Nature
Bonsai!!!
"Close your eyes, concentrate, think only *tree*. Make a perfect picture, down to the last pine needle. Wipe your mind clean of everything but the tree; nothing exists in the whole world, only the tree. Open your eyes, remember the picture? Make your tree like the picture."
By Bonsai love3 years ago in Earth
GROW Your Happiness
The older you get the more you realize how important the early years of life are and try your hardest to cherish them, just as a child cherishes their blanket. The earliest memories I have held throughout the years involve gardening with my mother and father. Memories of mom’s are always so precious, and mine is like a pearl in the shell of an oyster, pure, patient and generous. She was my first educator, unbeknownst to me; I was about to find a true passion that I will lean on for creative expression. My father also played a role in my journey on understanding the food and homes the plants need to survive. Like a house standing firmly on the ground from root to tip, making sure what is inside is protected, my father taught me how to yield the foundation of the plant’s “house”. From horse poop, to composters, we’ve experimented with a variety of natural materials to utilize. You can have all the knowledge in the world, but in order to grow yourself a green thumb, lots of trial and error is required. However much practice that may occur, the most rewarding part is to see how your efforts have flourished into the life of a plant. As someone who has yet to have my own garden to tend to, I have learned how to use my green thumb to create homes for plants that can live in small places. The main motivation in my pursuit was to help purify the air in my home and increase the flow of oxygen from my plants. There are many different ways to receive the benefits of plants, especially in your home. I eventually wanted to take it to the next level and decided to try my “thumb” at growing herbs, fruits and vegetables. I experimented with using hydroponics and found much success! Once I master the art of plants outside of the garden, I began welcoming more and more plant friends to my home. As a regular shopper at thrift stores, I am usually on the hunt for homes for my plant friends. I discovered that I could use my passion for recycling and utilize it for my plant hobby. I have an endless list of items I am on the lookout to use such as teacups, kettles, creamer bowls, baskets and tires; I get as creative as I can! I take pleasure in finding abandoned items and then creating a new purpose for it. All the junk that our society wastes will just sit around for years to come, so we might as well reuse it and bring it back to the surface. Finding the perfect home for my plants brings me such enjoyment, almost as much as growing them and reaping their rewards. At the end of the day I have brought life to the plants, the homes that contain the plants, and to myself. So, once you have your plant picked out and a home that has been chosen for the plant (whether it is in the ground, on a roof, on a wall, in water, or simply in a pot) go forward with planting. Bathe your plant in plenty of water after transferring from the original growing pot. You may want to use a trowel to ensure a safe passage for your plant friend. As you watch your plant grow, there is usually some pruning involved. This is where you should use pruners, shears or some sort of scissors to cut the dead part off of the plant. Occasionally, grooming is required, which may involve splashing your plant with water or wiping off the leaves. Another way of collecting plants is by propagation. This involves cutting a stem off a stem from a plant you have interest in, and putting the removed stem into water until it grows roots. Once the roots are established, you may transfer the plant to its new home. There are three issues to be aware of with plants. One issue involves a collection of bugs on your plant. Aphids, spider mites and their eggs are relatively easy to get rid of with household products that are safe and non-toxic. Another issue pertains to a fungus or dry rot. When the soil is moist to the touch, but your plant seems to be off and browning, it could be dry rot. In some instances you can save the plant by removing it and placing its roots and affected areas under running water, however, you will need to use shears or scissors to trim away the affected, mushy areas. Providing fresh soil and good drainage can prevent this issue from occurring. The third issue you can come across includes discolored spots on the leaves of your plant. This observation could indicate a disease is forming. Remove the dead leaves and supply with fresh soil. Other than providing the right amount of sunlight and water your plant requires, plus speaking to your plant with love and affection, you will be able to grow your own green thumb. Bringing back childhood memories into the story, just as my parents helped me to be nourished and grow, I have flourished and bloomed into what was meant to be. I love sharing my passions with others and hope to spread those seeds of fervor to all. When you can bring out the crafter in yourself, as well as providing attention to other favorite hobbies, those collaborations can provide so much joy and happiness! I am keen on changing up the medium and becoming inspired by different objects I come across. So, go ahead, pretend you’re Arielle from “The Little Mermaid” and find those interesting trinkets and put them to use in any way, shape or form; create your happiness!
By Natalie Litz3 years ago in Earth
Little T
Unlike Big T far away in the forest, Little T lived in a dish with some ground to hold her straight, atop a table where strange monsters took care of her, yet ate so many of her kin. She leaned to one side as her tiny trunk was still growing, and her branches were learning to find their balancing act. Her leaves were often crying for no reason, but reasons were too numerous to enumerate. She spent her days looking at the small jungle across, not knowing that beyond those few trees lay a huge shopping mall, with trees in every corner and store, all of them long dead, transformed into objects, some even admired by the same monsters who took care of her, as if she mattered at all.
