Silent Sundays6-8-2025
photography
FEBRUARY 1, 2025: TIME TO START THE GARDEN
Well as I said in yesterday’s video, Spring is almost here!
Of course it will be months before the tulips and daffodils poke their heads up through the ground. Like wise it will still be months before I can turn the ground in the garden beds and put the cold crops into the ground.
One thing I know though is that months go fast. So this week I will plan out the garden.
It won’t be that intricate, but you get the idea. Also this week I will be purchasing some of the plants I will be starting from seed or root. I have a whole space I set aside in the fall for Jerusalem artichoke.
I can’t wait to get started!
SNOW WHITE OR THE FARMER?
I went for coffee with my daughter the other day and we were talking about the forest garden at the Vicarage. Amanda said, “It’s like we live in Snowwhite’s Cottage, Dad.”
Today I was on a call with my sister and she commented, “You have let the gardens go for so long that what you have is a mature forest. You don’t need to make it into a forest garden you need to prune the forest and make it more usable.”
She is right, of course, Our little micro forest is severely overgrown. I do need to make it more productive as I practice permaculture.
I guess the questions I need to ask are “what do I really want my forest to do?” and “what do I want my forest to be?”
Honestly I love the gardening aspect. As I have turned back to it this year I have loved cultivating my own flowers and my own food. I want to do more of that next year.
But it is not just about the productivity of the gardens; I also love the wildlife and the domesticated life we have in the garden.
I love the animals. As I prune the garden I want to make it a more usable habitat for us as a family but also for the little creatures that live in the forest around us. I can’t imagine not having cardinals and woodpeckers and bluejays and grackles and squirrels and rabbits and chickens. I love that I have to leave the clover long for the rabbits to eat and I love that I have to buy birdseed and suet for my winged critters. I even love it when the squirrels and chipmunks come to steal the food from the birds for their midwinter snacks.
I love being able to cook a meal straight from the garden and I love being able to eat that meal while watching God’s creatures from my dining room windows. I realize that everyone had goals in gardening. These are mine.
IF YOU HAVE A GARDEN, WHAT ARE YOUR GARDENING GOALS?
WHAT’S BLOOMING AT THE VICARAGE JULY 20,2024
It has been a very stressful week. Looking at the things are growing in my yard helps me keep my head on straight.
The St. John’s Wort is blooming.
These delicate little flowers are from the lemon balm.
The green beans are also flowering
A wall of hydrangeas
Bee Balm
African Daisy
The double helix daily
Torch Lily
The beginning of the giant phlox
Silent Sundays 7-14-24
Skywatch 7-13-24
The skies over the Vicarage were bright and sunny yesterday. Because my days have been so meeting heavy, I am trying to be intentional about taking in the beauty around me. Here is one of my attempts.
What’s Happening At the Vicarage This Week 6-26-24
Today is my sabbath. I started the morning by drinking mint tea from my garden in the outdoor prayer chapel during Prime.
I have a pretty long to do list that I have compiled over the last week. I will probably get some of it done today, but it is Sabbath so a relaxed rhythm is in order.
The day lilies are in full bloom now.
So is the giant hosta.
I love the delicate flowers of the lady’s mantle.
The fleabane is also in full bloom. These tiny white flowers on 3 foot stocks attract lots of pollinators to the garden. So many people pull these out of their gardens considering them weeds, but I love how they fill out space around the yard and bring in the bees.
The whole yard is filled with the scent of honeysuckle. It is really strong this year. I can smell it no matter where I am on the property.
This year the forest garden is attracting a large number of birds.
I have to pick up more suet for the feeders today. We have five or six hungry woodpeckers that are hanging around.
I have also set up an extra hummingbird feeder. I have a larger than average population of hummingbirds and they are constantly warring over the one feeder I usually put up. The second feeder seems to have solved the problem.
My Sabbath day is going to be filled with prayer and gardening and cleaning.
How are you going to spend your day?
What’s New At the Vicarage This Week June 19, 2024
We are heading into peak blooming season here at the Vicarage.

Of course, the Vicarage is a forest garden, a very old forest garden and as I walk about it this yearI am learning more about those who originally planted this small but very wild space.
At some point, somebody had a lot of Asian plants put onto the property. I am thankful because these plants add a wonderful fragrance to the garden.
We are also getting ready to add chickens to the Vicarage. my daughter-in-law is just putting on the final coats of sealant to the coop
I have yet to clear space for the coop. We have decided that a stand of sumac is going to be taken down to make space for our new residents.
What’s happening in your world?
Silent Sundays Father’s Day 2024
The Steeples Of the Vicarage
There are lots of difficulties with forest gardening, but there is such beauty in having a small forest on the property, I wouldn’t change it for the world. These are the steeples of the Vicarage.
Notes From the Vicarage 