To Plant…or Not To Plant! –A Nomad in Limbo

The hardest thing about sitting still for long, is being at-odds with two sides of myself.  To plant…or not to plant a garden.  With Spring in the air, it’s impossible to resist sprinkling a few seeds about…just to watch them grow…for as long as I am here in this one place.

No, I realize, I cannot take a garden with me when we do actually pull our Mermaid Mansion on down the road.  But I can at least enjoy the fruits of my labor while enjoying this island life for a little while longer.  –Or until our old vintage relic-of-a-tiny-home-on-wheels is ready to roll.  She still has a ways to go, and her tires are pretty lifeless; so new rubber is tops on our list of To-Do’s…when it comes to setting our nomadic spirits free once again.

For now…here I sit, writing a few words and thoughts; struggling still with two extremely different sides of me.  In the meant-time, when I’m not writing, chances are I’ll be out back…digging and planting the ‘bit of earth’ I’ve been Blessed to call mine…for now.  Never mind that it is only borrowed.

Do any of us ever really own the land on-which we sit…live…or garden?  I know we cannot take it with us when we go.  But we can sure enjoy the smell of soil on our hands, sifting through our fingers, and the scent of sweet blossoms before they bear fruit.  I can only live in the moment and enjoy what life has brought my way.  And when we do ‘set sail’, and Mermaid Mansion is bumping down the highway…to destinations unknown, I’ll gaze out the window…with the scenery zipping by, and I’ll embrace that moment with every ounce of my being.  –Ever-so grateful for the change it will bring.

*Embrace every moment*  **Live for today!**

 

Preserving One’s Harvest – Survival on the Road

It occurred to me the other day that we’ve been on this island longer than we’ve been anywhere for the past eight years.  There’s no denying that Nico and I both have restless spirits, just like there’s no denying we feel rather antsy having-been semi-rooted for more than two years.  In so many ways, we are the same…he and I.

What is so-very different about us is that we have opposite beliefs on how we should spend our individual time while we’re sitting still and not on the road.  My husband believes we shouldn’t get too comfortable, nor should we involve ourselves too much in our surroundings; since we won’t be sticking around for long.  –At least that’s the usual plan.

I believe we should live each day to the fullest, and enjoy what is available for the making…for the taking.  I am a social person, although I’m very picky about the friends I make and the folks I allow into my space…or my life.  But most of all, my love for Mother Earth and gardening won’t let me sit in one place for an entire growing season and not grow something.

That said, I have become re-acquainted with preserving my harvest this year.  For the past two growing seasons, I’ve been getting to know my new sub-tropical climate; getting to know what I can…or cannot grow here.  Both seasons, I’ve had a lot of luck with tomatoes.  Squash or cukes of any variety?  –Not so much!

This year, having a bumper crop of tomatoes, poblanos, banana peppers, gypsy peps, and a ton of foraged citrus (fallen from trees around the island, and left to rot)…I decided to get back to one of my favorite things in this world — canning my harvest. 

And while my husband sees no purpose in growing and preserving, I know in my heart…in my spirit, that–like the birds, squirrels, and wild life around us– us human-folk must also reap what we sow.  Squirreling away my ‘nuts’ for the winter, or a day when we are in need, is the right thing to do.

Growing and foraging our food should be second-nature for us humans.  But in so many ways, humanity has lost touch with nature…and true survival.  For anyone who has ever read Euell Gibbons’ books on foraging, you quickly come to realize…the more you read, just how much we’re all missing by not being one with nature; in touch and in the mix.

Instinctually, with the voices of my ancestors speaking to me in so many ways, I cannot help but grow and preserve, forage and store, the riches Mother Earth and Mother Ocean offer-up for the picking, gathering, hunting or catching.  Being the descendant of nomadic peoples, it is only natural for me to be like the wild ones; for the survival of my tribe, no matter where we may wander or roam.

*Harvest What You Sow — Gather the Goodness of Mother Earth*