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How I can BLOOM

Also makes me realize that I am never lacking in manure- it’s just sometimes too acidic for proper growth conditions!!! LOL
So- in order to bloom in the midst of the circumstances that I find myself in, I need to be making time for prayer and study. I will never cease to be amazed at how God speaks directly to my heart during my quiet times. How He pin-points the needed “light bulb” moments for me and keeps me placing one foot in front of the other down the path He leads. Why do I continue to be amazed when God answers my heart-cry prayer? I pray for Him to reveal Himself to me; He does. I pray for Him to show me the way in which to walk; He does. And more.
And yet it is always the most welcoming surprise when He does it.
It is not for me to tell God where to plant my roots- He is, afterall, the Master Gardener and knows, yes- He most assuredly knows, the best spot to plant me for optimal growth and abundant blooms.
Realizing this has drastically cut back on the time I spend in worry and doubt! I remind myself to bloom where I am planted and ask the Lord to show me how to bloom in the midst of what I am going through.
Examples: God, how can I bloom in the midst of this financial struggle? God’s reply- “Share the knowledge you are learning and know that this struggle is for your biggest benefit and is only for a short time.”
God, how can I bloom in the midst of the trials in my work environment?
God’s reply- “Handle yourself accordingly; others are watching how you react. React with love and kindness no matter what.” --- Just knowing that’s what God desires making it easier to swallow the sometimes bitter pill and not become resentful.
God, how can I bloom when I am feeling so uneffective?
God’s reply- “Bloom anyway. Remember there are buds growing on off-shoots that you will not see bloom this side of heaven. Do it anyway. If I ask you to do it, I will equip you for it.”
Bottom line- worry chokes growth and withers buds that are just about to become giant blooms.
And one must also be reminded- that there is no growth, no blooms with out some rain.
So I look to you today Lord and say- Bring the rain. Freshen my soil, loosen the clumpy dirt and clay-like soil of resentment, anger and disappointment, fertilize me and bring me new growth. Help me Lord to grow deeper roots- deep down in the nutrient rich soil of Your Word and Your Way. And also Lord, please help me not to be afraid to be transplanted if that be Your desire. Lord help me to bloom right where you plant me.
Amen.

Blooming in adversity?

Bloom where you are planted.
As mentioned in this post, I learned to bloom where God has physically planted me but recently while swinging on my porch swing during one of my quiet times I came upon some new-to-me revelations about blooming where one is planted. I realized that I am also planted in my circumstances.
When I think of my circumstances- my job, my family role, our financial circumstances and the trying times we often face quickly come to mind.
I’ve come to realize that I don’t need a “grin & bear it” mentality- that I don’t need to just endure the trying times of my life but that I can BLOOM in the midst of the trying times. I am reminded that trials fertilize my soil and tears are like water. I find my most hardy growth in the midst of trials.
A gardener once told me that to get the most out of planting a tree, to ensure the best root growth- you plant the tree in the fall when it’s done using its energy to produce leaves and is instead “dormant” on top but improving its root system down under ground (where we don’t necessarily “see” the growth). Planting in the dormant season produces stronger roots.
I desire stronger roots in my life- deeper roots. I now understand and accept that for that to happen I have to go through the dormant times when my life isn’t producing the fruit of success and accomplishment but is instead digging deeper and pushing roots through the hard bitter soil of pain, suffering and trials.
While I doubt anyone can ever really be happy about the hardship times when they are living smack dab in the midst of them- there is growth there, good growth, that will lead to later successful fruit. I know because time and time again I’ve seen it happen in my own life.
It seems odd to say that we can bloom in the midst adversity but we can. Our joy and happiness are not dependent on our circumstances but in the Lord. We need to be every mindful of that. The blooming pleasures of this world are all too fleeting—the real Blooms- the big bursts of growth, fragrance and spectacular color come from knowing, serving and finding your peace in Jesus.
So I am determined to bloom where I am planted in my circumstances. I will bloom in the midst of financial uncertainty and in the midst of questions and concerns about my job. I will bloom on those days when it is difficult to be a Godly wife and mom- those days when I would much rather hide under the covers than tackle a full day. I will pray for blooms in the midst of trying times as I am certain there are blooms of blessings to be found in all circumstances.
And so, just as I’ve learned to bloom in my physical planted spot, I am learning that I need to produce blooms in the midst of the circumstances I’ve been planted in.

