happy...

My children are in bed. I sit here typing a few words as I wait for my husband to get off of work. I smile as I type. Though it has been a long day, I have many blessings to offer up thanks for. A loving husband who spent the hours before working doing laundry and preparing a dinner he would not be home to eat.

A note greeted my arrival explaining only towels were left to dry. I smiled gratefully, the mountain of clothes had disappeared. Lasagna was cooking and the children's favorite bread and spreadable cheese waited to be served. Even salad and a veggie were prepared. I smiled and gathered everyone together for the gifts left for us to enjoy.

Later... after cake (yes, he did leave cake)... I pondered what I could do to help. I fixed loose locks, hung light blocking curtains for the girls after a long search for the missing curtain rod. (I credit divine intervention... I just couldn't figure out where I'd laid the crazy thing.) I put the towels away, cleaned the bathroom and framed a wedding photo. I weeded a fence line and planted two grapevines, zinnias and peas... (Yup, I do know it is too early for the zinnias... I have enough seeds to replant if they freeze.) =-)

I smile thinking about the day off that three out of five family members share tomorrow. A portfolio evening for our younger daughter and getting up at 5:45 instead of 5:30.

I cherish the time to be with my husband and our older daughter...

This day and always, I give thanks to our Lord, to the One who gave us life... the only source of goodness... joy... peace...

I pray you are well.

I asked that you are blessed.

Dreaming in color...

Calling all Cookie bakers and Garden friends!

While we wait for our flowers to peak out of the earth

and meet our eager welcome...

I propose we share a little.

I'd like to make a little section in my right hand column

where I could share favorite cookie recipes

and garden photos from my readers.

If you'd like to share in this project,

send your recipe with the name you'd like it credited to

and a picture of the cookies

to the email address in my profile.

If you're new to this computer playground, go to yahoo or hotmail to create a fake email address to use. I really just want your input... not your personal email addresses... I promise!

In the same spirit,

please feel free to pass on pictures of your garden.

If you are a blogger,

feel free to send me a link

if you don't mind me taking a peek at your musings.

Make sure to tell me if it is o.k.

to share your blog address with others!

Together we can welcome the blessings of spring.

After all the cookies I anticipate trying...

Perhaps I'll have to start a section where we share our favorite exercise hints.

:-)

Gardening bliss...

Some of you may have heard of my love for fruiting plants before.

...Though the trees couldn't come with me when I moved,

the blackberry bushes surely did.

Tucked into the corner at the end of the flowers,

I grin when I look at them.

Green...

Four foot high...

and

guaranteed to scratch anyone walking past!

I dream of jelly and jam...

Of adding more plants over the years.

I freely admit,

I'm a daydreamer.

Late this afternoon,

as I shopped for groceries at Aldi's...

I walked past their general merchandise.

Always interesting to consider...

outdoor things....

gourmet candy...

you can never tell

just exactly what they may have...

One thing for certain...

in the spring...

the summer...

the early fall...

You'll find plants, seeds, bulbs...

I know this...

I love this...

So I wasn't surprised by the lovely display...

Just delighted

I stopped as I walked past...

I looked in reverent silence...

I sighed..

just a little..

I didn't really need anything they were offering.

But staring at the display,

a happy childhood memory of picking grapes

from a chain link fence

splashed to the surface of my mind.

warm sun...

bare feet...

laughing...

eating...

family

fun

life

With a swift and silent motion,

I placed a box under my cart.

Planting...

teaching...

raising children...

One moment at a time...

shaping the future.

Patience

persistence

perseverance

Life...

What a blessing...

What a gift.

May you find joy in the walk before you,

May the small actions

in your power

to make the world better...

bring you

joy...

peace...

happiness..

May you be blessed.

Temptation

Fully a month before I am technically advised to do so,

I am about to go out and plant flower seeds.

It doesn't matter that it might frost.

I truly understand it might happen.

I just don't care.

