Living in the country

Both Matt and I are much more attuned to nature here - we watch things grow from tiny seeds to gigantic jungle plants that are going to take over the garden, we watch birds eating and feeding their babies, we watch the moon take it’s course differently every night... We listen to the birds during the day (I’m starting to recognize the different species, and in one case, an individual bird), and the crickets, frogs, cats, and coyotes (and sometimes bats) at night.  We’re driving slower, we’re happier with our lives, we’re better hosts and neighbors than we’ve ever been, and going in to eat is something we don’t find as enjoyable as we used to.  I’m sure it will be less so as we have more fresh vegetables and fruits from the garden, and Matt begins to make fresh bread again.

Lately I’ve been fascinated by life and the way things grow.  Squash plants open their leaves upward in the morning, reaching for the sun or rain, I’m not sure.  Maybe both.  It’s a reminder that they’re jungle plants originally - it’s no wonder they don’t mind a little afternoon cooling off, as that’s probably normal in the jungle.  In the afternoon, the leaves aim downward, holding in moisture and sheltering its fruit (and letting me know it’s too hot).  All this from a seed.

And squash plants are as tall as the tomatoes today.