Sunday, August 15, 2010

Pondering

I'm currently reading Haruki Murakami's "A Wild Sheep Chase", which I will probably review next weekend. So instead I'm posting on mygarden pondering . Istarted this morning with a read of a few of my bookish blog friends, and a few of the posts I read started me thinking. So here's my train of thought.

Dolce Bellezza posted about some deformed tomatoes and her experience of summer heat and her huge reading stack. I was left with the thought that there's nothing more special than home grown vegetables, and while Bellezza is busy preparing for the new school year, my priorities for this weekend is to get the winter veggie patch under control and planted for a spring collection. I went outside in search of current crops and collected
  • Carrots
  • Bok Choy
  • Spinach
  • Radishes
  • Rhubarb
  • Celery
  • Parsley
Bookgirl's Nightstand provided a link to a website for free ebooks. I downloaded a pdf version of a George Sand Novel in French. While I was out in the garden I wondered when I would actually try to read this book. I was left thinking about the actual homework I need to do for my french class this week, and realised that it will be a long time before I get to reading this free download. There always plenty to read.

Ruth at Synch-ro-ni-zing introduced a discussion about change and the wabi-sabi way. I left a message on her site saying I was taking her thoughts out to my ever changing garden space to think about. Generally I'm a change oriented person - changing me, changing things for the better, problem solving which involves change. So Ruths post about transitions and change prompted me to think about what sort of change I dont like... I recommend Ruth's post to start your own thinking about change and transitions.

The Marmelade Gypsy was recently recognised for her blog. While I found her post really informative and interesting, it prompted me to think about the nature of my blog. These thoughts are still being processed, but were prompted further by the recent post at Wordy Evidence of the Fact who was farewelling a fish. She introduced the thought that blogging is like placing oneself in a fish bowl. In the blogging world, we are placing ourselves in a fish bowl for observation. Why is it that we do this? what is our motivation for blogging? what does it bring us? These thoughts will take a while for me to process, so in the meantime, I'm reverting to gardening.

This weekend I've removed 3 banana palms that finished producing in the past season, I've planted some more carrots, radishes and climbing beans, and I've been feeding my citrus plants which live in 1/2 wine barrels and are nearly finished producing this year.

See you next week.

7 comments:

Ruth said...

Thank you so much for the nod, Tamara!

It is always, always fascinating to me to see how moments and connections are shaped. Like the butterfly effect, you never know what small things are going to direct your path.

Iliana said...

I'm so glad you were able to get a book of that!

How's the Murakami book going?

Chat Noir said...

Why DO we blog? My first blog was easy... I wanted to take part in some crafting challenges to motivate me. But my book one? I'm torn between writing for myself and writing for an audience.

If I write for myself its easier to do it in a journal which doesn't require uploading, electricity, internet connectivity etc etc...and I'd still say the same things, but perhaps more personally, and who knows, maybe a little closer to the bone.

If I write for an audience, knowingly, I get hung up on how I've written rather than the substance of what I write. If I take the argument too far (with myself) I come down on the side of not wanting to sound pretentious by expecting people will read what I've written. Try correlating that with the slight disappointment when no-one does!!

One of the joys, quite unexpected, has been the friends I've made; just like pen-pals of old but with the advantage of seeing something that has motivated the correspondence.

Write on.......

ds said...

I have to agree: Ruth's post on wabi-sabi and change is wonderful.
But you pose a mighty important question at the end of this enlightening post. Whydo we blog? A need to connect, a wish to be heard/seen/recognized, to have confirmation that we exist?
Must think on this.
Good luck with the Murakami--can't wait for your review!

Tamara said...

Thankyou Ruth. Furthering my thoughts this week as I was reading more about Japanese culture and thinking about the interesctions of life and change. might post more soon.

Iliana - my post is up now. Moving on to more Japanese literature as we speak.

Chat noir and Ds, My thouhgts on the reasons I blog are constantly changing. But I think I will post more on this soon too.

Jeanie said...

Thanks for the link to Marmelade Gypsy, Tamara. I have often pondered the nature of my blog -- it's hard to get a handle on it. Too many things -- but I suppose having lots to say on lots of things is better than nothing at all!

I love the photo on this post -- was this inspired by Ruth's wabi-sabi post? I loved that post, too. The photo is a stunner.

Meanwhile, I am catching up from being gone, and have read down. I look forward to learning more about the books you are reading!

Bellezza said...

I wish I could garden as you do. Nothing I plant ever grows, I can barely keep potted plants alive. However, I do admire those who can! You and my husband, to name two.

My mother gave me some potted cacti for my desk this year. ;)