Our Garden

  Weather means more when you have a garden.There’s
nothing like listening to a shower and  thinking how it is
soaking in around your green beans. – Marcelene Cox

We’ve been harvesting here- onions, potatoes, tomatoes and buckets of cucumbers. We don’t plant corn here in town and usually can make a trade with someone for some or find some pretty cheap. There are usually plenty of little places dotting the countryside with a rickety table set up in the front yard and bags of corn for sale. With the very dry weather we’ve had there aren’t any little rickety tables set up yet. We’ve been satisfying our corn-on-the-cob cravings down at the little farmer’s market here in town. I’m not too fond of the prices though. First time we bought it- $2.99/doz. ears then 4 days later it went up to $3.49/doz. Yikes- that’s big for my food budget! Then Mr. Steady reminded me that it’s still cheaper than eating out. Well, both he and I had a craving for corn-on-the-cob and sausage last night. It was on the menu for tonight but it sounded so good to Mr. Steady last night so- we flip-flopping the meals. No harm. Good news is the price is back down to $2.99/doz. It’s my favorite variety too- Peaches-n-cream- full of buttery chinny goodness.
I’m still giving away gallon size Ziploc bags of salad greens. So far the neighbors aren’t locking their doors when they see me coming! LOL.
Mr. Steady needs to make and give more of his yummy cukes. We feel like we’ve lost a week what with the youth camping trip and my sister getting engaged and planning to be married in 9 weeks and my niece being born . . . .
The cherry tomatoes just started turning last week and Mr. Conductor is the chief harvester there- we have to watch him as he is a very enthusiastic picker but he finds such joy in it. We just harvested our first fist size tomato (forgot which variety Mr. Steady said it was) yesterday and we think a couple more will be ready by the weekend. Maiden and Mr. Steady are looking forward to the coming days of yummy tomato sandwiches. Maiden has made up her own deluxe recipe- toasted bread, plenty of mayo, big fat juice slice of tomato topped with her favoritest of cheeses- Farmers. It is quite good. Very gourmet.
The girls have there own secret fairy garden. A lot of fun and it keeps them busy designing and re-arranging little paths and nooks and such. Sigh, if the camera were working I’d take pictures . . . .  I’m setting aside every spare dollar towards the purchase of a new one. Must be patient and pray.

My garden is a bit blah right now- those mid-season blahs.  Yes, it’s weeded, but parts of plants are dying off (early bloomers and such) and others looking scraggily. The Apple Mint is in bloom so I am vigilant about trimming it (got more than enough right now!). The Bee Balm is done and looking quite sad and forlorn but the day lilies are a delight! The chives that I gave buzz-cuts are sprouting up looking much healthier (gave them a bit of elbow room too by removing some other plants).
Mr. Steady and I think we will tackle the last front bed in another week or so- weed it real good, mark off the new borders and dump in a lot of compost and let it sit (except for stirring) for a month. Then the plan is to transplant some plants in September. I’ve got a line on some hostas (free for the digging) and a small wish list for the garden center. I’ve been blessed in the past with some great plants at rock bottom prices by waiting until the “end of the season” [September/October]. The plants then have the winter to “hibernate” and develop their root systems (instead of spring planting when all the plant’s energy is spent with new growth and blooms).
There is a very sad, sad looking pink flowering rhododendron bush out front that we will move over next to the Seven Sisters heirloom rose bush. I pray that it will make the move. It was once a beautiful bloomer but then an ice storm took out half of it, then my nephew fell off a ladder and it broke his fall (he was only half way up the ladder carrying shingles to the roof and was just fine) and then a large heavy snow (slid right off our metal roof and dumped right on the bush) demolished even more of the bush. It’s now about a quarter of the size it once was and looks pretty pitiful. It was a gift from one of Mr. Steady’s brothers (and family) for my college graduation and so I would really like to keep it.
I also plan on moving some of the Apple Mint as well. I’m not sure if I’ll put it in the bed out front or somewhere else.
In other garden related news- we are missing one of our solar hanging garden lanterns. It’s been missing for weeks now and we suspect someone has taken it. We interrogated talked with the kiddos the day after it came up missing and we believe that none of them took it. Years ago, when we first moved here, we had some trouble with area youth taking and moving things in our yard- including our pumpkins being taken from our porch steps and smashed in the alley behind our carriage house.
In a humorous aside- we thought the same kids were unscrewing the large bulbs in a string of Christmas lights we had in a small pine smack-dab in the middle of our back yard. Which made me M-A-D enough that I got up early one morning and sat in the dark watching and waiting for the culprits to arrive . . . . and found out that a couple of squirrels were unscrewing and carting away the bulbs. Yes, that’s right- a couple of squirrels. I am not joking. That problem was then solved by keeping the lights on all night long- which leads me to the thinking that we then had a couple of squirrels with some heat-burned paws . . . . LOL. We cut down the tree the next year and have never set pumpkins out on our front steps since. And haven’t had much trouble.

