The different year of the garden 2020-2021

 Who knew there would be so many changes in the garden. After an adventure in August 2020 with the wasps attacking my head and developing cellulitis our dear daughter and Martin put their home on the market in Thunder Bay, quit their jobs and moved across the country and arrived at our door. Thus began this new adventure of the changing times of our lives. They moved in and began the job of reorganizing our home and garden. They were wonderful as we learned each others habits and quirks and unique needs. We learned to delegate and ask for help with each and every need that arose. There were many changes and adjustments as 4 strong willed adults of different temperaments learned the skills of living under the same roof without violence, murder and mayhem unfolding. The medical challenges of my recovery from the venom in my veins to the adjusting to the pain of needing a shoulder replacement were ongoing. Along with the challenges of frontal temporal dementia, gastric feeds, myesthenia gravis and other medical issues. Coming in August of 2020 most of the garden was completed and I was productive making applesauce and baking muffins and enjoying the fruits of the garden, raspberries, strawberries, plums and apples. Then the leaves fell and raking the leaves become an endearing practice and discussions of the composting ensued. Not every one in the house feels as passionate about composting as I do apparently. Challenges met and dealt with on a day by day basis

I was active and busy that summer loving the garden and the garden club and all things dahlia planted in my garden from Connie Thompson's dahlias.  It was lovely and I have increased the fuchsias around the garden and the hummingbirds are loving the flowers.

Lilies are lovely and the scent is amazing. I got a cardoon from a friend and it grew amazingly well and continued again this year. 

We started to feed the birds last year and had an amazing response from so many different types of birds. The Flickers love the suet feeders and so do the Stellars Jays. They compete with each other and not quietly. 

We have the Quail come and  twitter and run around the yard at various times. The families increase each year and then we are back to a pair or two each spring. 

My Peonies were not doing well and have been neglected by me particularly in the watering department. Hopefully I will improve my productivity in that area in 2022. 

Spring 2018 so many years and no blogs

I was pondering why I have not written in so long and then I realized we have had a long season of pain, suffering and stuggles. The medical list is huge and long and boring. New hips, new lenses, new gastric feeding, new ways of being in our world. Recovering and adjusting to the new reality has been a long hard row to how. We have a weekly angel who cleans for us and even takes the dog for a walk on her Tuesday with us.

 We have a new puppy who after a year of three surgeries has become our new bestie. I cannot begin to tell you how much I love being outside with the Patches and her muzzle. The rock eater had to be rescued with major surgery and won't leave them alone so with the muzzle on and she is free to go outside. 

Don has continued to sit in his chair and welcome all who visit. Frontal Temporal Dementia with it's usual unkindly ways has been a constant companion for the dear heart, along with the horrendous headaches that increase in duration and severity. Some days he is at loss for words or cannot remember the word he is trying to say. I am not working outside the home any longer and have found many reasons to find different work in the home. Tube feeding, crushing all medications for tube feeding them. Supervising swallowing and intake of only soft mushy foods. Discovering the dog has been attacking the muffins and eating them in the long hours of the night, when Patches and I are sleeping in the bedroom with the closed door. Oh maybe it was Don after all as he coughs continually from the seeds and nuts in the muffins. Learning to laugh at the unfolding of the truth. Don's nights are days and days are nights. Learning to accept that the brain is unwravelling it's wiring and unable to be reset. FTD sucks big time, and we don't have the toughest case, no rages, no violence, just quiet resting in the agony of headaches and no enjoyment of shared meals together. Conversations are limited and the endless TV watching is continuing.

Out with the old

In with the new

For myself I am feeling so pain free and so full of energy that the garden is my place of delight. I have a brand new last year, greenhouse.
My greenhouse has a beautiful slate walkway that two fellows from church built, Ken and Mike and they did a wonderful job.
This year I have my green house full of begonias that I have saved the tubers for years and have about 30 of them potted up to prepare for the warmer weather, 12.

Caladiums that I have never been successful in bringing to full survival and will attempt one last time to grow to full size.

