We ran out of regular coffee, hence drinking instant this morning (Pampa brand from Mexico). The smell of this brand takes me back to Haifa, where I went on Pilgrimage a year ago. The B&B we stayed in had an electric kettle and kept us well-stocked with packages of instant coffee. On mornings where we had to get moving before the cafe downstairs opened, that was my wake-up.

View of the cafe from our balcony, November 22, 2010.

While it was unfortunate that we were not able to see the Shrine of the Báb in all its golden-domed grandeur (covered over during on-going rehab), we had the bounty of being only the third pilgrim group to visit the restored Ridván Garden outside of 'Akká. The Bahá'í World News Service has an excellent article, from October 2010, on the restoration work and the history of the garden: Holy place restoration sheds light on region's heritage.

It is indeed a beautiful and calming place, and one can well imagine the relief of leaving the horrid conditions of the city to spend a few hours in joyful company on the island. This entire complex is filled with trees and plants descended from those brought across the deserts by pilgrims from Persia (as mentioned somewhere in The Chosen Highway), particularly cypress, pomegranate, and various citrus fruits (the tangerines were ripe and wonderful!). The peace and tranquility in this site, which is only a few hundred yards from apartment buildings, could easily send one into a rapturous state.

There is more to show about the holy sites and places visited, but first I want to share some miscellaneous photos of birds, fruits, trees, and a bee.

To celebrate the glimmer of hope that is the Waxman-Markey bill to address global climate change (and the loss of biodiversity, economic stability, shorelines, etc. that will come with it), I bought more plants today.

Ok, that is not actually true. It was just a coincidence that today I was finally able to get to the 50% off sale at the Linder's popup a few miles north of my house. The garden is already pretty full, and I wasn't sure where I put be able to put these things, but I picked up: a coneflower, a gallardia, and packs of snapdragons, petunias, and poblano peppers. I still don't know what I'll do with the white petunias.

The coneflower and gallardia have been planted. There is a thin stretch of grass between the driveway and the neighbor's yard (with a chain-link fence). These were planted a few feet in front of two tree stubs. The roots of one (an American Elm that got the disease and thus got the ax a few years ago) got in my way a bit, but thankfully I had a troweling tool that was able to hack through and get me a big enough hole. I'll have to remember to put up pictures once they get bigger. In the meantime, how about the bleeding heart that keeps getting bigger every year (from mid-May)...

Today I had my first therapy session with the dandelions. Therapy involves me using various means to rip the dandelions from the ground, preferably with 6 inches or more of root attached. It was a good day for therapy.