It seems to me that most people regularly question where their life is going; yet I wonder how many ever take a moment to turn around and see where it is they have been.
I wonder: if one traveled far enough, long enough, would not one eventually arrive somewhere…regardless of how many side steps one takes; whether the way was mapped or merely suggested; the destination predetermined or unknown; the traveler, accompanied or going it alone?
I wonder: is it possible to live a meaningful life, without first pondering life; is it from experiencing difficulty that we grow better; is it because of darkness that we can see the stars…or is it that we ponder life to give it meaning, become bitter because of difficulties, and blinded once the darkness is complete? Is it the load we bear that wears us down…or the way we carry it? Understandably, happiness stems from how one defines it. The thing is…everyone’s definition is different. I believe that there are finer things in life than trophies and fame, more to accomplish than waving degrees or trying to please, and I ask, what point is there to lying…when the truth serves the better purpose?
I wonder: why is it that nothing seems impossible to someone who does not have to do it? If a thing considered pleasurable, were to be made habitual, would that then, convert pleasure into a dull and routine necessity? One lesson history teaches is that no one learns very much from it. Yet, there is a certain charm to history and its enigmatic lesson…from age to age, nothing ever changes – yet everything is completely different.
I wonder: why the brilliant color of an autumn landscape and the crisp crunch of leaves underfoot provides inspiration for artists and frolicking school children, when to a majority of New Englanders, fallen foliage creates just one more chore to complete before the snow flies…leaf disposal. I never could understand the seemingly urgent need of some home owners to rake their leaves; other than that of trying to maintain a lawn. Oak and beech tree leaves, take far longer to decompose than maples, ash, and birch; hence if left in large quantities they could mat up and potentially kill off portions of grass.
Leaves are nature’s compost and compost, to the home gardener, can be a most economical and desirable fertilizer. Made from leaves, weeds, yard clippings, and barnyard manure, the mixture when correctly processed can serve as a universal plant food to satisfy the demands of all vegetables, shrubs, and flowers. Best of all it does not cost anything. Sure, it takes effort and time; but what doesn’t?
Here is a hint for composting leaves: weeds should always be mixed with the leaves when building the compost, whether a shallow pit is used or the stack is built on level ground, since the leaves, when piled up alone, have a tendency to compact together. This compacting of the leaves prevents suitable aeration while the stack is processing. By alternating a layer of weeds with a thin layer of leaves, this can be eliminated. And in order to have a more nearly balanced fertilizer, there should also be a layer, some two or three inches thick, of reasonably fertile soil, this also alternated regularly with the leaf-weed layers. The soil, wherever possible, should be mixed with poultry or other animal manure, as well as a bit of slaked lime or ground limestone. If dry materials are employed for making the compost, all of the stuff should be thoroughly soaked with water as the different layers are put in.