I have  a large quantity of dahlias that I have separated and planted in pots to encourage an early bloom. This year I bought quite a few more so will have a large planting of them. I am redoing my front beds and removing some not so lovely items that have overgrown and will fill the bed with dahlias as the deer do not seem to love them so much. It will be my intention to actually name them this year and keep tabs on them. That will keep me out of trouble around Sooke and I will be on a learning curve.
The new thing I am doing is taking clay pots, sealing them and painting them. It is a lot of fun and the sunroom is perfect for creating my new playthings. I have also taken my dozen fairies that have turned colour from grey to white and spray painted them a lovely brown and am adding colours to them and will settle them back in my garden in strategic places. The little darlings were purchased about 9 years ago and have survived outside all that time.

I have some dear friends and we share stories and hobbies together, I am learning to card create, don't send them but learning different techniques is so enjoyable. Making my own alcohol paints, embossing paper, creating different effects. Practicing the presence of God in all my ways is the perfect take away from all the chaos of daily life.

Isaiah 44 ►

New International Version Israel the Chosen 1“But now listen, Jacob, my servant, Israel, whom I have chosen. 2This is what the Lord says— he who made you, who formed you in the womb, and who will help you: Do not be afraid, Jacob, my servant, Jeshurun,a whom I have chosen. 3For I will pour water on the thirsty land, and streams on the dry ground; I will pour out my Spirit on your offspring, and my blessing on your descendants. 4They will spring up like grass in a meadow, like poplar trees by flowing streams. 5Some will say, ‘I belong to the Lord’; others will call themselves by the name of Jacob; still others will write on their hand, ‘The Lord’s,’ and will take the name Israel. The Lord, Not Idols 6“This is what the Lord says— Israel’s King and Redeemer, the Lord Almighty: I am the first and I am the last; apart from me there is no God. 7Who then is like me? Let him proclaim it. Let him declare and lay out before me what has happened since I established my ancient people, and what is yet to come— yes, let them foretell what will come. 8Do not tremble, do not be afraid. Did I not proclaim this and foretell it long ago? You are my witnesses. Is there any God besides me? No, there is no other Rock; I know not one.” 9All who make idols are nothing, and the things they treasure are worthless. Those who would speak up for them are blind; they are ignorant, to their own shame. 10Who shapes a god and casts an idol, which can profit nothing? 11People who do that will be put to shame; such craftsmen are only human beings. Let them all come together and take their stand; they will be brought down to terror and shame. 12The blacksmith takes a tool and works with it in the coals; he shapes an idol with hammers, he forges it with the might of his arm. He gets hungry and loses his strength; he drinks no water and grows faint. 13The carpenter measures with a line and makes an outline with a marker; he roughs it out with chisels and marks it with compasses. He shapes it in human form, human form in all its glory, that it may dwell in a shrine. 14He cut down cedars, or perhaps took a cypress or oak. He let it grow among the trees of the forest, or planted a pine, and the rain made it grow. 15It is used as fuel for burning; some of it he takes and warms himself, he kindles a fire and bakes bread. But he also fashions a god and worships it; he makes an idol and bows down to it. 16Half of the wood he burns in the fire; over it he prepares his meal, he roasts his meat and eats his fill. He also warms himself and says, “Ah! I am warm; I see the fire.” 17From the rest he makes a god, his idol; he bows down to it and worships. He prays to it and says, “Save me! You are my god!” 18They know nothing, they understand nothing; their eyes are plastered over so they cannot see, and their minds closed so they cannot understand. 19No one stops to think, no one has the knowledge or understanding to say, “Half of it I used for fuel; I even baked bread over its coals, I roasted meat and I ate. Shall I make a detestable thing from what is left? Shall I bow down to a block of wood?” 20Such a person feeds on ashes; a deluded heart misleads him; he cannot save himself, or say, “Is not this thing in my right hand a lie?” 21“Remember these things, Jacob, for you, Israel, are my servant. I have made you, you are my servant; Israel, I will not forget you. 22I have swept away your offenses like a cloud, your sins like the morning mist. Return to me, for I have redeemed you.” 23Sing for joy, you heavens, for the Lord has done this; shout aloud, you earth beneath. Burst into song, you mountains, you forests and all your trees, for the Lord has redeemed Jacob, he displays his glory in Israel. Jerusalem to Be Inhabited 24“This is what the Lord says— your Redeemer, who formed you in the womb: I am the Lord, the Maker of all things, who stretches out the heavens, who spreads out the earth by myself, 25who foils the signs of false prophets and makes fools of diviners, who overthrows the learning of the wise and turns it into nonsense, 26who carries out the words of his servants and fulfills the predictions of his messengers, who says of Jerusalem, ‘It shall be inhabited,’ of the towns of Judah, ‘They shall be rebuilt,’ and of their ruins, ‘I will restore them,’ 27who says to the watery deep, ‘Be dry, and I will dry up your streams,’ 28who says of Cyrus, ‘He is my shepherd and will accomplish all that I please; he will say of Jerusalem, “Let it be rebuilt,” and of the temple, “Let its foundations be laid.” ’ Footnotes: a 2 Jeshurun means the upright one, that is, Israel. New International Version (NIV)

