Seasoned

These are words that have great meaning currently:  

Sowing, planting, tilling, watering, fertilizing, weeding, trimming, watching, noticing, vigilance, solitude, digging, refreshing, waiting, swinging, walking, woods, meadows, wildflowers, fruit. 

I am passionately looking for new and unusual plants, exploring and trying everything.   

In the last week, Craig has been gone to ND.  Right before he left we killed the moss in the lawn and power raked, then cleaned up mounds of dead moss.   We over seeded, hoping that fresh new grass would take over and blend with the old, getting our lawn healthy and looking good.  

Keeping it moist and hoping the warm sun will help it germinate.......watching and waiting.   

This summer will be so much fun, as for the last 2 summers we have worked on the 'bones' of the yard.  We painted and roofed last summer, so this year my flower beds get to get all dressed up proper with some foundation shrubs and the plants of my dreams.   Already without many things blooming yet, the picture I already see in my minds eye is stunning!    

Gardening is so joyful for me.   It is also therapy.  It is so peaceful and makes me feel marinated and tenderized for enjoying all the aspects of my life.  I'm thankful for this season that seasons me!    

It's Good Even When It's Bad....

The sunshine made for a wonderful weekend.  By Saturday night, the front and back yard were tidy and looked a bit restored from the hard beating winter gave us.  

Sunday we had brunch.  It was an open invite to pretty much everyone on my e-mail list who lives in the area and facebook friends.  Craig set up tables out in the yard with every available chair we own, plus a bench he made.  

In spite of 1 glass casserole pan breaking for some unknown reason, the potatoes not being cooked quite done and the caramel rolls burning on the bottom a bit, almost every seat was taken and nobody complained too loudly about the cook not having her groove back quite.  

Because eating outside in the sunshine and enjoying each other makes the not so good, good.  Eating outside is NO FAIL!   

Next month, 1st sunday, 1:00 maybe we'll see you too?   

Wee Pansies

The sunshine spilled all over my day today!   Brita and I leave for San Diego next Tuesday and it seemed like there were a few errands and loose ends to nail down before we go.  In between them though, I managed to go to the river this afternoon and this morning to Lowe's to pick up some smiling, yellow pansies with dark red centers.  Even though it is too early to plant much, it seemed like something fresh and colorful in the pots on the porch would be inviting. 

 As I was checking out with my six perky packs of smiling, yellow pansies, the clerk animatedly told me about her 'wii garden'.  She had mixed colors and was 'growing' flowers that might mutate into different colors.  She was as excited and enthused as a seedsman or plantsman who has discovered a new variety of rare heirloom quality seed or plant and had successfully propogated it!  FOR REALS! 

What I'm feeling can't usually be hidden on my face or in my eyes, no matter how hard I try. My jaw dropped, the false teeth that I don't wear fell out completely, my eyes started leaking and I needed to cover my mouth to keep in the astonished gasp that was erupting.

When control and composure returned, I casually reminded her to take some of the real ones home too, once in a while.  She looked vacant. 

She would play with her virtual wii pansies, while I reveled in planting my wee pansies as soon as I got home, in dirt, with fertilizer.  As I watered them, they smiled....so did I.  

Captured

These are a collection, a bouquet of a few of the happiest moments during my life....

Romping on the ground with 8 fluffy snowball Samoyed puppies - laying in the woods on loamy fragrant earth begging the little people to come out from under the oxalis to talk with me - riding in front of grandpa on the horse and hearing the saddle creak while inhaling the smell of leather - catching polliwogs and watching them become frogs - holding a butterfly while it dried it's new wings and flew off - mom holding me, trying to comfort me during a thunderstorm by telling me it was just God moving His furniture - watching mom make pie - swinging on the tire swing - the day I simply started reading - the first successful ski run from the chair lift - my first motorcycle ride offered by a stranger who honored my innocence - making cinnamon toothpicks - my dad taking me on a driving loop from Idaho to Florida with the Grand Ole Opry being the highlight - watching a sea turtle lay hundreds of egg in Florida - seeing the Northern Lights in Alaska - doing aerobatics in Simon's plane - my first opera, La Traviata -my first ballet, Swan Lake - our simple wedding day - giving birth to Tessa and Brita - seeing Craig graduate from A & P school - Craig catching a firefly for me - watching for trains at Glenfield - every trip to Mexico - learning the Polka with Ingemar - folk dancing in Scotland - meeting Arthur - eating the most savory fish and chips in Ireland -  seeing the Western Wall - climbing around En Gedi, Masada, Petra - swimming in the Galilee - swimming in the Mediterranean - swimming in the Dead Sea - swimming in the Red Sea - floating down the Stilly - cooking for a soup kitchen - shrimping with Don - crabbing with Richard - pulling a church bell rope in Bled - paragliding from a mountaintop launch - getting my shoes shined in D.C. - watching Laurie run her first marathon - watching Tessa and Brita glow at piano recitals, concerts and plays - watching Tess dance - seeing Brita graduate from horse camp - attending the most beautiful and meaningful wedding ever, the Parrick's - bringing Maggie home - getting love notes from Brita, Tessa and Craig - watching Craig fix anything - swinging on my porch swing - boils at Mill's - dinner on Richard's boat - sitting around the firepit at night - Brita making the table beautiful - having coffee made with love from Tess - laying out on the tramp in the summer.... all the memories and moments that are waiting to be born, captured, enjoyed.