Puttering in my garden

Gardening

Our lettuce in the garden has become a someone's snack. Each day we have a new sprout- it's nibbled to nothing by the next morning. This is our 2nd year attempting to plant lettuce. I'm about to give up.
The cucumbers and onions are all in. We still need to plant potatoes and get some small tomato plants.
Mr. Steady is toying with the idea of making a separate raised bed for the tomatoes. They have done poorly in our main veggie patch the last couple of years.
I've got Morning Glory starts inside- looking nice and healthy. Ready to plant when I finish my weeding and rearranging.
I still need to clean out the front flower garden. I plan on moving everything out and setting it aside for a year [plan is to cover it in a heap of compost and let it sit.] The soil is very poor right there and each year it looks more bedraggled than the year before. The squirrels have dug up and run off with all my tulip bulbs and the beetles finish off my mums there every year. Sometimes I think I keep that garden for their snack so they stay away from the rest of my gardens!
The Lilies of the Valley have outgrown their spot on the north side of the house and continue to creep out into the lawn. Mr. Steady continues to mow them over. The beautiful tiny little bells are just starting to pop up now. They congregate under my kitchen window and its lovely to catch their scent when the breeze stirs them as I do the dishes or cook.
Most of the Lilacs, my Forsythia and Quince bush got burned from the frosts after the warm spell back in early April. They look rather forlorn. Can I trim them or should I wait for fall, I wonder? The Dogwood and Granny Smith Apple tree are bursting with blooms though- a most welcomed sight.
Oh and the dandelions are as hearty as ever. Tough little buggers.
My annual trip to the local nurseries is coming up. Every year Mr. Steady and the kids give me the Saturday morning before Mother's Day (and some $$) to myself to go flower shopping. I usually have a list made by now of plants that I want but not this year. Perhaps I'll just wander thru the rows upon rows of beautiful blooms picking and choosing as the mood strikes.
I have about 3/4 of the gardens weeded now. Found some volunteer sunflowers and replanted them for the kids to watch over. I think I'll need to divide up my Iris in the fall- they are looking cramped. The rhodedendren (sp?) that got whacked by falling ice slabs (and also caught my 200+ lb. nephew's fall) looks quite scraggly with it's catty-wampus (sp) branches but is bursting with pink blooms. I was going to rip it out last fall and never got to it . . . . It still looks goofy- even with the blooms, probably most especially with the blooms.
A reflection of a puttering gardener I suppose. **wink**

Seeds and gardens

I have been perusing my seed catalog [Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds] and am contemplating a new purchase- Striped Tomatoes. I have heard some good things about these tomatoes and they look sooooo interesting. Has anyone else grown these? What do you think?
On my (wish)list from the seed catalog:

Old German (large striped tomato)

Copia (striped tomato- orange with red stripes)

Dipper Gourd

Bule Gourd

Tom Thumb Lettuce

Bells of Ireland (flower)

Kiss-me-over-the-garden-gate (flower)

These are all new ones that we’ve never planted before but look very interesting and yummy to us. If you’ve grown any of these please let me know and share any tips/tricks you may have, if you would, please!

This isn’t all we’ll be growing this year- we’ll grow other tomatoes, potatoes, onions, and cucumbers in Mr. Steady’s veggie patch. I think he had so much fun with his bountiful crops last year that he may even enlarge the patch again this year . . . .
And I’ll continue with my herb and flower gardens. I’ve got some revamping to do as I’ve got way, way, way too much oregano and thyme in the garden and quite a few odds and ends holes that need filling. I’ll also need to move the sage as it’s being overpowered by the oregano and I think I may have lost my savory last year.
Ah, I just love filling up my garden notebook with all manner of ideas . . . .

We've got apples

Today- this afternoon my DH brought me a beautiful small green apple.
He asked me to taste it. I thought his request was rather odd but did so anyway. It was way more than "crisp" and very puckeringly tart. He asked what I thought and I told him.
"Maybe they're not ready yet," was his reply.
In that instant it dawned on me that the apple I was tasting was the very 1st real apple from our 12 yr old Granny Smith Apple Tree.
"Oh," I exclaimed in delight. "We've got apples!" I am just so brilliant after all!
My own Granny Smith [I didn't call her granny but Gramma] and Grampa Smith gave me that young apple tree in honor of my having graduated college with honors.
Gramma Smith died 10 years ago.
My husband plucked that apple, washed and shined it and presented it to me; giving me the very, very first ever taste.
How simply wonderful.
We've got apples.