A Day in the life of the garden

 Job 28: 23God understands the way [to Wisdom] and He knows the place of it [Wisdom is with God alone].

    ²⁴For He looks to the ends of the earth and sees everything under the heavens.

    ²⁵When He gave to the wind weight or pressure and allotted the waters by measure,

    ²⁶When He made a decree for the rain and a way for the lightning of the thunder,

    ²⁷Then He saw [Wisdom] and declared it; He established it, yes, and searched it out [for His own use, and He alone possesses it].

    ²⁸But to man He said, Behold, the reverential and worshipful fear of the Lord--that is Wisdom; and to depart from evil is understanding.

   Amplified Bible

Somehow as I read the Word of God in it's various translations the implications for my understanding are amazing. I am amazed at the wisdom of God as He comes alongside me day after day, week after week and year after year. It doesn't matter if it is a good time or a time of life changing experience. We are changing continually and God is faithful to keep us in the process. I really don't like change and I love the outcome when God does it for and through me. So is my life like my garden, weeds and all, fruit bearing trees, flowers in abundance, birds of many different varieties.

Some like the sapsucker I so love to watch, eats bugs and things and destroys parts of my trees. I can't bring myself to stop their incessant hole picking as I love their movements. 

There is a hummingbird that follows me around like a puppy dog with wings on. Really he/she flies around buzzing me and going up and down and following me where ever I go in the yard. I think it is just grateful for the lilies and other flowers for feasting. 

The noisy doves who coo incessantly as soon as they wake up and continue for the day. They are lovely to look at and just a bit annoying.
My new raised veggie beds are amazingly productive and we are eating zucchini, peas, Swiss chard--the rest is growing well.

My raspberries and tayberries are done and were not that fruitful this year, however the next year growth is coming in and they will be good next year. The blueberries were not loaded and it was their first year in the revamped bed so hope for lots next year. My prune plums are loaded and almost breaking. The yellow plums next door that I adore had 5 on my side of the fence, and Vickie had none. Funny how it is with the plums. My cherries were enjoyed by the robins and they were up early each morning to feast to their hearts content. 

The lilies are blooming and I do love the scent of heaven they produce, reminding me of my David in heaven the fragrant offering of love with Jesus. He started me on the lilies in 1985 the year before he died. I do so love them and I moved them this year to make way for the new patio. They are not getting enough sun and are bending to look for the light, but in turn they are lasting longer and the colours seem to be even brighter. 

What does all this have to do with wisdom, well my life is a work in progress like my garden and the weeds still come up in my behaviour, the birds sometimes nest in my hair and the fruit comes whenever God allows it and it is always such a joy and surprise.

Yesterday was a day like that, an early phone call, a wedding to be cancelled as the pastor was in emergency, a fleeting thought about a justice of the peace I know,she was available,  a rapid trip to French Beach, the folks went ahead with the wedding with my justice of the peace, not they way they planned but married just the same,in the middle cleaning up the tayberry and raspberry canes,  picking up the pastor and his wife from emergency to bring them home again. About my Father's business without knowing the day when I awoke. Just being available. Practicing the presence of God in a day. How can people say life is boring, it is endlessly living from dawn to bedtime. 

