In my passion to know it all, I have become a student of the stars and the night sky. The Night Skye has been an intregal part of Clarity's books in "Susanna's World". We have Night Skye the Black Mare and all her stories for Susanna and Bouton D"Or. So I have become fascinated with what is really up there for me to see.

This summer and fall we slept in the garden many nights...full moons and waxing/waning moons. The hours before sleep were spent gazing, with the naked eye (or my glasses :) - we even use our funny little mosquito netting hats) to try to begin to recognize a consistency of the constellations over our home. This is slowly becoming familiar to me and I am looking with great gusto to what the winter sky will bring overhead. I will begin to record my sightings in the Slogger's Garden.

This summer I found a website that I kept on my desktop for nightly reference (www.stardate.com). It is from the University of Texas, and has provided endless amounts of information and direction. We planted by the moon phases this year and were very pleased with the abundance and cooperation of the plants to this guidance. Of course, we also ask each individual plant where it wants to be placed. This has always been Su.Sane's mark of success with her 12 acres of herbs and flowers in Kentucky, and we have carried this with us in each of our homes over the last 12 years. It has always been our intent to work in full cooperation with the Flowers, to support the work they are destined to do.

As so much of a plants growth is done during the dark of night, I am even more fascinated with their life under the Night Sky. So I sense that we will spend even more nights in the garden this next summer, waking to the fragrance of herbs and flowers around us.

It is definitely cold tonite and I am snuggled in and very cozy----so maybe I'll start gazing TOMMOROW NITE!!!!

Sandra

The winds were busy again yesterday - it was beautiful! Only the untied-down tarps became sails in the wind, but everywhere else (can you say that?) stayed covered. My confidence is building!

It is a beauty today too, sunny and cold - just right for the Coast. Yesterday was busy with grocery shopping, eating breakfast out, going in to the Library, and "The Tempest" in the evening. So there wasn't time for garden work, but time well spent for the Soul.

I plan to spend more time this winter observing the birds, land and coastal, so that by Spring I'm am a little more versed in their identification. I have this passion to know it all, but find I only really take in so much per season. By the time I have lived here 20 years, I should have a pretty good on-sight knowledge! The rare beauty of these years over 50 is the inner desires that arise for knowledge of all of life, spiritual, nature, and less concern with production of product or service, but with concentration to be open and receiving of all that living produces.

I have placed myself within a family whose total focus is the receivement of each's own inner voice, a resonance that moves us a individuals and as a family. Together we search out all the realms of life and allow ourselves to receive its richness. This home is our garden which we tend daily by enriching the soil of our lives, adding nutrients that support each person's daily needs, by keeping the moisture of deep friendship always being sprinkled on, and maintaining sunny dispositions for each other. As I write this I see now that our winter garden is truly our interior ground, worked by our living in the exactness of each other.

This day promises to be full of adventure and insights as I take Lilly for her walk and I listen to Tape 2 of "Fibers of Listening". Su.Sane recorded her book to share its insights with us....these are the nutrients she gives to her family and friends. Her clarity feeds us with words of inspiration and deep rich inner soul - by her listening!

Sandra

Yes, Yes, Yes we have had rain for 24 hours at least....blessed be! Today was beautiful and clear and cold off and on. You can't help but love this Maine weather. The gossip in the Library today was that they had had 5" of snow in western Maine, or was it 6" and headed our way. I love this communication line we have in our little village!

SO who really knows what's next? It was very windy today, and I am happy to report that the tarp buildings held up through it all, but a few strange things fell over - like a big blue ladder - the headboard gate by the back door - who could figure that? So I am feeling more confident that we will be able to make it through the winter with our hatches battened down :) (how's that for sea talk?).

I guess its my Virgoian ways that makes all this preparation so exciting.....but the snow shoveling question is still unanswered. I found a sight on the web about snow blowers, if you are interested. It gave me enough information that I think I could ask an intelligent question of a snow blower salesman. But whether we will have the energy to use the darn thing is an even BIGGER question. I guess the next step is to call the snowplow man and see what his prices are :). I'll keep you informed as this mystery is unfolded.

I read a friends letter on Camden's K2bh site today, all about raking leaves for the pleasure of it and the movement, and for all the good it does to help the garden winter over, and also to insulate around the foundation of the house...how's that for conservation.

SO guess what I am going to do over the next few days?? Apparently there is going to be less leaf-pickup in the village, so she is hoping more of us will use our leaves to full advantage.

Tomorrow we are picking up the lime to spread - then finish off with fertilizer - and then those leaves are going on! What a glorious way to spend a fall day!

Sandra

It looks like rain is in sight for our garden today. As I sit here the dark clouds in the sw are a rich grey blue thinning to white as the air moves in from the east. This will be good to get as much moisture as possible before the freezes, which looks like it may a couple of weeks yet.

Our tent structure held up overnite, which pleased me, you never know how these ideas cooking up in your head will stand up against the weather, and I still don't, because it was a very pleasant, windless night. But at least it lasted one night! So with that success behind me, we added one more window section to our greenhouse and made an enclosure with the tarp, a ceiling support, and lots of nails. It won't make "handyman magazine", but it will do for us. And..its already full!

I am feeling quite good about our progress this fall. We only have a few things to slip under the tarp when the snows come. That's pretty good - right?

Bastett did take care of the "where to keep the pond fish over the winter?" question. As I emptied the pond out, there was narry a one to be seen :( they were ALL gone.

Joseph removed the heavy, heavy pond lillies and took them to the cellar for me, they will hiberate there over the winter.

Finally remembered to turn on "Paul Parents Garden Club" on 106.9 this early morning. He really does a great job of answering your garden questions for New England. It has been the resource we needed as we have developed a garden here. He has a website - PaulParent.com, which he still has "September TIps" on, but I know how hard it can be to get to the computer sometimes! Maybe he needs to hire someone to help him :). He is the one that Su.Sane got the information about the pond lillies and how to winter them over....so we like him very much. His big hint yesterday was to lime, lime, lime now....it takes 6 mos. for the lime to really have an effect...so get it down. Where do you think we are going today?? Right, to get some LIME.

I covered Su.Sane's Raven Rose with pine needles about 5 inches, and the Evening Primrose/Lupine bed too. The raspberry patch is covered also. These are all out of the main garden area and will be most exposed to harsh winds.

Guess What? The rosemary is blooming in my south window, tiny little white flowers! I brought up three mints from the pond garden to winter in the window with the rosemary and lemon grass...should create some great fragrances up here come winter. The Lemon Verbena is wintering in Suzanne's window and has tiny new shoots where we cut her back to bring in...so it looks good for her survival too!

Well I'm off to see what this day will bring. Last night we had a wonderful dinner-birthday party for a good friend, and tonite is Salon, so there is much to be done.

Sandra