Went to sleep hearing the rainfall on the roof. It wasn’t cold, but late autumn coolness everywhere. The falling rain eased me into sleep.
Oh, that first snowfall of the winter…oh, that first snowfall of the year.
There’s nothing quite like it. Waking up to the first–clean, bright, yet not glossy–the best white.
Yesterday’s Autumn.
Yesterday like that.
Today…
Joy on high–the first snowfall!
In life, natural things have always attracted me, so I look for them and write about them
I am a nature lover and a landscape aficionado.
I am curious about all things green—the environment, plants, gardening, horticulture.
And because I am intrigued about the multi-cultural, mystical history of people and plants, I have lived in North Africa, Europe and the Arabian Peninsula.
He didn’t know what to call his experiences, paranormal, gnostic portals, or the answers to existential unknowns–but he knew the inputs were from nature, its landscapes and plants.
Want to learn more about these experiences in nature, in the landscape? Please join my email list.
Balancing, cleansing, energising, relaxing, uplifting…we can all do with some of that.
Acacia dealbata–it grows like a native in the northern third of Morocco; and, in spring, you can always find its cut flowers, fresh from the bled (countryside), being sold by Rif ladies in Tangier.
CJ reckoned when you get this close to a flower, it is because the flower has invited you. That invitation is the key that unlocks a portal–a paranormal portal.
Don’t believe me? Read his story, his take on plants in Tangier Gardens.
This is a typical Moroccan medina water fountain that, in Tangier Gardens, CJ was planning to study. Why?
Because these beautifully tiled fountains were local community nodes for daily gathering of water to use at home. Everyone felt and knew the importance of water supplied by these beautiful fountains.
In Tangier Gardens CJ documents his attempt to study these community landmarks–and the strange challenges he faced. Today, Tangier Gardens ebook is FREE!
A small courtyard garden, as we in the USA would say. A garden surrounded by the house–your home.
In CJ’s view, it is an excellent, safe and intimate space to get close to plants.
Traditionally it is a practical place for edible plants, medicinal plants, fragrant plants, beautiful plants–and it doesn’t require much water. What’s wrong with that?
Want to learn more about CJ’s discoveries in Tangier riads?
Everybody wants it; but can health, good health be seen?
I’m not talking about humans.
This is about plants. And it is not a discussion about the definition of beauty or the definition of good health.
It is rather about what our eyes can observe. See a beautiful plant. See a beautiful flower. We are accustomed to those.
But something happened to me the other day on a walk. Our local weather has been good: sunshine, warmth and deep gentle rains. Locally, one finds in many home gardens well maintained topsoil–mulched with animal manures and dug in every year.
What does that mean? Healthy plant growth. And even with very common plants, their health shines. It captured my attention recently. My photo shows that. I hope you can see it.
Unusual perceptions of plants and their flowers? That is what CJ experienced for the first time in my book, Tangier Gardens. If you like plants and their flowers you will like CJ’s story.
I don’t go out looking for trees–but when I’m out sometimes they call me.
This year the Tilia trees’ blossoms came earlier than normal. It was my olfactory pleasure. I could not say no. The fragrance captured me. It made me smile.
An online search of Tilia spp., their floral fragrance and their teas can keep you busy a whole day. Bottom line? Tilia fragrance and perfumes, Tilia fragrance and teas…a deep and mystical appreciation by all involved. No one can describe with absolute certainty what is the amazing fragrance. So, I’ll tell a personal story.
There is a time after the glorious spring greens that a summer tedium green takes over all deciduous trees. Tedium green? That’s the summer green that makes all deciduous trees look the same. They all fade into a dark green, amorphic background.
This morning it began. Mature foliage on all deciduous trees had grown full size and darkened. It was working–each leaf a mini-plant-factory taking in the glorious sunshine and the CO2 to assure their health and ours.
Here is what I found in town. Unannounced, the nearest Tilia tree–its fragrance descended upon me. The tree was already a physical landmark. I realized it was also a sociological landmark, a local center for relaxation–soothing away anxieties. Its fragrance does that.
In other parts of town, people were climbing into the lower Tilia branches where they collected flowers. They took them home for drying to produce homemade herb tea known for its calming pleasure.
Look for your closest Tilia or lime or linden.
Under the linden, the local landmark where everyone gathers to relax and enjoy the linden flower fragrance.Summer sunrise on the landmark flowering linden.Alone, the size of the linden identifies it as a local landmark in town.
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When CJ went to study local landmarks in the Moroccan towns (medinas), he learned things about landscapes and gardens they didn’t teach at university. Check out Tangier Gardens for a good read.
