If Wishes Were Seeds

February for gardeners is like December for kids. Just like all those Christmas catalogs come in the mail to tease and taunt the little ones, February brings hopeful gardeners all those beautiful, inviting seed catalogs to their door. One by one, page by page, we are pulled to the images of lush, beautiful flower borders, vibrant veggies bursting with flavor, delightful garden ornaments and brightly-colored seed packets, each one promising the best yield God ever created! 

Now that I no longer garden on any kind of grand scale, restricted as I am by location and brittle joints to container and tabletop gardening, I still haunt the magazines, catalogs and especially websites (which saves paper, which makes me and the trees happy) looking for new ideas about things like vertical gardening, grow lights, indoor plant foods and temperatures ... the list goes one and one. Once a gardener, always a gardener.

Wouldn't it be nice to have, instead of a seed catalog to grow plants, a seed catalog that grew wishes? Can you imagine the joy of opening the mailbox and seeing a Wish Book, knowing that you could order anything you wanted out of it? Can you picture each page, full of color and excitement, luring you to chose one wish over another, promising you so much happiness that it would, indeed be, "the best yield ever?" Some folks might jump at the chance to own such a catalog, but age and experience tells me that over time it would take over your life, just like those gardeners who always have to have more, different, better, bigger, etc. At what point would we be satisfied with all that we had?

The best wishes are the ones that bring us joy regardless of the size or quantity. These are the ones that we have the power to make come true ourselves, and aren't they the ones that are the most cherished? I don't need a huge, wall-sized vertical garden. What I want are a few pots of my favorite herbs, to help my little bamboo plant to flourish, and maybe a little color in the form of variegated leaves or tiny flowers to brighten up my space. All of those things are the kinds of wishes that I can make come true all on my own, and those are the ones that will bring me the most joy.

 So, what are you going to order out of your wish catalog today?

And so it is. 

And Now A Word From Our Sponsor

I woke this morning to a sound I haven't heard in months. At first I thought I was dreaming, but as the sound started floating to the surface of my consciousness, I opened my eyes and discovered that it was real ... I heard birds singing!

I grabbed my phone and checked the time and temperature. It was 7:20 A.M and the temperature was 36 degrees. 36! Pulling back the curtains I could see the sky, completely clear of clouds and the sun reflecting on the hills in the distance as it came up over the top of my apartment building. I was so happy to hear that sound, and see that sight, that I thought I would cry.

We've just come out of a nasty, seemingly forever Arctic cold blast that almost brought our little corner of the world to a standstill. The high temperatures never made it out of the single digits and the wind chills hit -38 below zero. The normal lows without the wind chills were below zero every night for over a week. So you can imagine what a blessing it felt like to not only see and feel the end of the frozen nightmare, but to hear the birdsong outside of my window as if the birds were singing a new and better day awake. At that moment I remembered something I'd heard somewhere in the past: the sound of birds singing after a long, cold snap is God's way of telling you "hang in there, it won't be much longer." 

I know the winter outside can sometimes feel as if it will go on forever, but it never really does. Spring always comes, just as summer will come, and then fall. Mother Nature never makes a promise that she doesn't keep. The same is true for the winters in our own lives. No storm lasts forever. The sun will rise again, a new day will be born, and each day is filled with infinite possibilities. It's up to us to sing the new day awake and make the choice to look for the songs within all of us. 

After church this morning, I went home and drew back all of the curtains to let the sunshine in. The forecast is for warmer weather for the next several days although not all of them will be sunny and we may even see some rain and snow, but just like the reminder I got from Mother Nature this morning, I know the birds will sing again soon, and the sun will come up, and winter won't really last forever even if it feels like it will. After all, if you can't believe the one who sponsor's spring in the first place, who can you believe?

And so it is. 

