Leaves

How do you feel about leaves?

It is fall and I have seen many different re-actions regarding leaves. My husband and most of our neighbors are piling them up to haul off to the dump and get them out of the area. To them, leaves seem to be a nuisance but what are leaves, really?

A leaf is the manufacturing area for all plants. It is what feeds this plant and keeps it healthy. They come in all shapes and sizes and for the most part, they have some differences yet look very much alike. Most people see them as all the same. They have the ability to combine the moisture and minerals found in the ground and hauled up to where; with the sunlight, they can create all the things that the plant needs to survive.

I remember taking a sensitivity class once and we were asked to hold a leaf in our hands. Then we were told to closed our eyes and travel inside the leaf that we were holding. Before doing this we had done it with a small block of silver and a few other things like a block of copper. While in the silver block, I remember when I said "Hello" it echoed all over the place but when I did this same thing in the leaf, there was no echo. In fact the sound was very muted. I found myself between the bottom of the leaf and its top. I could wander around in a catacomb of large cells that were very hollow. The light filtering through was a muted yellow-green. It was a very comfortable place to be. It reminded me of being in a forest with green all around and not being able to see anything else.

The leaves in my yard today come from a lot of different plants. These plants have all stored their food in their roots for the winter and dropping these leaves.

Today's problem stems from the fact that I think these leaves should be left on my gardens and most people think these leaves should be hauled off.

Today I took a rake and borrowed some leaves from my neighbors to cover the areas where the plants had already gone down.

The Hosta leaves died back and have been put into the pile of stuff headed for the dump but for some reason, I want some maple leaves covering the bare ground where these roots are sleeping. I want to tuck them in for the winter with Grandma Maple's quilt of different colored leaves for their winter's sleep.

I know that this will mean more work in the spring to uncover them but it is important to me. In the spring we all feel great about things coming alive again so it isn't a problem to take the "quilts" off the beds and watch the new plants coming up.

I borrowed leaves to cover the St. John's Wort that has a small rosette of green at the base of this year's growth, which has been cut down already. I borrowed leaves to cover the Ginseng plants and I will have more than enough time to clean that off next spring as Ginseng is a very lazy plant. She likes to sleep late and won't wake up until the trees have enough shade for her. I borrowed leaves to cover the two Goldenseal roots that I planted lately, that were sent to me by my cousin from a plant rescue group. I borrowed leaves to cover the Black Cohosh and the Blue Cohosh with her vibrant blue berries still on the dead stocks. There were other things that I covered because I wanted to give them a head start and maybe this is wrong but when I covered the peppermint, I could feel them snuggling down for the winter.

There were some plants that didn't need a "Quilt" but this year I had planted two Russian pink lilacs and as they are really small yet, I decided to tuck a "Quilt" around their base.

I admire the hardy plants but we all need some attention from time to time so if these plants ask me …. What a silly thing to say, as they usually don't ask when they want something, they scream at me. Sometimes I try to explain why this person got this and you didn't but for the most part, they are very understanding.

I have a few that I need to talk to yet; Garden Sage and the Roses need to be talked to. They struggle through the winter and do it very well. I will probably cover the roses with evergreen branches.

Leaves to me are the frosting on the cake. They are there for a reason and not just to be taken to the dump. One year using an edger, the kind with the plastic line that whips off plants that are not wanted in an area; along with a plastic garbage can; I pulverized and dumped them on my gardens. That was a lot of work. I also used to have a compost pile but haven't for a while as we don't have a space for it now.

Do you have some nice leaf memories too? Remember when we raked leaves into a pile and jumped in, laughing and giggling. My husband's nice memory is the smell of burning leaves. To him it was the smell of fall. I love to watch individual leaves blowing across the road as I am driving. I love when I am walking through leaves and hear the crunch mostly because I am shuffling instead of walking just to hear the sound.

Isn't it amazing that each plant, no matter how small it is, is loaded with leaves?

