Ellen Harris
- Sep 19

Closing Out Summer

For this first half of the month, life has been evolving around tending to garden, beginning a Yoga Healing Garden Workshop series at Three Blessings Yoga Farm and Wellness Center, CLASSES, WORKSHOPS, RETREATS | 3blessings (3blessingsyogafarmwellness.center ), Third Ward Zen participating in the MS Book Festival as a bookseller, 3WZ Gift Shop / Online Store (thirdwardzen.net ), and family.

Summer Garden Winding Down

If I don’t pick the okra at least every other day, they become gargantuan pods. When I thought the eggplant were spent out, a few have fruited. All the sweet potatoes were grown from last season’s slips but disappointedly are all long and spindly; no big, hefty ones to date. Continue to get jalapeño, bell peppers and just a few Thai hot peppers, which didn’t fruit as much this year. I was already set to ‘fire’ the owl guarding the cantaloupe patch when low and behold melons appeared. The hot cayenne pepper I spread on them might have prevented that pesky night critter from feasting on them this time around. So far two cantaloupes have been harvested probably too soon but I’m very anxious to at least taste one this year. They’ll ripen on the kitchen island and a watchful eye checks the others in the garden daily.

September 4

September 9

September 16

September 18

Yoga Healing Garden Workshop Series

Workshop series is in two parts titled Yoga Healing Garden Workshop – Planting Seeds and Yoga Healing Garden Workshop – Stitching Fiber. All the workshops include meditation, gentle yoga, creative expression either with embellishing a small flowerpot for planting seeds or hand stitching a small art quilt sampler with embellishments. While the September 7 Stitching Fiber workshop was small, it was very nice.

MS Book Festival

For the first time, Third Ward Zen participated in the MS Book Festival on September 14. To prepare we created a table runner to showcase our booth, made stickers to give away, and had a few T-shirts to give away to any gift bundle purchasers. It was a very rewarding experience not only selling our books, journals, and notecards, but interacting with folks who love books, reading, writing, and collecting them. Thanks to a friend that helped out all day, I was able to slip away for one panel session on Food & Memory with Cree Myles as moderator; “Bite by Bite: Nourishments and Jamborees” author, Aimee Nezhukumatahil; and Crystal Wilkinson who wrote “Praisesong for the Kitchen Ghosts: Stories and Recipes from Five Generations of Black Country Cooks.” The moderator presented them with some deep questions, which made their conversation enthralling. Unfortunately, no pictures of the panel or festival surroundings because the excitement of being there was overpowering plus my cellphone was tethered to the credit card reader. Next time.