Nothing But The Best

My little tabletop fairy garden is not doing well. In fact, it doesn't look much like this picture any more. The big window over my desk that I love so much doesn't love my plants at this time of the year. While winter is traditionally a dark and dismal time of the year in terms of sunlight, this year seems to be taking the award for most dark and cloudy days in a row without sun. As all the windows in my sweet little studio apartment are west facing, they only get direct light in the afternoon, and at this time of year it is mainly from about 2 pm to 4:30 or 5 p.m. So my little plants are struggling to hang in there. The only two plants that seem to be holding their own are the little bamboo plant I bought on a whim in the autumn, and an as-yet unidentified plant that looks like the top of a pineapple (for all I know it could be the top of a pineapple) that I rescued from a departing office member 8 years ago which is now about 3 feet tall. I suspect it is trying to be a tree but is having an identity crisis as it's stem is way too thin to support its weight. I have it staked and am awaiting its decision.

A friend suggested that I get a grow light to help my plants get through the winter. Another friend suggested that I just break down and get some really nice artificial plants. There are some on the market that look remarkably real and only require a damp cloth to wipe off their leaves for care as compared to the constant feeding, watering and nurturing of real plants. I have to admit that I did give that one some thought. I was even swayed temporarily by the photos online of big, handsome plants with large, green, shiny leaves, giving the room the look and feel of a tropical paradise. However, at the core of my being, where the ever-present gardener lives, her little voice whispered to me, " but oh, dear one, you so deserve the real thing." 

Yes, I do. And so do you. We all deserve the best. No one should have to settle for second best. Mother Nature doesn't give us her second best trees, or flowers, or animals. She gives us the very best that she can create. Why? Because we're worth it. If she thinks so, who are we to argue? We are all deserving of the best that life has to offer us. A fake plant may look nice, but a real plant is a feast for our senses. Besides, nothing speaks to our hearts as much as being a part of the birth and growth of something beautiful.

So this weekend I am going to do a little comparison shopping for grow lights and boxes for my little tabletop garden. I may even treat myself to some herb seeds and get an early start on spring. No more cooking with the dried stuff any longer ... I deserve the best, and so do you!

And so it is. 

The Great Human Myth

For some reason humankind has embraced the idea that they are in total control of their lives and the events surrounding their lives. One has only to look out of the window today in my neck of the woods to be reminded who's really in control. After a weekend of more than a foot of snow and winds gusting to 35 mph, I woke up this morning to a temperature of -7 with a wind chill of -21. If you think you have any control over any of that, you are either seriously delusional or you believe in myths.

There is so much about being human that is totally out of our control. Besides the weather, the most prevalent myth in our society is about aging ... we are all going to get old. Some of us will age better than others. Some of us will wake up one morning, look in the mirror and, much like what I thought when I looked out of the window this morning and saw five foot icicles, say to ourselves: " What happened?" No amount of hair dye, face lifts, and dressing like our grandkids is going to change Mother Nature's most important lesson of them all: things are born, things serve their purpose, things get old, things die. It's not what happens to us, it's how we respond to it. Some of us will let ourselves go gray gracefully, some will not. Some will trade in those three inch heels for comfortable, sensible shoes, and others won't. Whatever we decide, it will make the difference between enjoying the wisdom and freedom that comes with age, or fighting it tooth and nail. In the end, we're all gonna get old. As usual, Mother Nature has the last word on that.

So today I am spending the day in my favorite plaid flannel nightgown with matching flannel PJ pants (thank you, Granddaughter Gabby for this warm and thoughtful gift) and binge-watch decorating shows on TV. If that gets old, I have tons of books and movies to entertain me. In fact, I might just take a nap. I am officially taking a Snow Day. Thank you, Mother Nature, for this gift. Now, where did I put my tea pot?

And so it is.

Finding Your Path

" If you can see your path laid out in front of you step by step, you know it's not your path. Your own path you make with every step you take. That's why it's your path."

~ Joseph Campbell

We finally got enough snow to actually have something to shovel. That is unusual for where I live. Here in Upstate New York, there's usually already several inches of snow on the ground. We've had more rain than snow so far this winter, but February and March are usually the months when Mother Nature makes up for it.