Above my fireplace is a collage of leaves that I found three years ago and pressed. Then pasted them to acid-free paper and framed it. The fall leaves have already lost their chlorophyll so they don't loose their color as quickly as green leaves do.

Leaves are so much more than what we think they are. They decorate our world with different colors at different times and some can even make you smile. That first yellow/green that peeks through in the spring, will lighten any heart. That yellow/red/orange that hangs on the branch in the fall will brighten any day.

As Martha Stewart would put it, "Leaves are a good thing."

Animal Abuse

Animal Abuse

"Why would anyone harm an animal?" was the question posed by my husband tonight. The answer is faulty education.

We have been taught that we are THE PEOPLE of this planet; everything else is subservient to us. This is everything; other races, other religions, other countries, it includes plants and animals. How many times have you heard, "it is only a cat or only a tree?" We have been taught that WE are the only things on this planet that matter.

I do believe that we are making some head way in this educational process as only 100 years ago, and this is not a very long time in regard to history, people talked about the black person as being an animal. They were beings to be use and owned. We still have a long way to go but we are making progress and it is my belief that one day, all beings will be recognized as being a part of the Earth family.

It has always amazed me that a white blond lady will hug and cuddle an all black poodle but to hug a black person who has been helpful would be out of the question.

Tonight I overheard the 60 Minutes program talking about a Horse Whisper. That is a person who can communicate with horses. All beings try to communicate with humans but we have not allowed that as even a possibility until lately.

Why have we been taught that we are the superior race on this planet? In many holy books the early writers felt alone and needed to have this feeling that they were the chosen ones and God spoke to them and through them. Why would a creator favor one species over another? Do you love one of your children more than any of the others?

As a person who believes in reincarnation, I know that I have been many things. I have been many races and belonged to many religions. There is no, "I'm better than you are" any where in this universe. We have been trained to think this.

Look at the educational system. I am better because I am getting better grades than you are. But what are you learning? You are learning what they want you to know? Are you learning to think? Even some of the books we are learning from are loaded with miss information. I was trained to think that we were the super power in WWII but I am learning that the Germans were taken down by the Russians with more force than the USA put out there and for a longer time. Is that in the history books?

Look at entertainment. What is the goal of a ball game? A game show on TV? It is always to find the better person/team. The one that has ingested more facts and can regurgitate on demand, the winner. We think that person is really smart but can he think?

Does he understand the thought processes of a tree? Does he want to understand what the cat is saying? I have a friend who tells me what my cat is telling her about his condition as the cat sees it. I know more about my physical condition than the doctor who spends 15minutes with me? The cat is usually right and I can take it from there and find a way to correct the condition.

Are humans slow learners? Can we be taught to respect things other than ourselves? Is it possible that we are here to learn to co-create on this planet? Who is teaching us this? I don't hear about it from religions. I don't hear about it from schools. I don't hear it from Governments. Who will teach us this or do we learn it by trial and error?

We don't have to agree with others but we do need to respect their view points and that brings us back to; why do people harm animals? Maybe it is all a misunderstanding? Did that animal hurt you for some unknown reason? Perhaps if you understood his language, you might try to figure out what you did to upset him. Maybe he was hurting? Maybe he was just doing his job? Think? Would any of these ideas come to mind?

I have seen the footage that my husband was watching when he asked that question and it is well done. It was designed to hurt your feelings. We learn best with pain. When you touch the stove and burn your fingers, you're more careful. If they can get you to feel, they have taught you something.

We are learning about this planet but it takes us a very long time. We think that we learned all we are going to learn in school but that isn't so. This planet of free will was created to teach us. Every generation is learning bit by bit. Someday we will be the people we want to be. Evolution is a slow process but we are making headway, one day at a time. What you do and what I do makes the difference in where we are headed.

Challenges Create Character

Once upon a time, is how all good stories start so let's start this one that way.

