There’s really no typical Saturday around here, but the arrival of the weekend does present an opportunity for activities and mind frames that just aren’t possible during the work week. For starters, the driving question changes from “What do I have to do today?” to “What would I like to do today?”–a significant shift. The pace of life slows a bit; tasks become more mindful, more meaningful. Years ago, I began attending yoga classes with my sister on Saturday mornings. Although never what anyone would call consistent, since then I’ve tried to keep doing yoga as much as I can, adding that and  daily morning meditation into my weekly routine. I’m terrible at hauling myself out of bed early in the morning, so I can manage meditation before I head off to work, but a full yoga session usually needs to wait until evening or the weekend. Doing yoga at home instead of driving to a class helps, although sometimes there are still some logistical problems…

The great thing about Saturday is that (usually) I can get a meditation session and a yoga session completed in the morning. Feels amazing! Then, I can venture outside to see what the gardens have to offer. As it is mid-June, things are really getting lush and the oppressive heat of late summer is still weeks away. Our vegetable garden is a veritable jungle–so many leaves of different shapes, sizes,  and greens! Tomatoes are a basic, simple green, while brussel sprouts almost glow with a pearlescent, blue-grey green. Basil has a definite yellow-green quality to it. Makes me want to get out my box of Crayolas!

Meanwhile, over in the herb garden, things are finally taking off, too. There was a “battle of the slugs” back in May, and many seedlings were lost. However, the larger plantings survived and are now looking as they should. Here’s today’s harvest: 

These will go down to the dryer and be stored until this fall and winter when we’ll open the jars, take a deep breath, and be transported back to early summer. It’s amazing to be able to store a bit of summer on the pantry shelves.

But now, the laundry calls. It’s one of the more tedious of the weekend chores, but definitely not one to be skipped. Besides, this kind of chore provides another opportunity for a little more meditation, a little day-dreaming about what lies ahead this summer, this year, and next. And before you know it, the laundry is finished. Until next weekend…