Moon Pillar

Moon Pillar
Originally uploaded by Spinneretta

The other day, we were out and about after the full moon had risen. It was a beautiful moon- but most astonishingly, it had a shaft of light above and below it- rather than the usual corona.
I asked my weather expert (yes he is 10, but he is really into this LOL) and he tells me it is called a "Moon Pillar".
I was not able to draw it on site or take photos (we were never stopped in a place where it was visible :( ), but I had my memory- and I used it (and my watercolour pencils) to record it when I got home :)

Seasons Come...

And seasons go…

With the end of my growing season, I have not done much in the garden. I should have, but I became rather dispirited because this was just NOT a good year to grow things! After a drought, and some VERY hot summer temperatures, my plants just did not fare well.

But never mind, I have a new plan of attack.

First up, I am getting one of these for Christmas. I have wanted one for a long time… since before I saw Elizabeth had one or Mary Ellen (really, I am not just being a sheep… my interest in herbs goes back YEARS).

I have also gotten some new garden books.

How to Grow More Vegetables and Fruits: (And Fruits, Nuts, Berries, Grains, and Other Crops) by John Jeavons

And Food Not Lawns by Heather C. Flores.

I have read the Jeavons book before, but wanted my own copy… and the Flores book was a new one I picked up because she had some interesting stuff in there about turning your suburban yard into a vegetable patch :) Hopefully these will help me grow some more food... I have already signed up for seed catalogues, which I have received a few of :)

This coming year, I plan to produce more heirloom varieties (or tasty varieties anyway LOL), and I will try to focus more on my true love... herbs :)

I have been feeding my mind with Real Food by Nina Planck, which nicely supports Nourishing Traditions by Sally Fallon and even French Women Don’t Get fat by Mireille Guiliano. I think butter and lard will be working their way back into my pantry (much to DH’s delight!).

But now, as I watch the first snow of the season, I am thinking about making my little bird friends some treats. I loved Dawn’s idea of a ‘solstice tree’ for the birds, celebrating the return of the light of the world. Right now the little juncos and other winter feeder birds are going mad, looking for food. The weatherman assures me that it will warm again next week, but this is the bird equivalent of the bread and milk run to the grocery store every time it snows (central Virginians get a bit snow-mad… caused by the fact that occasionally an unforecast snow will leave them with several feet of snow to deal with and they are all unprepared ;)).

Weather Station

Here is the weather station from one Nature Study Friday. It was up for the windy weekend last weekend… and we loved watching it twirl… but when it disappeared, Rebel was most upset. Although Jacobite and I laughed, we were forced to find it and replace it in the proper position. It is rather faded already… after less than a month!

We need to work on how the rain gauge is held since it toppled over and nearly knocked our pole flying!