Little green things

No, I'm not talking about Martians--I'm referring to the little green things popping up all over my garden. The sugar snap peas are delicious; next year I'll know to plant more. My tomatoes seem to be doing well. The cabbage--well, we tried. Same with the lettuce and the spinach. I might be able to get one or two salads out of my garden, but we'll have to wait and see. the kohlrabi, fennel, and carrots are still too early to tell. The peppers---don't ask. But it sure has been interesting watching things grow and what didn't grow so well. I wanted to start off small and I think I chose a decent location; next year I'm already planning where to put another bed.
I suffered a minor set back recently when I went to the ER and was admitted with a case of pneumonia. I spent a couple days in the hospital hooked up to an IV. I lost some weight but now have been eating like I'm famished; I guess in a way I was. My potassium levels were low so I've been trying to eat foods high in potassium to make up for it.
So that's what's been happening in my world. I hope the month of June is good to you.

Ponderings

This is a difficult time of year for me. It's been almost one year since my friend Lorenzo died. I know he's in a better place but why did he have to be taken so suddenly and violently? Why do things that start out good often end in heartbreak? It's never easy to lose a friend but why does God give us good friends, only to take them away? Or is God even to blame? Sometimes the Universe puzzles me; sometimes it seems like the sadness out-weighs the good in life. Sometimes we lose a friend, not physically, but emotionally and spiritually. Sometimes the people we thought were our friends turn out to be untrustworthy and back-stabbing. Lorenzo saw value in suffering; he believed that our suffering had a healing effect on all the suffering in the world. I wonder. Sometimes, when I can't see fit to thank God for what life has given me, I instead thank God for the good things still to come. I think Lorenzo would approve of my view. Hindsight isn't always 20/20. Sometimes when you look back, all you see is a big mess. So don't spend so much time looking back--forward is where your life is.

Last Child in the grass

Can you tell I've been reading the book "Last Child in the Woods"? It's an eye-opening account of how children today are being deprived of contact with the natural world, due to lack of wild areas, parental fears, technology overload, etc. I was walking Boxer this evening and came across three girls who wanted to pet him. Later, I walked past a house in foreclosure, where the yard hasn't been mowed in quite a while, and the three girls were laying in the tall grass, "hiding" and giggling. It felt good to see kids enjoying this small piece of nature. Kids have a natural affinity for the wild places, wherever they may be found. Sometimes it's an unmowed yard.

Seeds of Love

I was finally able to start planting some crops in my garden today. I planted sugar snap peas, lettuce, and spinach. I put my cabbage seedlings outside to acclimate them to the outdoors and it got so hot they nearly wilted. I brought them back inside, gave them lots of water, and hope they'll recover. If not, I have more seeds. I also plan to plant peppers, cherry tomatoes, basil, fennel, kohlrabi, carrots and winter squash. I started working on the frame for the other raised bed and I tilled the soil in that bed. I should have enough compost left to add to the other bed. I also cleaned up some of the pile of dead branches in Boxer's pen. I bought a bag of dirt to help fill in the hole left by the honey locust tree that was cut down years ago. The stump has rotted and left a hole where the tree once stood. I used all of a forty pound bag but I'm going to need more. Oh well, dirt is cheap. I took Boxer for a walk at the park and saw a bluebird and a pileated woodpecker. It was just a beautiful day. And it smells like blossoms everywhere. I hope you're enjoying your spring, wherever you are. "One is closer to God in a garden than anywhere else on Earth".

The hosta is starting to emerge from its winter sleep and I have cabbage and pepper seedlings in my living room. I've dug out four weed-type bushes from the soft soil. The ground in my garden beds is still too wet to work with. I saw my first dandelion of the season the other day (in my yard!) and the first bee. My compost is looking rich. Yes, spring is here and I'm glad! I've almost forgotten how profuse the trees are in June--but I'm starting to remember. Starting to recall the scent of apple blossoms, the blue sky scattered with puffy white clouds, the feel of the warm sun on my back--now, if it would just stop raining every few days, it would be perfect.
I spent two hours Sunday picking up trash along the River Road and now my knee is paying the price. I must be getting old--I have arthritis in my right knee along with softening of the cartilage. The physical therapy I've been receiving has helped. Just should have known better than to scramble down a rock-strewn bank along Piasa Creek.
Can't wait till it's warm enough to go camping. I want to take Boxer with me and do some hiking.
I hope you're enjoying your spring so far.

A little "bit" of horseplay

This is a little something I made from a bit I found at an antique store. I embroidered a stallion and a foal, glued the muslin to some round plastic discs (the kind used in some cross-stitching projects), then took some leather lacing and fastened the discs to the bit.
I also went up to my attic and rescued my hand-made (by a man in Iowa) Amish buggy and harness for model horses and displayed it on my Amish-made console table. I guess I've never really gotten over my love for horses that I had when I was young. Oh well, who would want to?

February Blahs

February is not my favorite month. By this time, I'm ready for spring. But no---it warms up for a day or two and then the temps. drop down into the teens. I wish this month would make up its mind. The ground was frozen, then thawed, then it rained, then it froze again---it was hazardous just walking through my backyard. I pruned my butterfly bush yesterday and made some soap (actually, I took castile soap and added lavender water and ground oats to it) and I made some hand lotion that smells heavenly (it turned out a little waxy but it was my first attempt--plenty of time to get it right). I've given up meat for Lent and I already feel better. I just wish that spring would get here. Oh, and I heard a mourning dove cooing on Saturday so I know that spring is just around the corner. Hope you're having a nice February.