I have enough seeds...

plenty of determination...

and a terrible itch to play in the dirt.

I'll plant some sunflowers every few days until I am satisfied.

One year the squirrels "won" and I only had seven.

Most years,

I get the upper hand.

I usually end up with twenty or thirty

sunny ambassadors of happiness.

The key in my mind,

and my philosophy about most everything in life...

Never give up!

If you put enough out there,

eventually some will grow!

Go ahead...

chuckle...

I know it's kinda nuts.

But,

hey...

It works!

I wish for you,

something to bring satisfaction and joy your way...

Whatever it may be...

I pray that peace and happiness will fill your heart.

May you be blessed this day,

tomorrow

and

always.

Sigh...

Three gardens

A perennial bed filled with itty animals, rocks and whimsy...

A mixed bed where Mary stands watch...

Even an empty annual bed where I can plant my zinnias and sunflowers...

All stand in readiness for the warm sun to awaken them...

...for seeds to be placed..

squirrels to dig them up...

for our annual "war" to begin!

Tears came to my eyes when I looked at the fruits of so many hours of love.

I'm an emotional person.

I tend to cry when I'm happy and when I'm sad too.

To see the stones placed,

the gardens edged in small pebbles

and all the planters full of dirt,

made me stand in awe.

In silence,

with a broom in my hand,

I just stared.

Unable to believe how beautiful it has turned out...

...grateful..

...happy...

...proud...

...blessed...

Seeing the future

So many times I pause and ponder the future.

Tonight,

as I looked at the new beds of perennials I have created,

I was blessed.

Being a gardener for a while now,

I am privileged to have experienced the absolute

beauty of a garden at it's height of loveliness.

As I stood looking at the beds that now contain all my beloved flowers,

I could see the future.

In my mind,

the yellows, reds and purples are ablaze.

The butterflies are floating on the breeze

and I am smiling,

covered in dirt.

I dug the roots deep enough,

that at this time of year,

there should be little transplant shock.

I'll baby them if need be for a week or two.

Then,

I'll watch as they begin to awaken,

spread together,

and form

a carpet

of color.

I am so grateful for the flowers,

for this day,

for my children.

...my job, my friends, my family.

It is hard to let go of the past.

There is a sense of emptiness...

a little melancholy.

Sometimes my faith falters.

I quiver a little and hesitate as I step forward.

Then,

I am blessed with simple things like...

worms,

blackberry bushes,

and dirt that won't come out from under my nails....

I have to smile.

Despite my small whimper...

I know,

I don't have to form a

"Cry Baby Club".

The world will be o.k.

I pray that when your emotions overshadow your good sense,

that you will be given what you need to keep walking.

I hope you know,

that if you sometimes feel the need,

to form your own local chapter of the,

"Cry Baby Club",

you are in good company!

I hope you find peace and happiness on your journey...

and maybe,

a worm or two!

May you be blessed!

Laughing softly in Ohio

While shopping this weekend, I happened upon the garden displays in several stores.

Each time, I paused and let my eyes pass over the display.

I probably had a grin on my face...

I know I felt like I was in heaven.

Like the proverbial kid in the candy store, I started picking out what I wanted. In my mind I could see my new gardens... growing and lovely.

This year, I am once again going for the "Zillions of Sunflowers" look which is my favorite.

People literally have stopped their cars to stare at the gardens I've grown in the past.

There is something about sunflowers that causes most people to smile and shake their heads in wonder.

One year, about half way through the summer, two neighbor boys actually came over to ask me how to grow them. I was so sad to tell them that they'd have to wait until the following spring.

As a grownup, spring seems far away some days.

To a child, the wait is an eternity.

Today, with no one to ask permission, I indulged myself and came home with a stack of seed packets.

From some "Fuzzy Face" cuties to lemon yellow "Moon Walkers" that will blow in the breeze above my head, my selection is impressive.

I'd like to pretend that my craving is cured... but, I do try to be truthful. I know that every trip to the store will result in another seed packet.

