Beautiful weather

Good morning Friends ~ It is Thursday and today will be spent in ‘homecaring’ as I have company coming tomorrow. My husbands’ older sister is coming to visit. Her husband is going to a seminar down here so she and I will be visiting and then we’ll all got out to eat afterwards. I’m fixing a little lunch here for she and I. When she and her husband were down last summer they took us out to eat at a favorite Cuban restaurant that we all like.  I’m glad we had that visit.

So … there are ‘things’ I need to do around here.

Sunday and Monday were pretty rough days, times of sobbing. I just called out to God to get me through and he did, as he always does. I’ve read some things that have lightened my spirit, from my journal from last year, from the Bible and from other books I am reading. Plus comments and emails from you dear people. I wrote about the roller coaster of grief here.

I know my husband is with God and that is reason to celebrate. I also know that we will be reunited one day and that will be wonderful. For now, I am being drawn closer to God as I trust in him more and more every day.

The past two days I worked outside as the weather was perfect for it. As I was working, there were gentle breezes, periods of silence (when no traffic happened to be going by) and lots of sweet birdsong. I was oh so thankful and my heart lifted. I have much to learn and every day is a gift.

I cut back some trees, did weeding and clean up too. It all felt good. Physical exercise is great any time but especially at this time. Being outdoors is good for body, soul and spirit.

There are two piles here, on from the overgrown ixora, and then a pile of overgrown grass and other stuff that I raked out from my potting area. I’ve not liked going back there because of the ‘mean’ pit bull that lives behind us. Whenever he would hear us he would race up and down the privacy fencing on his side, snarling and slamming himself into the fence. Needless to say, it took the joy out of working in that quiet space back there. My husband tried all sort of things on this dog to get him to stay away from the fence, all to no avail. The dog is bad. Sometimes the owner would call the dog away. I’ve not been back there in about 6 months so haven’t had to deal with the dang dog.  Well, day before yesterday, it dawned on me how quiet it has been back there, so I thought maybe they are gone somewhere. So yesterday morning I decided to tackle the area.  While back there I peeked over the fence and could see that no one was there and it felt like no one was there too.  So I worked and worked back there and am happy with my progress. There is still more to do, but I couldn’t do it all at once.

These aren’t very exciting pictures at all, just showing some of the work I do around here. I love gardening even the hard work.

Here’s more debris. The basket plants - Callisia fragrans  had overgrown the little border wall by a foot or two and spreading further out into the property. This is such an easy plant to grow, doesn’t need any care, and the flowers are sweetly scented and loved by bees and it spreads itself, by runner growing out from older plants.

I have an 11’ stainless steel potting surface that used to be a restaurant sink/counter. We got this ‘curbside’ many, many years ago when a restaurant was being renovated. It is a great surface to work on. I have stacks of plastic flower pots, a table, a little mini greenhouse back here too, and various other and assorted ‘stuff’. Some I will be getting rid of. DH told me to before he died. When he was laying in bed he was thinking about getting rid of all of the junk, and he told me to get rid of it if he died. So, it’s what I am doing. We couldn’t pass useable things up when we saw them ‘curbside’ and have used LOTS of things we found, but some is just sitting and I will never use most of it. I will put it out front and let others come along and take what they want, or it will be picked up by the trash trucks.

Anyway, there is more work to be done back here, all in good time.

This is a pile of sea hibiscus (Hibiscus tiliaceus) tree limbs. These trees are on the neighbors’ side of the fence and we keep having to cut it from our side. DH always used his saws-all and I would use a tree saw and hand clippers to cut it up into more manageable pieces, for bagging and pick up. I used a saw on a pole to get to these.

While I was back along the fence in my potting area, I decided to bring out things I might want to use. I found some edging, a recycle bin, and some lattice. I’m thinking of making another pvc and lattice arbor.

I also brought out a decorative piece of cement, some glass blocks, and some round terra cotta drainage pipes. Will use the pipes for planters, of what I don’t know yet.

Here is a long view. I am standing up by the driveway gate. You can see that I have more of the tree hibiscus (bulging out in middle of picture on the right) that I need to cut down. If I don’t get it now, it will be too much for me to do myself, as the limbs get thicker and thicker. I will get brave and use the saws-all myself. And speaking of tools, I want to thank those of you who have ‘encouraged’ me to learn to use them. I really appreciate that. I have watched my husband use them for years and years, and know I have to be careful, and know how most of them generally work.

Now for some pretties.

This is a pot of Cuban oregano given to me by my friend Aida.

Here are some cuttings of it from my friend Cathy who has this as a huge potted plant. The little plant, was a cutting from my recently bought pineapple sage, that I rooted in water.

Pineapple sage smells wonderful. Hummingbirds love it.

Here’s the plant I bought, pinched back so that it will bush out more.

Here’s a rosemary plant I bought. DH wanted me to get another one, when he heard mine had died over the summer. Rosemary is for ‘remembrance’.

Bon Silene rose

Vincent Godsiff rose

That’s it. I’ve blabbed enough here. Hope you all have a great day wherever you are, whatever you are doing. If you are going through rough times, call out to God, as he loves us dearly and is with us always. He will be our strength, and fill us with his love and peace.

Happy gardening, happy living moment to moment.

FlowerLady