the house. there are at least 3 different species. Start out seeing them when they are about 3/4 inches long until they are adults at 3 to 4 inches long, and the males posture to attract mates. I keep that little "garden" jungle-like which seem to suit them well.
You know, I love lizards and have since I was a little kid in LA trying to catch them. But I have never gotten to (slash taken the time to) watch them over a longer stretch. Now, I see them mostly along a big rocky wall at the top of Claremont Canyon. And my main thought about them has been to see their actual physical distribution as a chart of risk tolerance. There are the lizards that seem willing to be many feet from their hidey holes. But then others stick close to safety. So many ways to live, and definitely some ways to die (a crow circles).
Oh I love this. I'm thinking of the 28th century barn on our property that is falling down and how it has recorded the passing of time.
I *think* you meant 18th century, but I love the idea much more that you are writing to us from beyond the 28th century.
😂 yes silly typos
It's my first time reading this email since it appeared in my feed this morning. I enjoyed the ode to beans, my favorite food. Missing is the most important information, the nutritional benefits and huge impact eating beans, legumes and pulses. They're a perfect replacement for animal protein, high in nutrient value, and a perfect combination with other grains and carbohydrate foods to complete the protein. As a Puertorican and registered dietitian nutritionist, I limit animal proteins in my diet. Beans are my traditional food and my husband's, a New Orleans native. Beans and rice, bean soup with pumpkin, beans and cornbread, beans with corn, or just beans. I know what's on the menu tonight.
Thank you for adding this context! <3 Very appreciated.
Brilliant description of now, which is necessarily a-temporal, which means independent of time. Now is making jam, watching the sun set, haveing an orgasm. Time is what seems to go by as you are present in the now.
“Ignored safety concerns become landscape.” I have a different interpretation of this phrase. Ignored safety concerns will destroy what you have reverting everything back to landscape.
We have two large sycamore trees in the back yard. The bark peels off in huge pieces after storms. Picking up the many scattered pieces before mowing the grass is a chore, but the peeling bark is a sign of a healthy tree that is growing out of its old skin. So I don’t mind the clean up. A spot on one of those trees will be my new daily focus,on the slow seasonal changes and life rhythms.
I love that. I have to say my least favorite garden task is definitely cleaning up after a neighbor’s tree’s leaves. Maybe I should try to come to more acceptance around it this way.
my acceptance or wonderment of these very colorfully-skinned trees, would not be nearly the same if they were my neighbors trees!
If more of us would be this observant in our daily lives, just wonder how our world would change. So many miracles around us, we some how have no time for.
I went to a retreat event in the Fall of 2019 and the theme of it was Time. One of the speakers was an artist who creates clocks that measure time a bit differently... https://thepresent.is/
It's a nice present, I think, to ourselves -- when we imagine things differently.