Let's Reframe: By Degrees

Minding My Milkweed, Mugwort & Monkshood

9/30/2020

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Picture
Common Milkweed Pods, 2020 Photo by ERSwett
Common
Milkweed is really
not so common. The pods,
like a bird's beak, or perhaps an
alligator's head, add texture
​to the early Fall
garden.
Picture
Bug Exploring Common Milkweed Seeds, 2020 Photo by ERSwett
Who
knew that all
kinds of bugs, in addition
to the well-known Monarch Butterfly,
appreciate the seeds. Is this one searching for
food, finding material for a nest, or
just playing in the lacy
​fibers?
Picture
Swamp Milkweed Seeds, 2020 Photo by ERSwett
Just
up the hill,
more pods open,
their silky seeds seductively
swaying, inviting me &
​my camera
to 
play.
Picture
Swamp Milkweed Setting Out, 2020 Photo by ERSwett
These
Swamp Milkweed,
planted for the first time this
year, reminded me of the Monkshood I
planted for the first time earlier
 this summer. Their deep
​purple flowers, shaped like the cowl of an
actual monk's hood, captivated
me, as they, too, danced in
​the late afternoon
​light.

Picture
Dancing Monkshood, 2020 Photo by ERSwett
You
can imagine
my surprise when
I learned that every part of
the Monkshood plant, also known as
Wolfsbane, is highly toxic - - & I had planted
it by our terrace, right next to where
we sit! Of course I quickly
moved it to a more
​remote spot.
Picture
Mugwort Blooms, 2020 Photo by ERSwett
It seems
I mistook Monkshood
for Mugwort, a totally different plant,
but one with an equally odd name beginning ​with
"M." Mugwort, which I had thought was a
weed, is actually a well-known
medicinal!
Picture
Mugwort Leaves, 2020 Photo by ERSwett
These
plants got me
thinking. I make so many
assumptions about plants & people.
Milkweed is quirky, but valuable for insects
and fiber artists; Mugwort might be considered a weed,
but it's capable of calming nerves; And Monkshood,
named for people who serve & protect 
is poisonous. 
Picture
Putting the Rain Garden 'To Bed,' Fall 2020 Photo by ERSwett
What is
a gal to do? Every
year, it seems, putting the
garden 'to bed' inspires reflection.
This season, for example, I experienced the
impact boundaries have on the flow of energy as well
as the value of plant placement
to ensure safety.
Picture
Energy & Edges, 2020 Photo by ERSwett
What's
next? I have a 
hunch I'll be digging
into the power of assumptions
not just in the garden but also in the rest
of my life. There are just so many
beautiful plants & people
​to behold.
Picture
Monkshood Flowers, 2020 Photo by ERSwett
What will you explore about yourself this winter?
I know I am not always what I seem.
​What about you?

Picture
Monkshood Detail, 2020 Photo by ERSwett
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Take a Bite of That Apple!

9/25/2020

2 Comments

 
Picture
Ugly Apples, September 2020 Photo by ERSwett
A worm
or some other
bug took a few bites 
out of these apples. Question
for the day: Do I hide or celebrate
these 'ugly fruit'? I'm increasingly done
with perfection of any kind, so here's what
emerged. I say, "welcome sweet
creatures. There's plenty
to go around."
Picture
Arching Apple, September 2020 Photo by ERSwett
It made
me think: Who
really said that a bite of an
apple leads to banishment? What
an absurd story. Apples provide essential
nourishment for the body, mind,
heart & soul.
Picture
Arching Apple Tree, September 2016 Photo by ERSwett
And our
particular tree,
a gift from my in-laws
in 2014, bends but does not
break with time. What does it take
to be so flexible? What does
it understand & what
can it teach me?
Picture
Apple Tree in Spring, 2018 Photo by ERSwett
While
I 'compost' 
the
issues -- race, political
discord, economic disparity and,
yes, that nagging issue, Climate Change,
i
t feeds on living mulches, provides
perches for birds & in spring
is a beautiful focal
point in the
garden.
Picture
Abundant Apple Tree, September 2020 Photo by ERSwett
It seems
ironic that this
year, with drought and
psychic tension in the universe,
it is more abundant than ever before.
This portrait reveals a collection of apples
from a much older tree that predates us by a few 
decades (on the left), and a few of our
yummy Honeycrisp in a bowl
made by my husband
thirty years ago
(right).
Picture
Apple Still Life, 2020 Photo by ERSwett
I love
how the soft
light plays on these
discarded cores and peels,
their transformation from apple to
delicious desserts & beautiful compost
a lesson in mindfulness.
Picture
Peelings, 2020 Photo by ERSwett
While
turning the
apples into desserts, I
remembered when our apple
tree first produced five years ago. My
sister and I harvested the entire crop of eight
precious fruit to bring on a cross country road trip from 
New Hampshire to Idaho. We rationed those
home grown Honeyscrip, allowing
ourselves one a day -- each
bite, a precious
gift.
Picture
Apple Tree, September 2015 Photo by ERSwett
We
experienced
joy and a powerful
sense of abundance even
though there was scarcity -- Only
one apple a day. As we drove across North
Dakota & into Montana, we ate the
final apples, savoring their
​crispy juiciness.
Picture
Abundance, September 2020 Photo by ERSwett
This
year, there's
drought. The leaves
are sickly. My gratitude is intense,
but subdued. Will this more fragile tree
break from the weight of it all?
Did I care enough?
Picture
The Magic of a Honeycrisp Apple, 2020 Photo by ERSwett
My
relationship
with this tree is ancient,
and I know it's too late for regrets.
Between wheelbarrows full of mulch I stop
and eat an apple. "Don't worry," it
seems to say. "I am strong
and so are you."
Picture
The 'Orchard,' September 25, 2020 Photo by ERSwett

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    Lyn Swett Miller
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