Enjoying the green and healthy space of our Gardens
Summer in Oregon was quite unusual this year. Although I love all seasons, I truly feel this summer was not a true summer as I remember in past years. Not only did it hail in June, just the week before that it soared up to nearly 100 degrees! Then we proceeded to jump between seasons all summer long. Although we did experience several heat waves, which lasted a few days here and there, I must admit to noticing the confusion in my garden. My plants and flowers, although healthy, were not as profuse as previous summers.
Nevertheless, my daughter S and I enjoyed many precious moments amongst the green and colourful space we created. In this we have succeeded in creating our own healthy, personal environment. This is where we would escape to when we just wanted to enjoy peaceful moments, either reading, sharing a meal, beading, playing games, studying and completing homeschool assignments, practicing Qigong (a healing art for inner health and vitality), sharing stories and Dreams, or simply sitting quietly enjoying a lovely sunset. As always, we invited nature’s fairy creatures to visit our garden, so the energy was very sweet. Truly our garden is a place to find peace and tranquility in a life full of unsettling challenges.
We all need a quiet place in which to find our inner peace, and help us to focus on the important things in life. Too many things occur which serve to unsettle us, and bring anxiety and stress, which can lead to dis-ease and illness. It is so important to create or find our own space in which to absorb positive energy, while releasing negative energy, sending it to where it will disperse safely into the universe without harming others. This is a good time to remember our blessings, dwelling upon that which is good in our lives. We can then set goals and visualize all we wish to manifest in the now, as well as the future. It does no good to dwell upon the past, so why waste precious time? All there ever is, is now, so let’s just make the best of it!
Gardening Tip
Have you got a great natural gardening tip to share? I do! I would like to share a tip I learned from my grandmother many years ago. Try adding gelatin to your plant water. I usually add 1/2 tsp to a half gallon container or 1 tsp to a gallon container of water. I like to water with this delightful treat twice a month… your plants will simply love it!



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Helping our body and psyche with scent has a history stretching back for many centuries. The very beginning of the practice of medicine has been connected with mythical rituals, magic, or religion. We may say that the history of scent began with incense burners and has continued through experience with aromas and essential oils up to the present day. The methods of treatment were based on philosophical ideas that looked at a direct connection between man and nature. In ancient civilizations, medicinal herbs were evaluated by their taste and smell. An interesting example from the history of essential oils is thyme. The name “Thyme” is derived from the Greek word Thymiama (incense) and means courage, health, or sacrifice. It was a sign of high respect in ancient Greece to say to someone that he “smells of thyme”. Roman soldiers often added thyme to their baths to give themselves strength, health, and courage.

