When I think of the word graceful, I think of flowers I have seen in India and in the U.S. I also thing of Brahminy kites, birds which are in the same class, order and family as eagles. Every year, I watch them soar above Amma’s ashram in Amritapuri, India.
When I saw that the Weekly Photo Challenge for this week was “Names”, I knew exactly what my contribution would be.
I laugh whenever I think of the name of this bakery in Vallikavu, India– and I thoroughly enjoy eating their ice cream sundaes. I, of course, had to buy one when I went to town to take this photo today. The sundae was called Chocolate Fantasy. Yummmm!
To see all of the posts in this Amritapuri series, click here.
a) Banana palms are not trees. There is no wood in a banana palm.
b) The stem is made up of gigantic leaves so the banana palm is classified as an herb.
c) Three years ago, I read that the banana palm are classified as a grass, but I am unable to validate that information.
d) Banana palms only produce fruit once. The palms die away and new shoots spring up. Those shoots can be replanted in other places.
e) Banana palms grow quickly in the tropics. The first photo below was taken on the day the shoot was replanted. The second photo was of a shoot that had been replanted three days prior, and the third photo was of a shoot five days after replanting.
f) Banana circles are a permaculture technique that is most often used in tropical and subtropical regions. They help create humus and water retention where soils are either sandy or heavy clay. This photo shows a banana palm circle with a compost pile in the middle.
g) Banana palms produce very unusual flower buds. One day, I saw a squirrel like this trying to get into one of the buds but I couldn’t take a photo quick enough to catch it in action. I haven’t seen an open flower yet this year but here is a photo I found on Wikimedia.
h) The banana palm leaf has an intricate series of veins running through it.
i) The path to Amritapuri’s Saraswati Garden is lined with banana palms. I can imagine what that path will look like next year!
j) I think banana palms are so beautiful.
For more information or to see beautiful photos go to: A Banana Plant Is an Herb (Or, Little Known Banana Facts)
I have been anticipating going to Kuzhitura Farms since I came to Amritapuri on November 26th. I decided today was the day for that adventure.
I was so excited to see the wonders of nature I found there. I was particularly fascinated by this plant.
Weekly Photo Challenge: Anticipation
Daily Prompt: Fortune
To see all of the posts in this Amritapuri series, click here.
I have spent several days at Saraswati Gardens helping in the dye area. One day last week, Padma noticed how much color was still left in the pulp after she made marigold dye. We decided to dry it out and see if something could be done with it.
The next day, the pulp still wasn’t dry so I separated into smaller pieces and placed it on cotton and silk fabrics. I thought it would dry better that way plus it gave us a chance to see what effect it would have on the cloth.
As I was distributing the pulp, I kept looking at the newspaper I had originally spread the pulp on. The color that was left on that paper was a vibrant yellow.
By the next day, the idea of using the pulp to dye more cloth was discarded as it was obvious that the color it produced was too light.
Two days ago, the dye project staff finished the first prayer flag made using dye only from Saraswati garden flowers. I think it is so beautiful.
The first flag below was colored with marigold dye, the second was from a rose dye, and the third was dye made from madder root. The dye for the yellow strip that goes along the top was made from turmeric root.
The dye used on the first flag below was made from turmeric root; the second is indigo and the third is rose.
The first flag below is another one dyed with madder root, the second and third are both from marigold dye with one being a lighter version than the other.
Since I’m learning a bit about making dye from plants this year, I have wondered whether or not I will start making dyes when I return to Seattle. Growing the flowers sounds right; being creative with them sounds right; but at the moment I don’t feel called to dye cloth.
Last night, I thought about the bright yellow marigold dye I saw on the newspaper when I was working with the pulp. Then another memory came to me. Many years ago, I was intrigued by handmade paper. At the time, I wanted to learn how to make it, but never did.
Maybe in my retirement, I will make paper and find ways to dye it using flower petals or roots, or maybe even leaves. Or perhaps the flowers and leaves will be used in other ways, such as in this photo of papermaking in Burma.
Is papermaking on my horizon? It very well could be.
Weekly Photo Challenge: New Horizon
To look at previous posts in this Amritapuri series, click here.
One of the reasons I go to Amritapuri at this time of year is because I love to be involved in the Christmas musical that is performed on Christmas Eve. During the first three weeks in December, the final touches are made to the script; actors are chosen and learn their lines; musicians and singers learn their songs; costumes, back drops and props are made; sound and lighting are planned for, etc. The list could go on and on. Simultaneously, there are rehearsals occurring all over the ashram.
Here are some photos, taken by various photographers, from last year’s Christmas play. I think they will give you a sense of why I love being part of the process so much. (Click on the gallery to enlarge the photos.)
Weekly Photo Challenge: It’s Not This Time of Year Without….
Even though they may be out of our awareness, I believe we experience magical moments every day. I had two such experiences in the last week.