Walnuts

Homegrown Veggies!

Yahoo!

My darling Hubby surprised me with a bit of bounty from his veggie patch last nite.

We've got potatoes and an onion. Now, there are lots more onions in the garden (he planted approx. 50) but I only needed a small one for dinner. The potatoes he dug up because they are looking a bit droopy on top and he wanted to check and make sure they were okay.
He is afraid our tomato crop will be drastically reduced. We don't know why- but it looks like over 1/2 our plants are dying. We've watered them quite well and inspected for buggies but the only thing DH can think of is that something has gotten to the roots.
We are a bit bummed as nothing beats fresh, homegrown tomato slices with ranch dressing drizzled on. Plus I make this yummy broiled tomato with a bit of parmesan and mozzeralla- slurp! Good!
We are praying that we will be able to keep a few plants and have some tomatoes.

Weeding, Deadheading and Pruning

Hmmm. It’s been quite the day. Some good, some bad. Got mad at myself for letting someone else’s bad attitude affect mine. Found myself yelling at DD9 for something that wasn’t her fault at all- because I couldn’t get my emotions under control in time (I was still upset and had an *attitude* after my encounter with that someone else’s attitude). Ugh. Sigh.
I, of course, apologized to DD9 and we cooked and talked about how hard it is to handle our emotions sometimes.

After dinner I went out and weeded and deadheaded in my garden. I needed the time away, the relaxation and monotonous work. As I was weeding, I thought about what had made me so angry. The words that had been said and how they had been said. I had let this person spew when I should have stopped them (didn’t because I didn’t want to upset the person even more- this person offends easily.) I realized that sometimes I need to weed/deadhead the friendships and acquaintances in my life. Sometimes, just like weeding, we need to cut off certain relationships and at other times, like deadheading, they need a bit of pruning back. I am feeling the need for some pruning.
Over they years I have found that am greatly affected by those I spend a lot of time with. I found that negative friends- those who always are complaining or whining or gossiping tend to draw me into their miserable-ness. I use to think I could be their encourager and help them rise up. A mentor once told me that in order to *teach* someone something they have to have a teachable heart. Well!
I have a hands-on situation I use often with the teens in my youth group. I have a bigger teen stand up on a chair and then a smaller teen stand on the floor next to them. First I have the bigger teen on the chair try and pull the smaller team up on the chair with them. I instruct the smaller teen to do everything they can to keep from being pulled up. As you may guess the bigger teen is unable to pull the smaller teen up. [With one exception- but that teen cheated- anyway- back to my illustration . . . .] After trying for awhile, I then instruct them to do the opposite- the smaller teen trying to pull the bigger teen off the chair. If you are a good guesser you know that the smaller teen ALWAYS pulls the bigger teen off the chair. I then talk with the teens about their close friendships and the importance of having a good core group of Christian friends in their life. Too often teens want to keep friendships that are hurting them- friends that cause them to slip because they want to be a witness to their friends. Now, don’t get me wrong- I want my teens to be good witnesses, but these friends can’t be their closest friends. It’s like the teens and the chair- your friends will pull you down to their level much more easily than you can pull them up to yours.

And that’s what I have seen happen in my own life. So I am very careful to cultivate close friendships with wonderful Christian women who uplift and encourage (and who will hold me accountable) and learn to keep other friendships at “arms length” so to speak. I wonder if you agree with me or find my standing to be wrong. That’s okay- I do what works for me. I’ve seen myself slide- seen myself with the negative attitude and the gossipy lips and let me just say, “That lady ain’t pretty!”

So, tonight, I am thankful for God showing me that a bit of pruning is needed. I am thankful that he communes with me before I go way off the deep end. I am in prayer not only for my own attitude but also for this *someone else*. I pray that I will always have a *teachable heart*- I don’t ever want to miss one of God’s wonderful lessons.

A June Evening

Just wanted to share a couple of quick photos of my garden this evening. It has been a beautiful day today. I love this breezy 77 degree weather!

