Summer Musings, Falling Forward

My sister and me on a recent visit to Cinque Terre in Italy. I appreciated this place because it was established by olive and grape farmers who built these terraces on the mountainside to take advantage of the perfect growing conditions. The hard work and dedication involved are incredible. They are still farmed today.

Learning to slow down

I retired from UF in June and since then, my life has been a blur of memories and feelings I can't quite describe. After working in the green industry for over 30 years mostly full time; first as the owner of a garden center for 21 years and then 8 years after that in education at UF, life feels strange.

Not used to having "free time", my days became a dance moving from one forgotten passion to another, reading, cooking, planting, pruning, crafting, reconnecting with family and friends. I started to settle into my new normal, giving myself permission to slow down and enjoy.

Now, three months in, I think I am finally learning who I am, who I was and what I want to do with the remaining years, God willing, that I have left in this life.

Watching the trees grow

Today was the first day I felt fall's whisper of upcoming cooler days and lower humidity. I remembered that eventually, the horrible hot and humid days do finally come to an end, and we get to enjoy 6 months of perfection.

I sat outside and ate my lunch under a fragrant Torchwood tree over 30 years old now, amongst the mini forest I have created in as many years. I have watched them all grow and change through storms, droughts and pruning episodes.

The grass wasn't greener

Last month, I had the privilege to travel to Italy, the land of my forefathers for the first time. We visited Rome and the towns in the region of Tuscany: Florence, Lucca, Pisa, Vinci, and Siena.

I was expecting to be dazzled, but surprisingly, I wasn't. Did I enjoy seeing the iconic medieval walled towns? Of course I did, but all that architecture and history actually made me kind of sad.

So many of these stories just keep repeating, only in different ways.

All those tourists glomming to these sites, all that commercialism, made me realize that the "Old World" is just that. I came to a new appreciation of our country and its own beauty, from sea to shining sea.

The New World

Suffice it to say, I was happy to return home. Thankful to have had the opportunity, but just as thankful to be back in my forest, anticipating the best time of year for us.

Time to harvest papayas and Chaya. Time to watch all of the real snowbirds return and feast on the variety of native trees and shrubs I planted.

Time to watch the trees grow.

Chaya loves the heat and humidity of our summers and becomes a bountiful harvest of large leaves with literally no help needed. The leaves must be cooked before eating. Chaya propagates easily from cuttings. Growth slows during winter. Plant can be harvested now while leaves are plentiful and cooked and frozen for use during the winter months. Use interchangeably in recipes that call for spinach or chard, neither of which grows well here. A search online will yield lots of recipes and uses for this amazing, nutritious and easy to grow plant.