These are the sights I usually see when I look into my worm bin.
But a few days ago, when I took off the lid, this is what I saw. In the four years I’ve had worm bins this has never happened before. It was such a surprise!
My second magical experience was completely different. After a lifetime of disinterest in football, I became an avid Seahawks fan four years ago. I often watch the games with Al, my ex-husband. It is especially fun to watch them in his apartment because the apartment is not far from the stadium where the games are being held.
Seattle fans are known for being very loud and we can hear them in his apartment. Because there is a 5 to 10 second delay between the time something happens and the time we see it on television, the screaming crowd gives us advance notice of important events. When the Seahawks score, we hear the sound of a cannon prior to seeing the touchdown, field goal or other type of scoring on the television.
When we were watching the game this past Sunday, there was one point when the crowd was screaming extraordinarily loud. I was confused because it was not a reasonable time for a touchdown. Besides, the cannon didn’t go off. What came out of my mouth was “They just got an interception.” I don’t know who was more surprised, Al or me! Me, a person who knew nothing about football four years ago, could sense what had happened from the sound of a crowd a mile away. As far as I’m concerned it was a magical experience.
For the last year or so, I have thought about a microscope I owned as a child. I have no idea how old I was then, but I remember spending hours exploring the microscopic world and being fascinated by what I saw. Since it kept coming to my mind, I decided that “someday” I would buy another microscope.
Then this past summer I realized I could add microscopic shots to the photos I publish on this blog. I felt very thankful for the nostalgic memories that led me to that realization.
I purchased a dissecting microscope and began my new venture using an adapter that connects my iPhone to the microscope. I hope someday I have a system that allows me to take photos that more accurately reflect what I see when I look directly into the microscope, but this is a good beginning.
Earlier this week, I photographed a bush that drew my attention. It’s “flowers” were unusual to say the least. Below you will find microscopic views of three parts of that plant. You can click on the galleries to see an enlarged version of the photos.
Red fruit
Brown “flower”
Black dying “flower”
This is what the whole plant looked like:
Do any of you know the name of this plant? If you do, please share it with me and other readers!
Throughout Seattle, there are groups of people working to remove blackberry vines, morning glories and ivy from parks and Greenbelts. The empty lot that is behind my house is in of one of the Greenbelts. During the last three decades, the invasive plants have completely taken over the once beautiful land. So many trees have died.
There have been times in the past where I cleared parts of the lot, but since I can’t take out all of the roots, they, of course, always come back. Lately removing the blackberry vines and other invasives from the lot has become a passion for me. A friend and I have worked many hours cutting them down.
This is my favorite tree on that property. (It is actually two different trees, and each one of them split into two trunks so there are actually four trunks, but I still see them all as one tree.)
One of my first priorities was to remove the blackberry vines and ivy from that tree. I have done that enough times over the years that was a fairly easy goal for me to accomplish. For the first time, however, I noticed that there was a branch on the north side of the tree that was so long that it disappeared into the blackberries. I resolved to free the branch.
But how would I even get to it? There was no easy course.
I planned my route to the buried branch and committed to free it the next day.
Early Sunday morning, I set out to accomplish my goal. First, I went to the storage shed to pick up the tools I needed.
As I started to open the shed door, I walked face first into a big spider web. Yuck. I backed up to see where the spider was. What I saw was a yard spider that was bigger than any I’ve ever seen before.
I had been looking for a subject for the Weekly Photo Challenge: Quest. The moment I came face to face with that spider was the moment that I knew I had my subject for the photo story. Freeing this tree branch was indeed going to be a Quest.
I picked up my tools and then headed towards the stairs that go to the lower lot.
Shortly thereafter, I again walked into an unseen spider.
Okay, it is time for me to get conscious.
I inched my way down the hill, drawing ever closer to the tree. As I descended, I appreciated how much clearing we have already done.
Cutting a path through the blackberry vines, I drew closer and closer to my destination. It wasn’t just a matter of cutting down the upper layer of blackberries. If I opened a hole in the mass, I could see that many of the old ones were in layers three feet deep. I had to be careful not to accidentally put my foot into a drop off.
Finally, I got close enough to the branch that I could begin cutting the vines that were holding it down.
I worked diligently, oblivious of the time.
I was excited to see that there were many signs of life on the smaller branches that were offshoots of the larger one.
When I thought I had freed it, I discovered that there was still one part was still trapped. I couldn’t even see where it ended. It occurred to me that none of the other branches on the tree were anywhere near that long, so I decided to cut it just under the areas of growth.
When I made the cut, the branch rose ten to twelve feet into the air.
Free, free at last!
Mission accomplished. As I started to leave the area, I saw so many other trees that need to be liberated from the blackberries. I recommitted to come back and do more of that work, but this quest was enough for one day.
Time to go home.
Before I knew it, I was nearing my back deck.
My quest was complete and it was time for me to have a well deserved rest.
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