A Blog By Any Other Name...

So, I've renamed my blog.  I thought it'd be a good way to start over.  

There were a lot of names I considered.  One was "The Farmer's Luck" which is the title of a Buddhist tale that I love.  

Basically, the story goes, An old farmer and his son lived outside a rural village.  One day the farmer's only horse ran away.  All his neighbors exclaimed, "What bad luck!"  The farmer calmly replied, "Maybe it's bad luck.  Maybe it's good luck."  A few days later his horse returned with 2 wild horses.  Again his neighbors exclaimed, "What good luck you have!!"  And once again, the farmer replied, "Maybe it's bad luck.  Maybe it's good luck."  The farmer's son, working on breaking the wild horses, was thrown one afternoon and broke his leg.  As he helped the old farmer a lot on the farm, the neighbors were sure now that this was bad luck.  But once again, the farmer replied, "Maybe it's good luck.  Maybe it's bad luck."  A few days later the army marched through and took all the young men to a battle many miles away, but they left the farmer's son as he had a broken leg and could not march or fight.  Again, the neighbors said, "What good luck!!!"  And once again the farmer replied, "Maybe it's good luck.  Maybe it's back luck."

I always really liked that tale.  Bad things can come out of a seemingly good situation, and contrarily good things can come from something that is seemingly negative.  

Another was "An Orchard for a Dome" which is a line from my favorite Emily Dickenson poem.  Here ya go:

Some keep the Sabbath going to Church 

Some keep the Sabbath going to Church –

I keep it, staying at Home –

With a Bobolink for a Chorister –

And an Orchard, for a Dome –

Some keep the Sabbath in Surplice –

I, just wear my Wings –

And instead of tolling the Bell, for Church,

Our little Sexton – sings.

God preaches, a noted Clergyman –

And the sermon is never long,

So instead of getting to Heaven, at last –

I’m going, all along.

I love it.  I feel so much closer to the universe/god/life when I am in nature, or as Anne (Anne of Green Gables) said,  “Why must people kneel down to pray? If I really wanted to pray I’ll tell you what I'd do. I'd go out into a great big field all alone or in the deep, deep woods and I'd look up into the sky—up—up—up—into that lovely blue sky that looks as if there was no end to its blueness. And then I'd just feel a prayer.” 

Wonderful.  So I've taken two aspects of what I want to share and learn here with you.  Earthworms from my garden (and boys) and Marmalade from my kitchen.  We'll just have to fill in all the in-betweens as we go along.  Sound good to you?  Me too!