Gardening

Showdown at the Clearance Rack

Showdown at the Clearance Rack

Two gardeners faced off at the clearance rack. They eyed each other and planned their attack like the lawmen and outlaws at the OK Corral, except one grasped a dibble, and the other a trowel. ”Who gets the wilted lily, you or me? And the leggy petunias in a pack of three?” They each began to …

Gardening ~ The Slowest Fine Art

Gardening ~ The Slowest Fine Art

Gardening requires a lot of patience to see how my artwork evolves.

Friendly Flowers

Friendly Flowers ~ A Poem

When time is whizzing and life’s a frenzy, when dark clouds hover and troubles surround me,to the garden I must go,where my friendly flowers grow. While I’m digging in dirt and pulling weeds,pruning, watering, and planting seeds,the daffodils nod their bobbing heads in agreement with whatever I just said. And just look into Pansy’s pretty face,her …

A Fork in the Road

To blog or not to blog I started this blog nearly three years ago on my 53rd birthday. My husband and I were beginning our transition into the empty nest and I had no idea what life held next. The blog was a way of sharing that transition with others, as well as working through …

A Gardener Gets Her House Painted

A Gardener Gets Her House Painted

Our house has needed a makeover for a very long time, but even as I longed for it, I imagined workmen tromping around on the plants that I’d been nurturing. Any time my husband and I’s conversation turned to the subject of this outdoor project, I started talking about the limited time frame that I …

From Birdbath to Planter

From Birdbath to Planter

During this summer while it was so hot and dry, I had an itch to do something, but was afraid that anything I might try to plant would be doomed. I had been eyeing my birdbath for a very long time, considering turning it into a planter. It was a gift for my first Mother’s …

D is for Discouraging

D is for Discouraging

This gardening season has been particularly discouraging for me. It’s normal for me to feel this way in late summer, but this year it started much earlier, in spring. While dwelling on the details, I realized that oddly, they all started with D. Death To begin with, there were plants that should have come back …

Water Pump Upcycle

At an auction many years ago, I spotted an old rusty water pump with graceful curves that I just loved! My sweet husband bought it for me but then it laid in storage for awhile, waiting for me to figure out its purpose. One day, while sitting on the front porch, I was looking at …

Gearing Up for Gardening Season

Gearing Up for Gardening Season

The emergence of my favorite plants from their winter slumber, and catching the scent of damp earth, make my green thumb awaken from its winter rest. I feel like I understand how it feels for the sap to start rising in the trees, as my energy level starts to rise and my mind brims with …

Swiss Chard ~ Stained Glass of the Garden

Swiss Chard ~ Stained Glass of the Garden

My garden is like my own little church. When I’m out there weeding and sowing, I feel a peacefulness and closeness to God. I find myself praying and singing, and it comes as naturally as the birds’ songs. In my garden chapel, the beautiful foliage of Swiss Chard is the stained glass – it’s so …