Gift Gardens

[Guest guest]

Dear Friends,

 

Last year I began the groundwork for a garden to provide food and

flowers for family, friends, and neighbors. The idea was to plant

enough for everyone, including the local elderly care homes and those

under hospice care. We named the garden "Gorakhpur Gardens" in honor

of Paramahansa Yogananda's birthplace, and in honor of Sri

Gorakhnath. I found a program called "America the Beautiful Fund"

which provides last year's seeds for a great discount and in a large

volume. Having been the recipient of gifts of rakes, hoes, shovels,

hoses, and numerous other gardening tools and implements, we are now

ready to begin the first planting this spring. For those who are

interested in doing something similar, information can be found about

this program at http://www.freeseeds.org/ and for those who would

like to read about the program and how children can be actively

involved, go to http://www.kidsgardening.com/school/freeseeds.html

 

I just read something that said that "Go" means 'earth' in Sanskrit,

and "Rakh" means 'to protect.' How fine that it fits so perfectly

with the goals of this garden. I was very lucky growing up and always

having a family garden to work and play in. I recall many summer

nights sitting in a circle with my family around a big tub filled

with corn or green beans, everyone filled with happiness and

contentment to be sharing in all aspects of the growing, harvesting,

and preparing of the garden. Having the garden at my disposal

certainly helped me maintain my retinue of cows, horses, and goats

gathering eagerly around me. Later, to finance my trips to LA, I grew

and prepared tray gardens and beginning bonsai for sales I held in my

gardens on forestview Drive. Are they called what, sekkei? I've

forgotten. We had a large greenhouse then also that I grew beautiful,

fragrant orchids. Angraecum Sesquipedale was a light lime green

flower with a night-blooming fragrance that utterly sent me. Right

now, I am eagerly awaiting the blossoming of eight unknown colored

Cymbidium orchid buds. We are also planning on putting in fruit and

nut trees this year. Pear and plums were here when I moved in, but

with ten acres we have land so ready for fruits to blossom and fruit.

I understand so well the peace and joy from gardening. In the Spring

it is all I can do to not sleep in the gardens with the jasmine and

grapevines every night. There is an old grape arbor that we are

gradually turning into a meditation sanctuary. A small pool, a wooden

bench, an old iron gate, a statue of Buddha and Jesus, and tiny

violets cover the floor. All this talk makes me want to run out and

start tending to the friends.

 

Last year I enjoyed so many of the beautiful 'weeds' around the land

here that I have decided to build and maintain a 'weed' garden in a

part of the yard. Truly, weeds are the most misunderstood beauty in

the garden. Purple thistles, wild morning-glory, pigweed, lambs ear,

horehound, burdock, even the giant purple and green milkweed is

stunning with its tiny golden-cropped head of blooms. So this year I

think I'll let them stand as an example of weed beauty. Had some

people found any of these plants in a nursery and not known they were

weeds, they might have bought them.

 

Love,

Mazie

[Guest guest]

Dear Mazie,

 

That is such a lovely post to read, in the middle of winter in Michigan. This

morning at dawn I looked at the mud and snow in my backyard, a few things

peeking through, and began to long for the time in a few months when the green

comes back and things start to push up out of the earth. Your garden, your

wonderful place sounds beautiful. It is wonderful to be surrounded by growing

things. (What is the magic of orchids? I have never understood how a plant, a

flower can have such a compelling, mysterious beauty. It makes complete sense

to me that people become obsessed with them, and go to great lengths to

cultivate and maintain them.) I can see your beautiful home in my head; thank

you for sharing it with us.

 

Maybe the entire satsangh should descend on your garden for the next retreat.

 

Love,

 

Jill

>>> sraddha54 01/24/02 12:57PM >>>

Dear Friends,

 

Last year I began the groundwork for a garden to provide food and

flowers for family, friends, and neighbors. The idea was to plant

enough for everyone, including the local elderly care homes and those

under hospice care. We named the garden Gorakhpur Gardens in honor

of Paramahansa Yogananda's birthplace, and in honor of Sri

Gorakhnath. I found a program called America the Beautiful Fund

which provides last year's seeds for a great discount and in a large

volume. Having been the recipient of gifts of rakes, hoes, shovels,

hoses, and numerous other gardening tools and implements, we are now

ready to begin the first planting this spring. For those who are

interested in doing something similar, information can be found about

this program at http://www.freeseeds.org/ and for those who would

like to read about the program and how children can be actively

involved, go to http://www.kidsgardening.com/school/freeseeds.html

 

I just read something that said that Go means 'earth' in Sanskrit,

and Rakh means 'to protect.' How fine that it fits so perfectly

with the goals of this garden. I was very lucky growing up and always

having a family garden to work and play in. I recall many summer

nights sitting in a circle with my family around a big tub filled

with corn or green beans, everyone filled with happiness and

contentment to be sharing in all aspects of the growing, harvesting,

and preparing of the garden. Having the garden at my disposal

certainly helped me maintain my retinue of cows, horses, and goats

gathering eagerly around me. Later, to finance my trips to LA, I grew

and prepared tray gardens and beginning bonsai for sales I held in my

gardens on forestview Drive. Are they called what, sekkei? I've

forgotten. We had a large greenhouse then also that I grew beautiful,

fragrant orchids. Angraecum Sesquipedale was a light lime green

flower with a night-blooming fragrance that utterly sent me. Right

now, I am eagerly awaiting the blossoming of eight unknown colored

Cymbidium orchid buds. We are also planning on putting in fruit and

nut trees this year. Pear and plums were here when I moved in, but

with ten acres we have land so ready for fruits to blossom and fruit.

I understand so well the peace and joy from gardening. In the Spring

it is all I can do to not sleep in the gardens with the jasmine and

grapevines every night. There is an old grape arbor that we are

gradually turning into a meditation sanctuary. A small pool, a wooden

bench, an old iron gate, a statue of Buddha and Jesus, and tiny

violets cover the floor. All this talk makes me want to run out and

start tending to the friends.

 

Last year I enjoyed so many of the beautiful 'weeds' around the land

here that I have decided to build and maintain a 'weed' garden in a

part of the yard. Truly, weeds are the most misunderstood beauty in

the garden. Purple thistles, wild morning-glory, pigweed, lambs ear,

horehound, burdock, even the giant purple and green milkweed is

stunning with its tiny golden-cropped head of blooms. So this year I

think I'll let them stand as an example of weed beauty. Had some

people found any of these plants in a nursery and not known they were

weeds, they might have bought them.

 

Love,

Mazie

 

/join

 

 

 

 

All paths go somewhere. No path goes nowhere. Paths, places, sights,

perceptions, and indeed all experiences arise from and exist in and subside back

into the Space of Awareness. Like waves rising are not different than the ocean,

all things arising from Awareness are of the nature of Awareness. Awareness does

not come and go but is always Present. It is Home. Home is where the Heart Is.

Jnanis know the Heart to be the Finality of Eternal Being. A true devotee

relishes in the Truth of Self-Knowledge, spontaneously arising from within into

It Self. Welcome all to a.

 

 

 

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