Pondering this month about life in the garden, no matter how we live, by that I mean the circumstances of our lives. We are to blossom. Some of us bear small showy flowers in abundance or large in abundance. Others bloom once in their lives and it is finished. 

The problem as I see it is that often we are not aware that no matter where we are planted we add to the world.  What made this real for me this week after the death of a dear friend was the sight of some poppies growing in a crack in my driveway right under the garage door. Minuscule little plants with tiny flowers. Growing through the concrete with no visible sign of soil. Hmm that made me think about God and how He uses each one of us in different ways. The purposes of God are beyond explaining and there was no obvious to me,  reason for those wee flowers to be there, as right next to them are some huge poppies planted in good soil. But God is the giver of life and He numbers our days. More than that He plans ahead of time the works we are to do. 

Ephesians 2: ⁸ For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith —and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— ⁹ not by works, so that no one can boast. ¹⁰ For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

I have no answers  as life is unfolding day by day. 

My dear heart and I are celebrating our 50th anniversary next Saturday. Why do we have so much time together and others with less baggage get the shortened version. Maybe it takes this long to unravel the parts that need the redemptive work of our God.  We are blessed with our children, their spouses and 4 wonderful grandsons. A church family that loves us and friends who stand with us during the unfolding of the senior experiences. Health can become an issue with surprising swiftness, pain can come to stay in the body parts, and what matters most is the ability to count the blessings each and every day. Sharing the joy with each other. Making new friends can be a delight and maintaining contact with friends and neighbours a true heart warming experience. It seems so much easier to tell them you love them with a sincere heart these later years. The busyness of life is diminishing and the yearning to have no regrets each day makes love and forgiveness the path of choice. 

^{Psalm 105:39} He spread out a cloud as a covering, and a fire to give light at night. ⁴⁰ They asked, and he brought them quail; he fed them well with the bread of heaven. ⁴¹ He opened the rock, and water gushed out; it flowed like a river in the desert.

There are some things that bring joy to my heart, Quail being one of them. I bought a cement set of mother and babies quite a while ago, like several years earlier. My neighbour and I discuss them fairly often, she hates them as they dig up her garden, I  love the way they run and talk to each other and I don't mind that they make a mess as I have two dogs and they certainly do. There was this fantastic stand in at the Salvation Army store the other day with three burls and a root of sorts. I jumped at it and brought it home. My quail were needing paint and fixing so that was my project last Friday. I will be setting these darlings out in my garden and hopefully the quail will enjoy them as well. I just have to seal their cotes and let it dry and then they will be au natural, at least in my mind. 

My newest family of Quail guaranteed to stay put.

There are so many joy givers in my life, in my garden and surrounding me. The trees will be pruned soon and as they have been neglected they should be much happier. Gardening will be beginning soon and that will bring me some much needed exercise. There are so many chores to begin, planting all my begonias will start soon. They do so much better if I start them in my kitchen but oh the clutter, each year they survive and I have more and more. If I were to have one wish is they could smell like  a lily or gardenia. Maybe I just want too much. The perfection of the blooms is amazing and they are so elegant, I plant them right outside my dining room window  past the quail and the humming birds flutter around there at meal times. 

Spring in the garden

James 5:7-11

 Be patient, then, brothers, until the Lord's coming. See how the farmer waits for the land to yield its valuable crop and how patient he is for the autumn and spring rains. 8 You too, be patient and stand firm, because the Lord's coming is near. 9 Don't grumble against each other, brothers, or you will be judged. The Judge is standing at the door!  10 Brothers, as an example of patience in the face of suffering, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. 11 As you know, we consider blessed those who have persevered. You have heard of Job's perseverance and have seen what the Lord finally brought about. The Lord is full of compassion and mercy. NIV

There is a time of year that life awakens afresh, my heart sings and the birds chirp, the quails run around and the sun once again shows it's lovely face. The snowdrops present their pure white faces under the fallen leaves, pushing aside the clutter to be fresh and new again. The garden is always patient, no matter the winter snow or storms or winds. Broken branches, broken trees, lying waiting for the sun and rain to complete the breaking down into soil or at least a living home for bugs, animals and plants. Leaves lying waiting for the rain to beat, the sun to shine and break them into great new soil. 