Somewhere in my memories are thoughts about hard times. How about having to leave the library table that Grandmother brought from Norway behind so that the weight of the wagon isn't too hard to get up the mountain side? Or how about not having enough water for everyone and having to shoot the worst of the horses so that the rest could make it? Maybe wondering what to feed everyone when everything was used up? Burdock root soup again? Going through wooded areas where the trees were so dense that we couldn't find enough grass to feed the stock and had to kill the cow to keep the horses alive. The first major river took the books that I liked. Having to go the last 200 miles on foot and getting to the point that you didn't care if you made it or not? The dishes that were given to us for a wedding gift were traded for salt about 500 miles back.

Life is full of things like that. I think everyone that I know has done it, maybe not in this lifetime but they have.

It is hard holding onto a goal that gets to feel like it isn't worth the effort. And a lot of people did give up on the trail. This life isn't for the weak. You have to be strong to endure.

Do you have these memories? I do. I know about all the lessons that were there. One that I carry is that people are more important than things. I have revisited that lesson many times. Sometimes to my regret when the person you have put faith in decides to give up. They all start out on the voyage with big plans and big expectations but when it doesn't fit the plan that they had, they cave in and need to be carried. I haven't minded carrying someone until they recover and get their feet under them but the ones who feel that they deserve to be carried really bother me.

Life is about struggle. Everyone has to make decisions. Having to figure out a plan B and sometimes it even comes down to Plan Z but we are still trying to work it out. Some settled for much less than they had planned but found that the struggle isn't as hard that way. They had set their goals too high and were forever finding blocks to getting there. After settling for a lesser goal, they were much happier.

When one is finding the way too steep, it is time to scout around and find an easier way up and over. Many times this adds time and miles to our plans but life is a little less challenging.

There will always be things in your path to create blocks to easy access but how you deal with these things determines your character.

Justice is Blindfolded

Once upon a time when God was a lot younger, I divorced the father of my children.

Never having been in court before, I was sure that it was just this side of church and felt that whatever happened would be fair and just.

I was right. The Judge listened to this and to that and then in his wisdom announced that I would need child support to take care of my three children. Now I could see why people hold the justice system up so high and almost revere it. This Judge was indeed a very wise man.

Three months went by and I was expecting some financial help, based on what I had heard in court. Nothing arrived but I continued to do my best to make sure that my children were cared for.

Finally I decided to write to the Judge, this very wise man. I told him that on such and such a date he had given a decision that said I was to receive some financial help with the children. I told him that to date, I had received nothing.

I got a letter from the Judge which stated that "It is the duty of the court…." It was right out of some rule book, perhaps Robert's Rules of Order or the Masonic Order, I wasn't sure but basically the bottom line was that, should I be unhappy with the judgment I should come back into court.

I studied that letter for a long time. What was he really telling me? He really was saying that he had no power to enforce his proclamations. His only power was to tell people to sit down or stand up or pound that gavel for one reason or another. He was not a very powerful person. He wasn't even very wise.

After studying the letter, I made a proclamation myself. Mine was based on being practical and I think I was a bit wiser than the Judge. I decided at that time that the legal system is not based on wisdom but the whim of the people playing that game.

The proclamation that was made that day was not to go back to court but to use the money that I would have used to get another worthless judgment; to pay the dentist, to buy shoes. With kids there is always something and the legal system is based on rules in some book but not on life.

To this day I have seen a lot of very unwise things that are done in the name of Justice. I truly understand why she is blindfolded. I would not want to see what was happening in my name either if this is the way it goes.

Were I to be chosen to be on a jury today, no matter what the person had done, I would vote not guilty. Why don't we vote innocent, why is it not guilty. Perhaps there is no innocence in a court room? I have listened to some things in court and the jury is asked to make a judgment based on less information than I would need to give one of my children permission to go somewhere.

My sister told me about the juries that she has been on and how they always make her cry because she says, "We are deciding a man's life." And they tell her that if she goes along with them, they can go home that day. Then I hear, it is the best system. Is it? When only 2% of the people can get heard on appeal just because some people wanted to go home early.

Wisdom has left the building, Justice close your eyes.