Seedlings

The wonder of watching seeds pop up through the soil, not only the ones I bought but the ones I saved from last year, is amazing to me. I will never get over the beautiful way God made this earth sustainable for us. It is wonderful!

Let It Grow! Let It Grow! Let It Grow!

One of the challenging things about gardening is developing patience. Waiting for seeds to pop through the soil, waiting for that first blossom on the tomato vine, waiting for that first blossom to drop and for the first tomato to appear can seem like it is taking forever.

When my daughters were young and we went on vacations they would each load a backpack up with books. They would sit in the back seat reading unless there was a site to take in. They learned to enjoy the journey.

The happy gardener has learned that secret my girls discovered, otherwise the trip can seem interminable. 

Don't forget the surprise out there too, those uninvited guests that say hello from time to time. This morning while pulling a few weeds I ran into one. It was one of our toads. He was among the growing cucumber seedlings.

Enjoy the journey! 

Memorial Day Weekend

80 years ago this Memorial Day weekend an ice cream man here in the Metro New York Area was selling ice cream out of his truck. His truck got a flat tire. He ended up in the parking lot of a pottery shop. The owner of the shop allowed him to use the electricity from his store so he opened his parked truck for business. For two days he sold the melting ice cream to vacationers driving by until he ran out.

He discovered three things.

1. People loved the soft ice cream.

2. A fixed location worked well.

3. His profits increased due to the increased sales and the lack of wear and tear on his truck.

His name was Athanassios Karvelas, a Greek Immigrant. But you may know him better by his Americanized name "Tom Carvel".

80 years ago this weekend, Carvel Ice Cream had its start (from a flat tire!)

You never know what God may do with humble beginnings!

Think of our own country! We honor those today who fought for our freedoms and paid the ultimate sacrifice while doing it. Let's hold those freedoms close: Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness as we continue to fight to maintain them.

The Song In My Heart This Morning

All  Thy works with joy surround Thee, 

earth and heaven reflect Thy rays, 

stars and angels sing around Thee, 

center of unbroken praise.  

Field and forest, vale and mountain, 

flowery meadow, flashing sea, 

chanting bird and flowing fountain, 

call us to rejoice in Thee.

Memorial Day Reflection

It does my heart good to hear of families getting together over this Memorial Day Weekend. Kids making trips to be with parents, Grandkids visiting Grandparents, my mom at my sister's... these things are what the brave fought for. I heard it again last Saturday evening at a Girl Scout ceremony in the park as they pledged, "On my honor, I will try:

To serve God and my country,

To help people at all times,

And to live by the Girl Scout Law."

I heard it as the whole crowd pledged to allegiance to the flag, "One Nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all."

I grew up in Bellmore with Memorial Days spent with family and being thankful that we live in America.

I won't forget the men who died who gave that right to me!

Long may our flag wave!

Memorial Day Weekend

“You have to love a nation that celebrates its independence every July 4, not with a parade of guns, tanks, and soldiers who file by the White House in a show of strength and muscle, but with family picnics where kids throw Frisbees, the potato salad gets iffy, and the flies die from happiness. You may think you have overeaten, but it is patriotism.”

― Erma Bombeck

Memorial Day Weekend is when the Northeast United States finish its planting in the garden. Seeds are sown, little seedings are planted and what is small now throughout the summer and into Labor day becomes a family farm in backyards.

It is above all else a day to honor our fallen soldiers. Young men, very young died so we could be free. We remember the ultimate sacrifice they paid. As I go with my family to the Memorial Day Parade this year I give thanks for being anAmerican and for those who died so I could be free.

God bless America!

Finished

What a great feeling after having planted 18 tomato plants to sit in the backyard with a cold glass of ice water and take in God's Amazing Creation. 

Evening and Morning

As the garden is planted I take great delight in walking around it before the day begins and as it ends. Obviously that idea is not original with me. It dates back to Adam and Eve.

Surprises!

I went out to do some watering this morning and there in the freshly planted cucumber bed was a toad! Love these uninvited guests!

Then since I bought my tomato plants from Father Nature's yesterday I cleaned out 18 pots of old growth and broke up the soil. On the last pot as I cleared the dead leaves and dried seaweed out there were three Chinese Morning Glories all sprouted and looking healthy! They had grown from the seed pods from last fall!

