A journey of discovery to reclaim the life God designed for you and me…
I love quick sale at the local produce isle. You never know what you will find.
This week’s treasure, papaya. Inspiring tropical smoothies for breakfast yesterday, and a papaya, nut salad with homemade peanut, basil dressing for lunch today.
A little sprinkle of chili pepper, a grind of fresh pepper and the taste buds are tantalize.
Not to mention gluten-free and healthy to boot!
I wonder what I will discover next time around.
THE ENEMIES!
There are so many reasons to NOT get up early, lace up the sneakers, and head out the front door.
The mosquitoes are crazy right now, the pollen is thick in the air, and face it who wants to roll out of bed in the morning to hit the road and get the heart pumping.
Funny with the exception of feeding the mosquitoes, two of the enemies are part of the motivation to go.
More reasons to suck it up, time spent with my handsome son who unlike other 15 year olds still wants to spend time with his mom.
The quiet of the morning or the riveting sound of the motivators voice on the podcasts we listen to. Trying to encourage him to strive for greatness, whatever that looks like for him.
Then there is just the joy of being in nature, the beautiful surprises we find.
We may not make it every morning, I have to accept my limits for now, but every time we go is one step closer to the goal. And there is always the precious treasures we find.
REWARDS
Strawberry socials, I might be aging myself, but my grandparents would take me every year for my birthday to the little country church social.
I remember so well anticipating the strawberry shortcake, while hurrying through all the homemade salads and ham. Although I did saveur a good deviled egg or two or three.
The lines were always long, but people would chat and catch up as we waited for the next sitting. The heat of late June, and the amount of rain we had gotten, farmers predicting the bounty of the summer crops, who was getting married, new babies including calves and pigs, were just some of the topics. The old people always asking if I was excited about summer break, how school went and remarking on how much I look like my grandma or mother. It really was social.
It’s kinda bitter sweet thinking on these things, as time has flown past. My grandpa is just a memory, my grandma is struggling after a stroke to keep hers.
But I could not pass by this sweet memory plant today, as a million emotions fleeted through my mind, the promises of pleasure hanging from it’s vine.
We had a tree growing up to our power lines. That wouldn’t do, unfortunately it had to come down.
Tim cut it as close to the ground as he could but what were we going to do with the spot.
I dreamed of having a garden there, it’s right on the corner of our lot where people drive in. As I was chatting about it, Maggy who was 9 at the time asked if she could have a garden.
As I used to dream big when it comes to gardens, start strong, and fizzle because of not prioritizing weeding, (the gardening “bug” had not fully infested me yet) I was hesitant. But when your child wants a garden, you give them a garden. Besides the stump was inconvenient to mow around.
Now this little patch is one of my favourite flower patches in the yard.
We started by mowing down the grass. Then my husband put several inches of aged cedar sawdust on. This prevented the weeds and grass from taking over.
The thing to remember is that if grass struggles to grow, so will a lot of the plants you want to grow. So for every plant placed in the garden you pull back the sawdust, amend the hole, plant your plant and pull the sawdust back around to hold the moisture.
Works amazingly, and looks pretty too!
Must be a storm brewing 30°C and a breeze is picking up. We certainly could use a nice soft shower overnight.
Send silent prayers for no damaging rains. Give the seeds a chance to sprout not wash them out.
Farmer working long and hard, tractor loud in the background, renewing a long retired field. Worked late into the night, back again today. Hopes and dreams lying dormant in the soil. $$$ and especially time, tied up in skill and luck.
Today is the day the big ants are out on mass. Scurrying here in there, searching, searching. One would think from watching they have no where or everywhere to go.
Hummingbird keeps dancing around the spring flowers above my head. He boldly comes close but yet so flighty he eludes my lense.
Now back to reality, it’s nearing supper time.
My list of chores is thick this morning, and all I want to do is fiddle around in my gardens.
Every day this week these little tulips in this patch have surprised me with a different colour, and now a new shape.
When I step into the garden it’s like the universe slows. Time softens from being such a concrete baracade around me, crushing in.
My soul quickens, and responsibility moves out of focus, life feels free without a care.
There is something magical about the early morning light, the air crisp, smells magnified, naturally noisy with bird songs floating to my ears.
Pushing, pounding heart, lungs filling with the freshest of air.
This early morning training session with my son Fred, this felt like living.
Simple, didn’t cost anything, a memory, time well spent, an investment in the future.
Magically wonderful!
I was thoroughly enjoying touring my mother-in-law’s garden with her. She was describing different flowers and what changes she wanted to make, which plants we could come and get some of for our gardens. It was relaxing and pleasant and beautiful.
But we were not alone. Cory was hiding here and there among the plants, never far from us as we wandered around. Was she attempting stealth, or was she trying to capture our attention because “cats are the only important thing in the world, more importantly Cory is”.
We came back around almost to where we had started, and up Cory went into the tree over my head. Silly kitty!
I took some fun shots of her posed on the branch above me, hoping that I wouldn’t wear her on my head. Then I went on about enjoying the pretty flowers.
As I turned away it happened…there was first a noise…I turned…I looked…Cory was dangling from the tree by a single paw!
“CATCH HER” Screamed in my head! “QUICK GET A PICTURE” Came from my mom- in- law! It all happened so fast, no time to react!
I fumbled with my phone, but Cory was safely on the ground, walking away as if nothing happened.
I missed the shot.
Beautiful Remade 