I wonder why I am not so patient, wishing for the next step in the journey, wishing for the surgery so Don could enjoy his meals and we won't be so anxious waiting for the choking to end. The truth is we don't even know if that will accomplish the desired results. We will get the call and make plans to go to Vancouver for the week sometime in the next few months.  

 Not so Don, he patiently passes each day, just pleasantly waiting the next directive from me or the Dr.s. Patience in the face of suffering, endless headaches, not much sleep at night, every day an endurance test  and doing his routines. He cuddles with the two white snugglers who adore him and wait patiently for him to arise each morning at 11 as is his habit. Dancing around in glee as he appears, waiting to see if he forgot that they had their wake up cookies and just maybe they will get another one. Breakfast and cuddles with the main man on the recliner. Their days are simple and delightful. 

The winter wind blew in our daughter in January for an extended stay. She brightens up our lives and brings a form of spring, many phone calls, lots of friends, busyness and adventures each day. A life force that cannot be denied is present when she is in a room. Laughter is always at the ready, stories are endless and new friends made as she presents each of her friend with their lives and stories.

I will persevere in this journey of living in the presence of spring's arrival. Expectant and cautiously optimistic, planting again the seeds for the crops to harvest later in the year. Spring is coming and clean up begins. I want to be patient and established in the Lord, not fretting, not fearing, standing firm for what is right, unafraid, and dear Lord, make me holy as you are holy. Celebrating each day and enjoying the moments. Waiting for the moment that He comes in His glory. Maranatha! Even so come Lord Jesus.

The Soil in My Life

^{Mark 4:26} He also said, “This is what the kingdom of God is like. A man scatters seed on the ground. ²⁷ Night and day, whether he sleeps or gets up, the seed sprouts and grows, though he does not know how. ²⁸ All by itself the soil produces grain—first the stalk, then the head, then the full kernel in the head. ²⁹ As soon as the grain is ripe, he puts the sickle to it, because the harvest has come.”  ³⁰ Again he said, “What shall we say the kingdom of God is like, or what parable shall we use to describe it? ³¹ It is like a mustard seed, which is the smallest of all seeds on earth. ³² Yet when planted, it grows and becomes the largest of all garden plants, with such big branches that the birds can perch in its shade.” The Message

What is the soil of my life actually like as I ponder the New Year. I've noticed over the years that changes happen. In the beginning I used to turn the sods over, sift all the soil to remove the rocks, many wheelbarrows of those heavy things. Hours of working with the grandsons and Emma from next door. We learned many things about each other as we dug and turned and added compost and other things before the plantings.  I used to think my spiritual  soil was like that and I worked so hard, taking courses, reading books, listening to speakers, trying to root out those stubborn traits of self-will, anger, irritation, abruptness, the rocks of  self-righteousness, and self-justification. It was hard work turning my will and life over to God especially when I had to help Him so much. 

Now it is much easier, no sods to turn just layer newspaper and pile on the new dirt that comes from composting. I have several composting bins and they are not done all that well but every second year I have the rich black stuff. I love to spread it around. I know that if I were more disciplined that I could use it every year. It seems I have so much else to do that I don't fret about it just do what I can day by day. It is easier now for the soil in my life is softer, more loving, more gentle, kinder, less angst railing against injustice and evil. I think aging does that. I am learning to treasure the moments of joy in each day, delighting in every moment, encouraging my dear heart as the headaches seem to increase weekly. The unknown is still present but this moment is fresh and new and full of promise, if not for great expectations, then the presence of the Living God for each new adventure. 

To be honest I am not making any new beds and am actually attempting to decrease the areas, allowing for fewer weeds to take root. It is like that for relationships as well. I no longer harbor hurt feelings or annoyances and save them up for the week to rehash all that others have done to me. It is such a waste land of energy and joy stealing. I treasure those that phone and visit and know that others are all busy in their lives and are not deliberately avoiding me. I am blessed with a family of fine young, and not so young adults. One special younger grandson, who painted me a tree of life for my Christmas present. A wonderful reminder that trees grow only with good soil and dear Lord make my life that good soil. You know the right mix in my life to bring forth fruitful soil.