Let the Gardening season begin!

Today was very productive. There has been lots of yard work going on around here, much of it in an effort to expand and protect gardens. My raised vegetable bed is sporting some very fine new fence panels to keep the darn rabbits out. My vine gardens have been doubled in size thanks to the purchase of a new (used) roto-tiller at the end of the season last year.

Two seasons ago, I experimented with landscape fabric covering the entire garden. It worked very well in keeping the weeds down. Last year, I made the mistake of buying the cheaper fabric and the weeds blasted right through it. SO, this year, I bought the 10 year fabric and finished installing it all. I planted everything in both gardens. I have 2 spaces left in which I want to plant some pumpkins, but have finally used up the pumpkin seeds which I had laying around. I am going to have to go get another package!

Today has gone according to plan (so far). The beginning of the day was sunny and gorgeous. This afternoon feels like a storm is on the way. The temps have fallen and the sky has clouded up. This gives me a perfect excuse to finally finish some "indoor" work. In my humble opinion though, indoor work is not nearly as much fun as OUTDOOR work. I am going to get on with my domestic duties, so I will be ready to get back outside tomorrow!

Coming Out of the Fog

This morning was shrouded in fog. As the fog lifted to a clear, beautiful May morning, I started thinking about the past few months. For some reason, I have been in a big fog also.

Today begins my journey to break out of the fog. It will start with the return to self-discipline: exercise and diet. I have been on auto pilot for way too long and it is NOT serving me well. I have always felt best when I keep my "appointment" with caring for me. Lately, I have been merely getting through the day. I have not been paying attention to my diet or exercise and I am really beginning to pay the price for my laziness. UGH!

Out of the fog, into life!

Living in a Little World

Much to my surprise, I got an email from my very dearest friend yesterday. Well, actually, it shouldn't have been a surprise, because the night before, I had thought of her. It happens to us all the time, whenever we have a thought of one another....BOOM.....a contact comes through! It seems like some kind of telepathic communication! She and I have always had this odd gift, so like I said, I should not have been surprised to get the email.

She is a very generous friend. She has been making it her practice of late to give "experiences" when it it time to give someone a gift. That is why she contacted me. Of course, she knew of "THE birthday" in April, and she has arranged a little surprise for that. It will be fun and fabulous to see her again, although, it made me realize how much my life has SHRUNKEN.

When a person gets busy with everyone around her, and arranging things for everybody else, they tend to forget to make sure that their own world doesn't get so "little". Guilty!

I hope to use this year to live a larger life. We'll see how it goes! Thanks, dear friend, for opening my eyes again.

When the Conditions Are Right

The weather has taken a turn for the worse, or should I say we've gone backwards? It is cold and rainy. This is a good news/bad news turn of events. It is good news for the "cold weather crops", such as the peas and the spinach in my garden. As the name suggests, they thrive in these cool conditions.

The bad news is that this weather is taking it's toll on the many young bluebirds along the bluebird trails. The youngsters are not old enough to leave the nest and the cold wet weather is killing them. Murph and I have been working trying to save them, but really, there is only so much you can do. I came up with the idea to use the heat packs we use during hunting season. These have worked great to warm up the nests and helped a couple of them during the frosty weekend that just passed. Murph stated that he liked the idea, but that he would not be using these heat packs. I gave him one on Sunday, just in case. He called me this morning to tell me how he used one and it seemed to have saved an nest of young fledglings. The little guys (5 of them, I think), warmed up and flew away. At any rate, many of the nests will fail and we are sure to lose many bluebird chicks. The bluebirds, however, will not give up and will lay another clutch of eggs. That is their job this time of year. This first batch of eggs were just too darn early. The warm weather fooled us all.

Murph is teaching me, and I am teaching him.

Monday, Monday

It is time to get back into the weekday routine: school, baseball, packing lunches, running around, collapsing into bed, and then getting up really early to do it all again. At least this is a "4 day week"!

The weekend went by quickly. The oldest kid ran in his first 5K, and loved it. His friend wiped out at the finish line, so as I gawked at that, I missed getting a picture of my kid crossing the line! (Of course). In fact, the oldest came through wearing something other than what he started in, so I missed him COMPLETELY. I became worried watching people straggle in and finally a woman walked across the line stating that she was LAST! I didn't think that my kid would be last so I went off into the crowd to find him.

I found him and his very bandaged friend under the picnic shelter. The friend was wearing shorts and a t shirt and he had goose bumps all over and his skin was a shade of light blue. I took both the 5kers to the car to warm up. It was a good run, they had fun. I am afraid that the kid is going to want to make this a HABIT!!! :)

Even more connections

I am always amazed by connections. I got a nice phone call today in regards to inviting my oldest in for a job interview. The woman who will be interviewing him became an acquaintance of our family through our doing business at her establishment.

The details are not important, but the connection is what has me thinking today. Dad and Mom really were RIGHT. You always need to mind the way you present yourself, even if you are JUST going to the store! You never know who you will make contact with, who is watching, or who's path you may cross.

Always be good to people. It pays off, if not now, perhaps later.

I am keeping my fingers crossed that this all works out!

Friends

I was pulled a bit off track this week by recent activity on Facebook. I have recently connected with the BEST friends I had in high school so MANY years ago. It seems funny that part of the reason I avoided social networking for so long is that I was trying to avoid the past.

Making contact with these ladies has given my heart a little lift. We are planning to reunite the second week of July. I am excited about it, and yet, a little nervous. Where in the world do you begin after so long? Perhaps you start in the present and work backwards? Who knows?