Tired of Snow

Yep. Officially tired of snow. I don't tire of it easily. I love snow. I love cold weather! But right now I would dearly love to be out planting a bed full of snap dragons. Well, maybe not RIGHT NOW. It is 1:30a.m. Kind of dark for planting. But you get the idea. I want to feel the warm, moist dirt in my hands. I want to see the plants returning to their full glory, showing off heavy blooms and filling the air with their heady fragrance. I want to sit on the porch with friends and kids and grandchildren. I want to pluck a sprig of lemon balm and stick it under my nose. I want a pitcher full of lilacs adorning my kitchen table again. It's time. Almost.

One of the first signs of spring is the arrival of Ben. (Any robin will do. They're all named Ben.) Every year, it was almost a contest of who would see Ben first. One of the kids would come running to tell me that Ben was 'home'... and there was great rejoicing! One year, I tried my hand at building a birdhouse for Ben. A wonderful thing with many doors, a good sturdy roof and a porch. Silly bird didn't care for the inside of the house and built a nest on the porch. (See photo above.) But I can't really blame Ben. I'd rather sleep on my porch than inside during the summer too... if it weren't for bugs and raccoons and skunks and mountain lions and bears. Oh my. Okay, I'm not really much of a camper, but it sounds nice in theory. I have no doubt that in Heaven I'll be an avid camper. There won't be any creepy crawly things there. And I won't look like a chicken dinner to whatever critters are about!

We're supposed to have snow showers tomorrow. It's time for an oldie but goodie happy song...

Manure?

Manure

It takes many elements to produce the most beautiful flowers and fruits. Among them is manure, generously applied at the end of winter. It can be dug into new flower beds, scratched into the surface around plants that haven't come up yet, placed carefully around plants that are up or made into a tea to water with. Care must be given with each method. Manure can burn roots and leaves. Yet the results make the risks necessary.

When your life is full of manure and everything just plain stinks - trust the Master Gardener. The creator of heaven and earth knows exactly the right amount and which method will produce the most beautiful Christlike heart in you. It's not enjoyable. Actually quite disagreeable. But, it is necessary.

Maybe God did promise us that life would be rosy after all. If you consider the dirt, the thorns and the manure.

Take heart. If you're being fertilized now - spring is near.

'We must go through tribulations to enter the kingdom of God. 'Acts 14:22b

Bloom Where You Are Planted

Little Book of Gardening Tips

God reveals so much about Himself to us through His creation. No one else can compare in their imagination and creativity. There is no color or form or fragrance that God did not create. No one thought of something first . God was first.

Most people enjoy a garden. They are soothing and peaceful. Our eyes and noses delight.

The garden is also a wonderful place to discover the mysteries of God. So when you stop and smell the roses, breathe deeply, look closer. God is with you and has many, many lessons to teach you and secrets to reveal.

Come and enjoy.
Welcome to my garden.

Bloom Where You Are Planted

A gardener will occasionally dig up a plant and move it to a new location in the garden or give it as a gift to a friend. This is the gardener's job. A plant never grabs itself by the ankles, yanks its roots out of the ground and runs across the yard to a spot it deems as better for itself.

Do you desire to run when things get hot? Or see others spots as more favorable than your own?

If you would be pleasing to God you must remember - you are not the Gardener.

Be content where God has you. Be still and know that He is God. He knows your needs, far better than you do. He knows just how much sun, shade, rain, drought - everything you need to thrive and bloom in Him. He also knows what other plants you need around you to pull out and complement your particular beauty.

Leave yourself to His care and bloom where you are planted.

 

For my birthday this year, my husband decided that he would help me refurbish the Shire. YAY!

I'm not sure why I decided to create the Shire in the first place. I've always liked tales about sneaky little people living in foresty places. My yard is so big that it's easier if I break it down into little sections and create vignettes. This particular vignette is nestled in under the cherry thicket, along a path that leads to the front yard.

The driveway area is so dismal, but once you go through the arbor and walk through the cherry trees, it's like you've come out into a different world of refreshing green and flowers. The air is scented with hyacinths, cherry blossoms, lilac and viola's.

It reminds me of how I can go through the day in the 'cares of this world' where it's stale, hot and dismal... but as soon as I turn the path and place my focus on the Lord.. I'm refreshed and life is sweeter. He creates vignettes in our lives. We are intricately made and our lives are many pictures and aspects, woven together to make the whole. Sometimes we get so focused in on one little spot in our lives that we miss the whole picture. Other times, we're in such a hurry that we neglect the small pictures and miss such blessings. We need to set the paces of our lives so that we are not rushing through but not sitting still, stuck in one area.

The Shire is a little spot in my garden where you have to stop and really look closely to see everything that's there. I love it when kids come over... they love the Shire! After my grandsons have been over, I go out to find that the 'hobbits' have been stuck inside the houses. Maybe it's because the Shire is closer to their level, but they're the ones that truly enjoy this part of my garden. I'm so glad they do! They make it well worth the work of tending it and adding little secrets to it, that only the close observer will see.

I used to think that a day would come that my garden would be 'finished', but I've finally figured out that just like myself, it won't be done until the Lord returns. Guess I better go get back to work on it!