I was watching the folks next door shovel a path from the front steps to the street and around to the back of the house. At the same time, their kids were marching around in the front yard making footsteps in the snow and blazing their own paths. It was an amazing stroke of synchronicity when the above quote fell into my lap a few hours later. It reminded me that sometimes when we travel down a path just because it's free of debris, or, in this case, snow, that doesn't always make it the best path to travel. It is when we blaze our own path through life, one step at a time, one decision at a time, that we can honestly claim it as our own. And as Robert Frost reminds us so eloquently, taking the "road less traveled" really does make all the difference.

Watching the children outside gave me the idea to put on my boots and blaze my own path from the rear of my apartment building, across the parking lot, and over to the dumpster to take out my trash and recyclables even before the owners came and ploweded the lot. It made me feel like a kid myself again, and following my footsteps back home gave me an undeniable sense of knowing that I was headed in the right direction.

And so it is. 

And The Earth Sleeps

When I was a child someone once told me that in Winter, the earth goes to sleep, just like the bears,  until Spring. In my mind's eye I saw all the flowers and the trees curl up and close their eyes, a smile on their faces, dreaming of sunshine and blue skies again. Much later, when I took up gardening and was captivated once more by the magic of nature, I often wondered if there wasn't some truth to that tale. Perhaps the earth does, in part, go to sleep so it can recharge its batteries and indulge in a little bit of extreme self-care of its own. I wonder what it dreams about? 

What would we all dream about if we could curl up under a warm blanket, with a fire roaring in the hearth, and sleep away the cold and darkness of winter? Would we dream of waking up to a world that was clean, fresh and new? Would the darkness of the season, as well as the darkness in the hearts of men, be gone as well? Would the world be filled once again with the hope of a fresh, new beginning, or with any hope at all?

Sometimes it's hard to imagine that kind of a world, and during the darkness of winter it is even harder. The love and joy of the holidays that just passed seem to disappear under a blanket of "business as usual," just like the earth outside our windows lies buried under a blanket of snow. So what can we do to wake up? We can turn on the light. We can turn up the light. Just like putting in a stronger light bulb in your lamp to make a room brighter, we can turn up the amps on our spirits. Let your hopes and dreams be seen. Don't bury them under a blanket of hopelessness and despair. Let your own light help light the way for others. Even on the darkest night, the moon still finds a way to shine so we can see our way on the path.

This winter, instead of hibernating and dreaming of Spring, let's wrap a warm coat of courage around us and tell Winter to "bring it on!" And don't forget those new boots and mittens you got for Christmas. The metaphorical snow could get deep, but you got this! 

And so it is. 

A Green New Year's Eve Party

I'm not one for New Year's Eve parties. I was married to a musician a long time ago and had to spend every New Year's Eve sitting at a table surrounded by very loud, very drunk people I didn't really know while my husband and the band were up front playing. When the kids came along I was more than happy to stay home and have a quiet night in. 

If I had to pick my very favorite New Year's Eve, it would be one night when I was living in the country. We were blessed by a crystal clear night and a sky filled with stars so bright they lit up the night. At the stroke of midnight I went outside and place one hand on the massive trunk of my favorite tree, and with the other hand, raised a glass to toast the earth and every living thing on it, and to make a wish that the New Year would be a kind and abundant one for everyone. I think I felt closer to God and Mother Earth that night than any night before or since.

If you've been following my blog for the last few years you know that I am not one who makes New Year's Resolutions. I make promises, both to myself and to others. One of the values I hold the highest is that when you give your word, you keep it, even if it's to yourself and even if, after you've given it, you wish you hadn't. It's not always easy and I'm not always on track every single minute of every single day. but I do my very best, know when I'm not doing my very best, and try again. 

So this year on New Year's Eve I will sit with my journal and write down all the promises I am making for 2019, set the intention to keep every one of them no matter how hard, and, weather permitting, I just might go outside and see if I can find a tree I can put my hand on (I hope the neighbors won't think I'm tipsy if they see me holding on to a tree but, seriously, how many folks are looking out of their windows at midnight?). And maybe, just maybe, God, and Mother Nature, and I, can usher in a wonderful, blessed new year!

And so it is.