The Wearing of the Green

 

As soon as Valentine's Day was past, stores and windows were adorned with decorations for St. Patrick's Day. Everywhere I looked were leprechauns, four leaf clovers, and a sea of green. There was green everywhere except where I wanted to see it the most ... in our back yard.

For weeks all I could see when I looked out of the window was a blanket of white. We didn't get as much snow as we usually get up here in the north, but what did fall stayed and stayed. It was an unusually cold winter and even though we had a few sunny days, the -20 windchills did not help. Then, finally, a warming trend. It got so warm that you didn't need a jacket. Mother Nature had a heck of a  hot flash because it just about hit 70 degrees before coming to her senses and sending the temperature back down in the 40's. Thankfully, it was enough to erase the sea of white and replace it with the beginnings of what I have come to call "The Greening." That is the time when the earth starts to slowly wake up and stretch her green wings. The grass turns from brown to green, the buds on the trees start to peek out, and the birds are happily flapping their own wings and setting to the task of nest building.

I don't know any gardener who lives in zones like ours that doesn't start to get impatient around this time of year. We've received out seed catalogs in the mail, and the stores are already having sales on soil, seeds, and garden tools. Now all we need is for Mother Nature to come out of hibernation along with the bears and start spreading the green around. Just like the joy in St. Patrick's Day, there's nothing like a little greenery to lift our spirits.

And so it is. 

 

Hearts, Flowers ... And An Angry Groundhog!

 

I don't think I'm exaggerating when I say that in all my 76 years, I cannot remember such a long and brutal cold spell. For the last 10 days it has not only been below freezing here in upstate New York, but it has also been well below zero during the overnight, with wind chills as low as -34! I fear the poor groundhog has been getting all the blame for this terrible winter which is so unfair if you really think about it. After all, there he is, all tucked up warm and waiting out the winter, and some strange humans yank him out of his home into the bitter cold and flash all kinds of lights in his face while cheering loudly. Would you be inclined to give them a positive forecast? I think not. Besides, even the groundhog knows that in this neck of the woods, winter is going to hang on until April or May regardless of what he tells you. If you're not happy with the forecast, take it up with Mother Nature!

Thankfully we have something coming up this week that will hopefully take out minds off of the cold - Valentine's Day. Hearts are on display in all the stores, candy makers are working overtime, and flowers are flowing again, if not in our gardens, then certainly via mail and floral deliveries. The snow may be refusing to melt outside, but inside we can warm our hearts with the sight and smell of roses, and spring bouquets. In other parts of the country and places like Ireland and England, snowdrops (the flower, not the actual snow), are poking their heads up through the wet ground, tiny green shoots are as well, promising that daffodils and crocus are on their way. When the winds change from bitter cold to warmth again, our hearts and our gardens will feel the warmth again as well.

So, I've decided to write a letter to Punxsutawney Phil to apologize on behalf of "those" humans for blaming him for our bitter weather, and for disturbing him. Maybe if we send him a basket of dandelion greens and clover for Easter, he'll be kinder to us next year. Hey, it's worth a shot, right?

And so it is. 

Dreams In The Mailbox

 

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All the decorations are down, and the house has been put back in order. Many of us are hunkered down with warm blankets, a stash of tea, and some good books to help get us through the long, dark and snowy days of winter ahead. I have to admit that I'm in that group. My great-grandson got me a lovely, warm throw for Christmas. My tea draw is full, and I have at least a dozen books on my Kindle loaded and ready. There's just one more thing I need to get through the winter and keep my sanity ... the mailman!

Ok, let me explain. To a gardener, winter is seed catalog time. It's like the Easter Bunny coming early. Seed catalogs are the bible of the gardening world. When I say, "seed catalogs," I also mean gardening catalogs and magazines. Days and days of turning those glossy pages filled with pictures of flowers, veggies, herbs, pretty garden ornaments, bird baths and bird feeders, as well as unusual pots and containers, and a host of other things. The snow may be falling like a curtain outside, but inside as I sit in my favorite armchair, I am surrounded by spring.

This year I am particularly interested in learning more about container gardening and working in raised beds. My trial run last summer in the little section of my daughter's yard that has been allotted to me gave me some successes and some failures, but all of it a learning experience. Now I know what will grow, what won't, and what I will need to make it bloom. I'm also dedicated to attracting butterflies and birds which we had few of last year. All in all, it's going to be a spring and summer of fun, exploration, and learning. You're never too old to dream a dream or go for the gold! Now if that nice mailman would only get here!

And so it is. 

And So It Is Christmas

 

The tree is up and decorated. The snow is on the ground. We've dug out our warm, cozy Christmas pajamas. The blow-up Rudolph is outside with the others and lights are strung and lit. Yep, it is officially Christmas!

I love this time of year. I love to see the excitement on the faces of the little children in the stores as they stare with wonder at all the lights and decorations. I love the smell of cookies baking, the sound of paper and scissors as presents are wrapped, and the soft carols playing in the background. For just a little while, the world is warm, and loving, and magical. I don't care how old I get; at Christmas time I'm 6 years old again and Santa is bringing me the teddy bear I fell in love with in the window of the hardware store downtown!

Right now, the world is in more turmoil than I can ever remember. Every night when I say my prayers, I ask God to not let my grandchildren inherit this mess. Still, I remember also to say thank you for those warm pj's, the pretty lights, the yummy cookies, and, most of all, the greatest gift ever given. Christmas is all about children, big and small, young and old, and one very special child above them  all. 

