my definition of a credible Reiki practitioner

Credible? Skilled, kind, respectful, and trustworthy. By skilled I mean: capable, experienced, and careful. Kind: gentle, warm, peaceful, and nonjudgmental. Respectful: pay attention to my preferences, privacy, and dignity. Trustworthy: honest, on time, holistic, healthy, one who demonstrates the highest ethical standards.

new neighbor

I was out mowing my lawn. I have one of those push-mowers... no gas, really push. It's quiet and I don't have to drive jugs of gas around in my van. I get exercise. I like it. I mow twice a week. 


The new neighbor drove up, turned around in Rita's driveway, cruised down my lawn, and parked. I mowed in his direction. He got out of his pickup: gold with American flags stuck in the edges of the truck bed. A bit of plastic flew out and landed. He was carrying a case of Bud. 


He pointed to the muddy ruts in my lawn. "I'm going to fix all that."
He stuck out his hand and I shook it. He held it and squeezed. A bit longer than usual. 


"I've been a logger all my life. You like trees? I'm going to cut that one down!"

He pointed to a gorgeous pine. It shields my yard from the busy street beyond.

"It makes a mess on my son's car."

He kept looking at my chest. I guess he was trying to figure out the picture of the water-skier. Water-skier, wave: could be a puzzle.

"I love trees. I love that tree. OK. Well. I have a big garden. Would you like some lettuce?"

He thumped his belly. "Hell yes! We're all on a diet!"

He stuck out his hand again. "What did you say your name is?" 

beer

There were some cans of Miller Lite in the house when I bought it last summer. I stuck the cans in a closet, waiting for the right recipient. Today, I found a garden culprit and a use for that beer.

Someone was eating the tops off my pumpkin plants. Slugs. So I made slug traps.

I took some plastic containers and a trowel. I set the containers into the ground and added the beer. Voila, slug traps! They will slime in and drown in beer. Sorry, slugs! It's you or the pumpkins.

Now, how do I keep the dog out of the beer?

Irises

 The Maine Iris Society annual show, today in Auburn.

 Bates campus, the puzzle bench.

 Bates campus.

 The pond on Bates campus, yellow irises and ducklings.

 Betsy and Dave have hundreds of irises in their huge and amazing garden. These are just a few. I love those white ones with the purple edge.

It's June and the irises are blooming. Wander around the neighborhood gardens, everywhere you look: irises. So many colors. Which is your favorite? I love the dark purple ones and the ones I saw in my friends' garden:  white with a purple edge. I saw some unusual ones at the Maine Iris Society show today, in Auburn. I accidentally wandered in early and was able to experience the earnest intensity of the members. They kindly let me wander around, "As long as I didn't get in the way!" The  growers were carefully delivering their specimens,  the sellers sorting and labeling the roots, and the judges evaluating the entries.

Don't get me started on the peonies...

perfect summer evening

It's a summer evening in Maine. Low humidity, temp around 80, and a slight cool breeze. I hear a lawnmower, kids playing basketball, and lots of birds. The fuchsia crabapple and fragrant lilacs have gone by, but the rhododendron is blooming: lavish purply lavender flowers. Pansies and petunias are blooming too, lilies of the valley, and some small pink flower standing tall over wide pentacle leaves, or perhaps sextuple leaves... hard to see from my comfy deck chair.

The mesclun is growing like crazy. I've gone around and picked it all twice and there's lots more ready to be harvested. I can't keep up with it. I had a big salad tonight, with good vinegar, cashews, and salmon. I took 5 bags to work last week and have more to take tomorrow. I've given some to the neighbors. I'm about ready to put it out on the street: "Free, take me home!" Note to self: plant less mesclun next year.

Meanwhile someone is eating my pumpkin shoots. I planted 2 whole packages of seed and have 2 plants. As soon as the shoots opened up, someone ate off the tops. Same thing with the zucchini. Who? My backyard is fenced in. Squirrels?

So it's summer in Maine. What could be better than that?

Happy Dog, Fluff on Mt David

Mt Apatite, Mt David, Basenji

Climbed 2 mountains today, Fluff & I: Mt Apatite and Mt David.

On Mt Apatite we saw a bunch of lady slippers, blooming in the sun. There were giant mosquitoes, but not too many of them. While walking up the trail, a dog came bounding up. I thought: Jack Russell terrier? Oh no, look at the face: part pit bull? Wait, the tail: part Chow? He had tiger stripes, and a tag that said Yoda. Basenji, the man said. Oh, the barkless dog. He can howl, the man said.

They mine for tourmaline up there. I looked through the rock piles. Found some quartz, and some feldspar with mica that looked like growths of lichen.

Going up Mt David we met a family of picnic-ers. They had bags of food, and talked loudly as they lurched down the trail. They trailed wisps of cigarette smoke.

No people at the top, and no mosquitoes. There was a breeze and a spectacular view. We lolled in the sunshine and watched swallows swooping and listened to the city sirens below.