Scarlet Runner Beans, Putting Banana Trees to Bed, and a Last Ikebana

I was struck by the beauty of the scarlet runner beans that we harvested last weekend for seed saving. Check them out: just tossed in a wooden bowl with no artifice, they’re positively beautiful. This is nature being her gorgeous self. If only we all could be this flawless in our natural state.

I put together this little ikebana with one of my Japanese suibans, using the very last of our garden flowers – unopened lilies and a few straggling cosmos. I couldn’t bear to toss them in the compost bin. Their raw beauty lent itself to an ikebana arrangement. I love it. But it’s the last flower arrangement of the season.

We had a near frost last night. It got down to 37 degrees. We’ve been basking in summer-like weather, so last night’s cold snap was a wake-up call. Tonight, I’ll pull the potted Thai Black Stem Banana tree into the house for winter. Without exaggeration, it has a main stem wider than the width of my upper arm. This tree came to us as one of a few seeds we had imported from Thailand last spring. Bananas are incredibly sturdy plants.

Our Basjoo banana trees, which are in the ground at the front of the house, will be cut down to the soil line after the first hard frost, and mulched heavily. It remains to be seen if they will survive winter, but if they do, we’re sitting pretty. Many passersby asked about our little banana grove. The banana tree experiment has so far been a success.

We have no plans for this weekend, a situation I love to find myself in. A weekend with no imposed structure usually ends up being interesting. We improvise. We wake up, check the weather, and decide what kind of potential the day has. The best day trips my husband and I have taken always started out as days with no particular plans.

Today is October 13. We just hung out the bird feeder and nut dishes for winter. I stocked up on black oil sunflower seeds and peanuts. It’s been a few days and the birds haven’t found it yet, but when they do (it takes up to a week) the back of the house will be busy with birds and squirrels. 

It’s some work to keep the feeders going through the cold months, especially in deep snow, but my husband and I really enjoy the company of these beautiful creatures in winter. Food becomes scarce, and many starve in the cold. That’s a terrible way to die. We do our small part to fill as many little tummies as we possible. You do what you can.

A friend turned me on to a new, free, phone app called ‘Simple Habit’. Designed to help the user form a regular meditation practice, it sends out reminders and offers guided meditation for each sitting. It also tracks your sittings and reports on hours per week dedicated to meditation.

I do compassion/insight meditation each morning, without guidance, but I’ve been thinking about adding a daily evening session for at least winter. Rather than sit for another compassion/insight meditation at night, I thought I would try this app and see if it offers some new territory to explore. I’m going to test-drive it this weekend and will let you know how it goes.

Winter is about shifting gears. I feel the change in my mind as much as my body. Suddenly, I want hot chai, more sleep, more reading, more mediation, more bread, less activity, less talk, and more books. I’m deep into my latest book on Ayurveda. I think I’ll bake bread again this weekend. And before long, I’ll be dreaming of summer again.

Barbie xo