May we never get too old to revisit the magic of Christmas for ourselves and for others, and may we never forget the true reason for the season.

Have a blessed and beautiful Christmas. 

And so it is. 

With Thanks From A Grateful Heart

 

I walked out the front door the other day after a rather heavy rain and windstorm and this is what I saw. The beautiful Japanese Maple tree had been torn of all its beautiful red leaves. A thick carpet of red covered the front lawn. The golden leaves of the other trees mixed in and surrounded it like decorative edging. Someone else might have looked at this scene and groaned at the amount of work it was going to take to clean it all up. I thought it was beautiful. I stopped to take this picture and thought to myself: "this red carpet is more beautiful than any celebrity red carpet in Hollywood. Right now, I feel like I've been given an award."

As we move closer to Thanksgiving next week, I have been taking time out to count my blessings, both big and small. I am grateful that I just passed the one-year mark of moving into my "tiny house" apartment. I am grateful that I got to plant my first real outdoor garden in years and experienced the joy of picking a luscious, ripe grape tomato and popping it in my mouth. I am grateful for my family, my church family, my friends, the family dog who guards me like the Queen, reasonably good health, access to healthy food, warm clothes, and so much more. While these are all wonderful reasons to be grateful, I have found that making time to "just be," has reminded me of so many more blessings that are all around me: porch sitting, watching the local wildlife, the sound of the train as it rumbles by, the first buds on the trees and the last leaves to fall ... and red carpets. I have discovered this year that my wealth isn't in money or things. It is in the tiny moments that remind me of what God and Mother Nature can do when they put their heads together - they create a heaven right here on earth. As long as I can wake up in the morning, watch the sunrise, hear the birds, and witness the world come alive, I am richly and deeply blessed.

To each and every one of you I wish a wonderful, bountiful Thanksgiving. May it be filled with love, family, good food, and the gift of being able to look out of the window to remember what it means to be grateful to be alive. 

And so it is. 

A Time Of Bountiful Blessings

Yesterday while driving to the store with my daughter and two granddaughters I was mesmerized by the display of autumn color all around me. The trees were ablaze with gold, red, orange, and various shades of brown. Getting into the car I couldn't help crunching away on the fallen leaves outside the house and staring in amazement at the Japanese maple out front. Truly, Mother Nature has blessed us with another bountiful, colorful autumn.

While at the store I remembered to pick up a bag of birdseed. We have a variety of birds that grace our feeders, from the tiny chickadees and wrens to Mourning doves, blue jays, robins and finches of all colors. The squirrels are also plentiful around our house, and I delight in going out to make sure there are peanuts for them. I fill the feeders with seeds of different sizes and sprinkle some on the ground beneath for those that are either too big for the feeders or who get crowded out by their larger relations. For someone who loves nature and wildlife, I am never disappointed when I look out of the window or sit on the porch. 

What I've started to notice recently are the squirrels eating some of the nuts and seeds and burying the rest. From my upstairs window I have a view of the backyard and have caught them digging and stashing their goodies for another day. I've always thought that the saying, "giant oaks from little acorns grow" came about because some squirrels buried their nuts and then forgot where they buried them, thus growing a tree instead! 

I have just passed my first full year living in my tiny house-type apartment that my daughter had built for me on the rear of her house. It has been a year of adjustments, of finding out what works and what still needs tweaking. I still can't fathom how someone who lives in two small rooms with only one closet can still manage to lose things. I see a day of rearranging and better labeling in my future. Still, it has been a year of blessings in many ways as well as a time for growing and learning new things even at my age. I am confident that more growing and learning is in my future. 

Much like a well-filled bird feeder to bless the birds, and a carpet of nuts on the ground to bless the squirrels, this has been a year of bountiful blessings that came in all shapes, sizes, and colors. It won't be long before the leaves will all have fallen to the ground, and the trees will begin their winter sleep.  We may have to look a little harder for our bountiful blessings, but rest assured they will be there if we just slow down and take the time to look for them. To everything there is a season, even for blessings.

And so it is. 

 

Welcome Apple Season!

I have begun to put my little container garden to bed. This first outdoor garden in my new home has been one of blessings and lessons. The blessings came in the baskets of tiny grape and cherry tomatoes I picked, the luscious smells of the basil, spearmint, and rosemary, and the beautiful color of the deep pink petunias. With the onset of cold nights ... low 40's already ... all but the petunias and rosemary have been harvested, the empty pots of the others cleaned out and ready to be stored until next year. The lessons have been in discovering what grows well in this space, what likes garden soil and what doesn't, and what I can do better with next year. I'm not sad, though. While my little garden may be done for the year, there is another season I adore that has made its appearance ... apples. It is Apple Season here in upstate New York and I can't wait to dive in.

What I love the most about apples besides their taste is the fact that there are so many different varieties, each with their own special attributes in cooking, baking, and eating. There are: Gala, Cortland (their home is right up the road from me), Granny Smith, Delicious, Crispin, Ginger Gold, Honey Crisp, and a host of others. Some are good for baking, some are good for apple sauce, cider, apple deserts, and just plain good to bite into. Each brings their own special qualities and attributes to the table. I don't think I've ever heard anyone say they hated one kind of apple over another. Each one has something to contribute.

I think the apples have it over us humans, don't you? There may be many different kinds of people in the world, of different colors, different ethnic origins, and different sexes, each with their own special qualities. Some are gifted in the arts, some in science, some in building and engineering, some in leadership, and some called by God. None is better than the other. Everyone has a place at the table If the apples can figure it out, so can we. 

And so it is.