Gardening

James 4:14

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“You are just a vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes away.”  Boy, have I been feeling that the last couple of months!

I am  not discouraged.  My days are full of the stuff of life.

This year we will formally conclude the home education of our son.  (Isn’t there MORE he should know?)  I don’t think we’ll ever finish imparting wisdom and learning to our children.

I create menus, shop, and feed my family and others in need.  I work my home-based business and share the healing gift of nutrition.  I garden, growing food for my family through my Tower Garden and potted herbs, vegetables, and fruits.

I call my elderly mother.  My job, as I see it, is to lift her spirits.  I only do this once or twice a week now.  I used to call her daily.  Her short term memory is non-existent and the long term stuff is getting to be a problem.  Witty repartee is a thing of the past.  I sing old hymns and songs with her, recount crazy happenings around here, and think of things she might remember.  She feels bad that she can’t contribute to our conversations much but it’s wonderful to still hear her voice and make her laugh.

I manage our family finances, with my husband’s blessing.  Most months balancing all accounts to the penny.  (I’m to the age that if I’ve recalculated three times with any disparity, I take the bank’s word for it.  I sleep better.)

I care for our myriad of pets.  They live too long.  A testament to their excellent care! Finally, I love on everyone around me, that will let me.

There is probably more, but that’s a reasonable account.

It’s squeezing every moment from life while it is here.  It’s what I was created to do.

Bee Nice

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Just a little reminder … as Spring begins to arrive so do pesky insects, like aphids.  Ug! Those stinkers suck the life out of plants.  Last year, I was lucky enough to find ladybugs in the yard. (I was on my hands and knees pulling weeds, okay?)  I rounded up as many as I could find and released them on my suffering Quince bush.

Backyard rodeo not for you?  There are other less unusual methods of controlling pests.  Research your options.  Keep in mind, even organic pesticides, like Neem Oil, need to be applied in the evening and not directly to the flowers.  Our little pollinating friends, the bees, will thank you.  Gotta keep THEM alive if WE want to stay on the planet.

https://www.epa.gov/pollinator-protection/pollinator-risk-assessment-guidance

http://www.planetbee.org/natural-pest-control/flower-pollination

2017 Word of the Year

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See it?  That little word holds so much potential, just like a seed.  This year I want to experience growth in: my faith, especially with more time spent praying, building and nurturing relationships, preparing and planning cleaner foods, regular exercise, sharing my passion for healthy eating and living.  It will take consistency, intention, and focus. But, I’m ready.  I think I’m going to need a larger calendar.  Did I mention, I’m ready? Clean slate.  Here we go.

grow-seedling-photo

Fall Feeding

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The temperatures are starting to lower.  Okay, today and tomorrow it’s going to be in the 60s.  I’ll pretend it’s Fall.  The leaves are falling so it’s entirely possible that we’ll celebrate the season for a couple of weeks before official ‘Winter’.  Not gonna hold my breath.

Just in case, I’ve been trying something new.  Maybe you’ve heard about it.  Fertilizing with banana peels.  It’s a real thing.  Wow!  I’ve missed the boat for so many years.  Here’s what we’re doing.  We’re collecting our banana peels in a bowl in the frig.  After the bowl gets full we move the peels into a jar, fill the jar with filtered water, and wait 48 hours.  That’s one way that we make our special sauce.  Doesn’t this look like some kind of sick lab experiment?

20161118_155712-1After 48 hours this will be a nutrient rich ‘tea’ that I can water my plants with!  After I remove the liquid I’ll drop the leftover peels into my NutriBullet, fill the blending jar with lots of filtered water, and blend until it is thoroughly processed.  It’s way worse looking than the peels-in-a-jar, but it’s for the good of my plants.  My son offered to do the honors the other day.  Teenagers like stuff that borders on gross.  Did you ever notice that?  Or, remember it from your youth?

Here’s a link for you to check out for yourself.  Here’s to lots of soil enrichment!  I believe we’ll see the advantages come Spring.  (Possibly next week, if it warms up again.)

10 Ways To Use Banana Peels In Your Garden As Fertilizer

 

Plant Therapy

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I love plants.  Vegetables.  Flowers.  Trees.  You name it.  It started long ago.  Mom created a tiered rock garden at one end of the house.  Sweet William was the flower I remember from that bed.  It crept over the edges in profusions of purple and pink.  The other thing I remember was being told not to walk on the rocks.  You take the good with the bad.

Daddy’s flowerbed was in the backyard.  It ran the length of the side yard.  He loved to surprise us with his designs and plant variety.  Every year it was a big secret.  As Spring warmed the beds, up would pop rings of red tulips and mounds of peonies.  Daisies would cheer and day lilies wave in the warm Kansas air.  I adored the Hollyhocks that stood as sentinels by the back corner.  By mid-summer gladiolas would show-off for my birthday.  Short-lived blossoms, but not in my memories.  Mother always chose Daddy’s best for bouquets that graced our table for special occasions.  Here we are in our church clothes in front of one of Daddy’s masterpieces.

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I found a place that brought to mind that special time of flowers, childhood, and simplicity.  Bonnie’s Greenhouse.  I think it really is a portal to another dimension. Just before you reach Bonnie’s you may be questioning your GPS.  The road to the nursery meanders through an area that could be aptly described as ‘deep Appalachian’.  But, WAIT FOR IT — at the bend in the road you will arrive in another realm.

Flowerbeds and greenhouses in glorious abundance.  Guinea hens cluck and peck removing unwanted insect intruders.  Fountains flow.  Chimes make their lovely little chimey-sounds. Trees tower over seating areas.  Quaint pathways allow you to wander in and out of beds of vegetation.

Cast-offs find a home here.  Old bicycles regain their dignity with their baskets re-purposed to carry bunches of flowering vines. Dented wash tubs are festooned in malabar spinach veritably shouting for your admiration.  malabar spinach vinesThe photo to the left is what this vining spinach is capable of.  Did I mention it flowers?  [I bought two for my TowerGarden.  I simply had to.] Whimsical pieces dot the beds.  You’ll find them tucked here and there.

Bonnie’s speaks to me in its quiet.  No music, or PA system.  Not here.  The lack of intrusion allows my soul to rest.  I could spend hours there.  I was refreshed after spending just 30 minutes.

Do you need a shot-in-the-arm?  Go find your happy place.  If you are really fortunate, you will find a gem like Bonnie’s.