Here is a corner view. That's DH's veggie garden on the left (far end) The mounds of big bushy plants are his potatoes. the onions and cukes are coming along nicely as are the tomatoes. As you can see- my thyme has been *creeping* and filling in the gaps. Things are just beginning to bud. I doubt I will let my oregano flower as I have been battling cutting it back. I do love how it looks in full bloom though! I have harvested some chive blossoms and will pinch off some more tomorrow. I love the smell of the thyme when I brush against it or walk on it. It is a very forgiving plant for walking on- good thing too since my DS2 just loves tramping in my garden!

Just had to share one of my garden "elements" I decorate with. I adore this laughing frog! I love adding little things to my garden that you have to be up close to view. I have quite the touch of whimsy in me and it comes out in my garden . . . .  maybe I'll give you a little peek of my garden gnome sometime!

Ideas for Starting Your First Herb Garden

Want to start an herb garden- go for the easy stuff first!

I have had my herb garden for 10 years and worked at an herb garden/shop for 3 years (which is where I bought my plants with my employee discount).

Square foot gardening is great for herbs- especially ones that like to spread!

Like anything- start small one or two plants of each variety. Don’t go overboard and don’t spend oodles of money!

So here is my 2 cents about the best plants to start with.

fMints. (contain them as they spread vigorously) A good mint to start with is either spearmint or peppermint.

fChives. They are so super easy and very hardy. As I stated in a previous post- I harvest my chives from early spring to early winter (until they are covered by snow). I live in Zone 5. Chive blossoms are yummy on salads! [reseeds itself- great plants to dig up and share with friends.]

fOregano.  There are many different varieties- don’t get caught up in the varieties and big prices. Culinary Oregano is just fine. [spreads- another one you may want to contain]

fSage. I have Russian and culinary. There are ornamental sages and ones for cooking. Make sure you check the difference. I grind up my dried sage in my mortar & pestal. This easy to grow plant becomes the size of a small bush.

fThyme. Another easy plant- and great low ground cover. I plant this @ my garden’s edge- when hubby mows over part of it—it smells so good. It’s a hardy spreader- so I don’t worry if he mows it a bit!) There are many (MANY) varieties of  thyme. I have Lemon and Mother of Thyme. [Thyme is great for making a basting brush. I cut it, make a bundle- tie with string and dip in BBQ sauce and baste your meat- it adds just the right bit of flavor. I also add rosemary to the bundle when we’re basting chicken.]

These 5 are great basics to start with for culinary herbs.

I’ll share more next time!

Me and My garden

Been sharing about our veggie garden- which is really DH's domain and haven't mentioned much about my herb and flower garden. I will have to take more photos to post but here is a photo to show that I do work out in the garden too! Too often I am the photographer and never in the family photos- I don't want to be a "ghost". So here's me weeding my garden.

I am weeding my oregano. This is only a small portion- it has really taken over my garden (I started with 2 plants 10 years ago). I will be potting up some of it and giving it away . . . . behind and to the left are some of my chives. I just love fresh chives and I also chop and dry them and make chive blossom vinegar with them. I have too many chive plants-- VERY easy herb to grow if you are just getting started! [I harvest it up to the early winter.] By my left knee is lemon balm and to the right of that is apple mint. I love my apple mint but didn't plant it correctly [it needs to be contained]. So it's another plant I dig up and give away. I love making apple mint "tea". In the back, along the house are my purple bearded iris. My mom and I dug these iris up from the family homestead- my great grandmother planted them in the late 40s. I am thinking of moving them as they do not get enough sun where they are at.
Well, that's only a quarter of my garden. Sigh. I wish ya'll lived closer as I'd love to share some of my "overflow" with you!

How we spent Saturday

Finally, a Saturday where it's not raining, not freezing and we don't have any other plans than to be home enjoying our homestead. So here's what we did on Saturday afternoon.

DD9 is my favorite gardening assistant but today she is Daddy's assistant gardener. Today they are planting cucumbers.

DD9 and Dad work the dirt!

Dad, DD6 and DD9 plant the cucumbers in mounds of 5 seeds. Don't know why- it's how we always do it. Never thought to ask the reasoning behind it . . . .I do know it's easier to manage in a smaller space.

Working hard! The girls have filled up Mama's watering can to the brim! It takes both of them to cart it to the garden. 'Course they could have used the spigot right next to the garden but what would have been the fun in that! Hard to believe there is a 3 yr age difference! DD9 (redhead) is petite and well, DD6 (blonde) isn't. They wear the same size clothes now and are only 1/2 size different in shoes. Oh, how I love my girls!

Garden Update