I love the surprises God, our Heavenly Father gives to His children on the earth He created!

Ferns

For years I tried to transplant ferns to my pond. A number of years ago my friend and fellow gardener, John Foster, brought some ferns down from northern New Hampshire. They are up again this spring and add so much to the landscape in the shaded part of the water garden. They are a reminder of friendship and how God renews the earth after winter.

Mornings

The early morning is one of my favorite times for being out back in my yard. As a song says, "The dew is still on the roses."

I love the freshness of the day, the sound of the birds singing, the moments before the sun begins to shine. 

Activity is at a minimum before the busyness of the day sets in. 

Tomorrow morning, after a good night's rest, I will make coffee and have it there in God's household, among His creation, His handiwork. I am looking forward to that meeting with the LORD.

Sunshine

How thankful I am for the sunshine. It touches my soul. It produces Vitamin D. It warms the earth, lights the day and lets me see the fish in my pond like no artificial light could possibly do.

It is the simple things that make life good. Enjoy the sunshine! 

The Garden In My Yard

His Garden Part I

I heard of your garden

Lavish with growth

The warmth it’s providing

A life of its own

The colors colliding

With firm green frame

Pathways well trodden

A peek showed the same

Many find refuge

Solitude's home

A harbor for souls

An oasis for hope

I’ve heard of your care 

The great love and attention

The endless hours

The gift of  its offering

Sweat on the brow

Humble knee bent

Nature’s own way

A waiting well spent

Not only one hand

Has planted its seeds

But one mighty hand

Winds through its leaves

Growth is abundant

For nature knows well

From the damp of the fall

To dark winters revenge 

Through the cool spring rains

As the earth gives way

To life in its splendor

And to colors vast array

The inconspicuous movement

Of life’s subtle growth

Lies under the beds

Preparing for birth

To safely be freed

In mornings warm light

Is hopes deliberate message

The mystery of life

I heard of your garden

You give it away

For those who receive it

Give one pause on the way.

By Cliff Kretkowski

May 2, 2006

Cliff is a dear friend who wrote this poem after a visit to my backyard 8 years ago. He captures the heart of my garden. It was put in just after my brother, Mark, went to heaven and my life came crashing down. My coach from High School, Paul Limmer, encouraged me to dig up the yard and plant.

Shortly after a dear sister in the LORD, Sue Fliss, gave me this a card with this verse:

The Garden has been my therapy,

Here among the flowers and the bright fruit,

when the light is brand new and everything is fresh and wet

and the leaves are beaded up with dewdrops,

I work in the household of nature

and refresh my spirit.

It seems to me that every weed I pull

is a bit of grief I am learning to set aside,

a tear I've weeded out so that

Good cheeer can grow again.

You are always welcome.

Toads

I came home from a full day with family this evening. 

I went out back to water some new plants and recent transplants when what to wondering eyes did appear but a toad!

Our yard has had a great history with these fascinating little creatures. We have had them lay eggs in our pond and have inundated with them. We have had up to 23 at a time sit around the pond during mating season. Their noise has made the neighbors wonder what was going on. My brother-in-law, Barry, said, on a visit, "I live in upstate New York. I come to Long Island and there is more wildlife in your yard than in mine!"

It is a high compliment when these uninvited guests find refuge here. The birds nest around the house, the toads come and raise families and we have even had box turtles lay eggs near the pond. It is wonderful.

The toads actually stay here al year. With the arrival of the insects now they are ready to begin to eat.

I have the windows open tonight. I love going to sleep listening to a choir of them or a solo of one.

Growing

Rain followed by sun and warmer spring like temperatures result in lots of growth! That's what is happening out back right now.

A word about being green...

actually two words: leaf compost!!!

Last fall my grandson Tristan and I mulched all the leaves on the premises, blew them into a huge pile and over the winter they decomposed giving us great fertilizer for the day lilies and other beds.

We didn't put any bags full of leaves at the curb, didn't have any plastic bags to fill, and didn't do back breaking raking. We blew the leaves together, mulched them and put them in a pile and here we are! We putting things back into the earth. That is conservation at it best!