Heidi Greco's Blog

Our garden is small, but both of us do our best to preserve some of the bounty. 

During the summer I froze berries and apples. Many of these were gifts from friends whose big harvests can be overwhelming. I also spent quite a few days making jams and jellies, while the Dear Man looked after the quince -- always the most prolifice of the fruits in the yard -- making juice, and also drying and freezing slices for later in winter. 

Not all of our fruit trees are as bounteous as the quince; this year, we got exactly five peaches and only a single plum. Lots of berries though, but I wasn't counting. 

The leaves in the photo are basil, a herb I use pretty often. There's lots of pesto base in the freezer; the leaves on the little heat source are drying (weirdly, they take longer than even apple slices to dry) and I'll use them to season sauces. 

But the point of all this is today's celebration of bounty -- Thanksgiving Day -- a day of gratitude. 

Sometimes a spur-of-the-moment escape can be a real treat. Fires had kept us from camping enough this summer, but luckily enough rain had fallen to calm those down -- not completely, but enough to make it safe to venture into the parkland. 
Just a few days, but the perk of being offline, especially without news to contend with...ahhh. 
The campsite in Manning Park was right beside the river. Our only real companion was a Steller's Jay who insisted on hoping for snacks. 
Mornings were time for exploring trails. Sunny afternoons meant lazy times for reading. 
A great way to charge up the batteries for the rest of the year. 

And so much more to mark this last day of September, as today is the day we observe Truth and Reconciliation Day in Canada. 

It's only over the past decade that much in the way of Truth has come out. 

Still plenty to go when it comes to Reconciliation, but I believe that many of us are trying to learn. 

I liked that this last little flower had the good sense to be wearing its own orange shirt. 

Today is the Autumnal Equinox. A day for balance. When, if we're at the Equator, night and day share the light in equal measure. The first day when the Zodiac is ruled by Libra, the seeker of justice. 

When we can only hope for some kind of balance where the good and the sane prevail in this world of ours that currently seems so dreadfully out of balance. 

To my surprise (and in a good way for a change), even though I'm not much of a Royalist, I was delighted to find this article about King Charles and the balance he's been able to find in Romania. It seemed an apt ray of hope on this day of a new season. 

...to a screen near you. A blank screen where there used to be an art known as comedic satire.  

First, it was Stephen Colbert's show getting notice. Now, it's Jimmy Kimmel getting yanked. 

So much for freedom of speech. 

To think that it was way last November that I wrote this:

(withgratitude to Martin Niemoller)

 

First they came for the truthtellers:

the journalists whose words aimed

to capture events, present them with

accuracy and fairness.

 

Then for the librarians, unafraid to defend

the sanctity of books, and all they hold

within their pages, even when small minds

choose to challenge what they contain.

 

After that, the teachers, whose loyalties rest always

with the children entrusted to them, guiding and

protecting them from hate and other abuse,

encouraging as they grow, like wide-faced flowers inthe sun.

 

Who will remain once the truthtellers are gone?

Only the liars who know to twist words, bending themto their own mean ends.

While those who have been duped will standopen-mouthed 

hungry and broken, by having been deceived.

We can only wonder just who will be next.  

 

 

 

These days it's impossible to not be concerned about the state of the world with its many horrific wars just about everywhere. And it doesn't help to learn about new alliances such as those among the powers of China, Russia, and North Korea. 

I was probably already a bit on the edge of feeling down, remembering that today is the 24th anniversary of the Twin Towers horror. I still remember being home that day, when some kind of spidey sense made me turn on the news--just in time to see the second building be hit. 

I took a bit of comfort when I found a clue in this morning's crossword that led me to figuring out "the fruit  that symbolizes peace in China" which turns out to be the apple.  

It makes me think the idea of the apple being the 'forbidden fruit' in Eden as one I can just about believe, as it sure seems our species has pretty much always been engaged in wars. What a species. So much for having such big brains -- hard to understand how such idiocy could continue. 

Anyone who's watched Star Trek is bound to recognize the Vulcan salutation made famous by Spock, the half-human science officer on the early days of Star Trek. 

Today is apparently Star Trek Day, although it must be noted that though September 8th is the anniversary of the show's first airing in the US, here in Canada it premiered on September 6th. Maybe this was a sneak preview for benefit of 's fellow Canadians. 

Fifty-nine years (since 1966), not a bad run for a show that began with lines about the starship Enterprise and "...its five-year mission".

As for the photo, it's a T-shirt from Vulcan, Alberta, a town that celebrates all things Star Trekkian, supposedly a shirt from Starfleet Academy, where crew members took their training. As for me, I wore the shirt (even though it's well worn, over all those years of 'training' as I watched reruns of the series) to a reading I was part of this summer, a reading where I read poems I wrote about Captain Kathryn Janeway, who appeared in Voyager, a later incarnation of this beloved series. 

These days, we're often told to 'chill' -- not to fret over things, especially when it's something we can't do much about. 

Sometimes though I think we're told to 'chill' a little too often, as the world seems crazy enough to maybe need to be a little worried about now and then. 

Last week, I at least did something more constructive than simply 'chilling' as I was involved in two political meetings. One was a forum where potential leaders of BC's Green Party were making presentations and answering questions--an interesting exercise that helped me decide who I'd prefer. 

The other was a meeting with Ernie Klassen, our newly-elected Member of Parliament. What a refreshing difference he's already making in our riding. For one thing, his office is actually OPEN Monday through Friday. The other, he's willing to meet with constituents no matter what their party affiliation might be. Such a wonderful difference from the last two MPs who've supposedly 'represented' us. 

As for me on this Labour Day, my 'labour' focussed on overdue cleaning projects, as clearly this old fridge was needing. 

Maybe it's not quite magic, though some days the way garden keeps feeding us, it feels that way. 

Today was a day for making containers of pesto for the freezer. There are plenty of different ways to use it (ours goes mostly to pasta dishes), and probably just as many ways of making it. 

All I do for the freezer packs is whir garlic (again, from the garden), basil, lemon juice, and olive oil in the little food processor. Later, when I'm ready to use it, I'll add cheese and nuts. Most recipes call for pine nuts, but those are soooo expensive, I generally use walnuts. 

It may seem silly to some, but one of the reasons I decided to make this today -- besides the fact that the basil is growing like crazy out back -- is that I heard a friend read such a beautiful poem that she'd written. "Sweet Basil" it was called, and it's stayed in my mind all day. 

I suspect I'll likely think of it again sometime this winter when I'm once again using this magically delicious concoction, pesto. 

Berries are one of the treats I love most about summer. Yes, the blackberries are the ones I pick every year. I'm also a slave to pruning them, where they grow along the fence out back of our house. During summer, I trim them every week to keep them happy. 

Those little raspberries though are a new discovery. 

There's a vacant lot (for sale, of course) across the street and along with the free bouquets I've been picking there since spring, I recently discovered a wild raspberry bush. 

The fruits are small, and there aren't ever very many, but WOW are they ever sweet and delicious. 

You can bet I'm hoping that next summer the lot will remain vacant, and will again serve as my go-to flower shop as well as the spot for picking tiny red berries. Yum.