It's a good thing I have some dear friends who garden too! Every year when I split the packets open, I feel ever so less guilty when I share the bounty.

It's not completely selfish to have fifteen types of sunflowers... if you share the seeds... right?

Tonight, as I dream of summer... of the spectacle that will come from daydreams and hard work, I am listening to my itunes and smiling.

With my tummy warm from a cup of coffee and myself wrapped in my robe, I find the world to be a lovely place.

I know that it's cold outside.

That the world is not perfect.

But, tonight... tonight I'm not thinking about those things.

May your heart be filled with happiness this evening.

May you find that your happiest daydreams are enough to carry you through the winter.

May you be blessed.

Don't believe everything you read!

This past spring, as I planned our garden, I pondered what I should plant.

I looked over the seed racks in the store and was attracted to the lovely hollyhocks that grace so many country gardens.

To my disappointment, every package said that it would take a year for the flowers to bloom.

Resolutely, I bought them anyway deciding that they would be worth the wait.

Imagine my delight when several weeks ago the hollyhocks started to bloom in defiance of the sad seed packet prediction.

It struck me today, as I admired the pink flowers that promise to be more than four feet tall, that there are many times when we are happily surprised by life.

The strangers that help us, the critters that nest in our yards and even the beautiful flowers that bloom when they shouldn't.

There are so many blessings in life that despite the problems we face, I am confident that if we don't give up, something wonderful is likely just around the corner.

Grow something yummy!

Living in a suburb, I am often struck by the effort some people go to get their lawns free of stray dandelions, wild strawberries and the like. If you are one of these people please don't be offended, everyone has their own idea of lawn perfection, yours just isn't mine. You see I have a problem, I seem to want to be a farmer. Nothing would please me better than to have a huge veggie garden in addition to my flower beds, fruit trees and fledgling raspberry patch. My dad laughs affectionately at me and says that I won't be satisfied until my whole yard is one big garden. While I protest and swat at him, I must secretly admit he is probably correct in his assumption.

Every year I add a little more garden and I seem to be drifting towards a more equitable ratio of flowers to edible produce! This year in addition to my star flowers, zinnias and statice, I somehow thought, "Hey, there is a spot in the front of my bed that's empty.... you know what would go there...Brussel sprouts!" I'm not fibbing a bit and from the road the bright colors camouflage my craziness. Some people might scratch their heads and be concerned for my sanity. I hope you do not feel this way because, I am here today to convince you to join me in my love of growing veggies.

"Why?", you might ask should you do this? I propose that growing something you can eat gives a satisfaction that is soul deep. I also think that almost everyone can grow something. Whether it be an herb garden on a window sill, a tomato plant in a hanging pot or a massive garden plot that would make me jealous!

This morning my first cherry tomato was ripe and I washed and ate it. It was so very good that the thought of all the ones that are almost ripe makes me smile even now. (Mmmm a nice crunchy salad with a creamy dressing, my tomatoes...maybe a little cheese crumbled on top...) If I still haven't convinced you to try to grow your own veggies, I am slightly disappointed. (It really is fun!) However, maybe I will have at least motivated you to talk a soil loving buddy into sharing something they are growing. I'll bet they will be happy to accommodate your wish. The only thing better than growing food is sharing it with friends!

If you are worried about what might be in your soil, consider container gardening or raised beds. This method is also good for individuals without yards. For more information on growing veggies in containers, please check out this site by the West Virginia Extension Service at: http://www.wvu.edu/~agexten/hortcult/homegard/cntanegrd.htm.

There is also an excellent book called, Back to Basics by Readers Digest that will help you grow veggies indoors or out. It is one of my favorite books. As a child I used to look at the pictures and dream. There is a great deal more in the book than just gardening and if you are interested in the way your great great great grandparents lived, this book should be on your shelf as well. There are many editions, you can probably pick an old version up for a few dollars. Check out Amazon.com if you are interested or your local library.

Good luck!