By Patrick M. Ohana3 years ago in Earth
woven
Textiles are foundational to the human experience. Cultures all over the world have their own unique practice of dyeing fiber and weaving. Woven textiles sometimes take the form of clothing, sometimes rugs or blankets, baskets or nets. I like to think that we are all descendants of weavers. There is something very human and very grounding about using our hands to craft something in the same way that humans have been crafting things for thousands of years.
By Kayla Powers3 years ago in Earth
Big T
At the top of the trees’ ever-changing world, Big T was a giant. He was never in competition with his friends for the crown, he never even sought it. It was bestowed to his tallness when all his friends looked at each other, rustled their leaves in agreement, and declared him to be Big T, the biggest tree in their forest. Most of them had passed the four-hundred-year mark which they measured underground, with all big roots recounting their stories passed on every century like a heirloom, except that this one was invisible to any eyes, being chemical in nature and felt at a special middle point where the trunk meets the ground before descending towards Earth’s core.
By Patrick M. Ohana3 years ago in Earth
Medium T
Medium T was a happy tree because he happened to look like a male human, with two legs in the ground and thus three trunks, two arms raised towards the sky and thus two branches, several fingers at the end of each arm and thus several twigs, and even a face with a crown on top and thus additional sprigs. His resemblance to a human turned him into a celebrity, providing him with considerably more than the usual fifteen minutes of fame many humans aspired to have sometimes at the expense of everything else. Medium T was neither big or small. Medium T was medium-built but he lacked a prick. Moreover, he was not alone since another tree, somewhat similar to him lived close to him but looked more like a female human.
By Patrick M. Ohana3 years ago in Earth
For the Shear Love of it—Nature’s Lessons on Interior Peace
The seeds that I planted inside this February all died by May and this is why I love gardening— Human attempts to imitate nature often fall by the wayside as we are reminded of our small stature when it comes to the environment and our innate desire to cooperate within its natural laws. More than ever in a tech-driven hyper-digital world compounded by sociopolitical unrest, we need to enter into and create our Gardens of Eden of refreshment, peace and contemplation.
By Regina Campbell3 years ago in Earth
You know what I love about plants?
You know what I love about plants? They don’t hold on to time. They don’t hold onto stories and identities, even if we name them and give them one. They don’t try to give me a story or tell me who I should be; the plants just do their thing. I can't tell them what to do, well I can but they don’t listen. They are connected to their own wisdom. It’s not my command that will make a plant grow, I don’t control them. Sure I experiment with their environment, but it's within them to push on.
By Kyrra Catherine3 years ago in Earth
Visions In Landscaping
I like to work in gardens. I had a beautiful garden at my first home. I love sinking my hands into a nice healthy dirt. Today I am trying to grow another garden. A beautiful garden. I clip off the fresh vegetables with a pair of gardening shears so not to bruise. A garden gives out what you put into it. It’s the hard work and dedication that I enjoy and in the end a very powerful statement to the outside world. Landscaping also is something I enjoy that keeps me enjoying the fullness that the outdoors has to give me around my home.
By Tina Miller3 years ago in Earth
The Small Organic Herban Garden
Living in the middle of a city can sometimes makes it difficult to spend sufficient time among nature. Having recently moved to a new place, I was overjoyed to a have an outside area that I could turn into a plant sanctuary. Though small, I have maximized space by choosing the majority of my plants specifically for their unique abilities, whether as an amazing addition in culinary applications, for their remarkable health benefits, or to keep pests away. Gardening in general is excellent for one’s physical and emotional health, while creating a unique space filled with the plants and décor of ones choosing provides a serene space to enjoy.
By M.R. Cameo3 years ago in Earth
Follow your Bliss
When I was younger I believed that my fate had limits. I believed that after discovering I was undocumented, and because of that my brain, mind and spirit were in trouble... my dreams of going to a great prestigious art college rapidly went out the window. In reality my circumstances were giving me other options that would brighten the way that I was living. There is no doubt within myself that where I am today is where I feel the most alive. "Follow your bliss" my friend Andy said. It is likely that "the bliss" gets blurry sometimes and it is hard to feel it. But I work at a farm now. And it is 7 years this August that I have been doing this work; being a part of farming and landscaping businesses. Wild South Florida farm life! How to describe this feeling? The one that connects me to nature and food? ... Dynamic. Vibrant. Arduous. That is my life in happiness, extremely rare to write on paper for me, but today I will let you inside. You can decide, if it is up to us and our own individual journeys to experience a joyous life.
By Alicia del Aguila3 years ago in Earth