Greetings from Plum Cottage

Hello Friends, Sorry I've been away for so long. The longest I've probably ever not posted. My heart just hasn't been into it. I want to thank those who have reached out to me and sorry to have worried you. About a couple of months ago I did come down with a sore throat, then dry, hacking coughing, that lasted a couple of weeks. I hibernated for about 4 weeks.

 My 73rd birthday happened on the first day of spring. How can that be? In my head I don't feel that number. ;-) My body says otherwise.

I was given a money gift by friends and they wanted me to get something special, like flowers or whatever. Well, since I am FlowerLady, guess what I bought. Two roses, Tiffany and Double Delight. Both are heavily scented, Tiffany more so. Absolutely Wonderful!! I also got a glass flamingo solar light.

I left HD with a smile on my face and the little van was filled with heavenly fragrance. I then headed west to a nursery I've been to several times and love the diversity of plants. They are going out of business, retiring, so everything was on sale. A lot had been sold since the last time I was there. I did buy six plants at a great deal and left there happy also. I got two variegated confederate jasmine vines, a purple porterweed, Bush clockvine, a bush daisy, and a lovely mandevilla vine. (These two friends, a married couple, have helped me with clearing the property of stuff, after Juvenal hauled away all of the metal.) Property is looking better and pretty soon I'll just have maintenance, not a burden. ;-)

'Tiffany' Rose

'Double Delight' rose

This is how it looked when it first opened, which made me think this wasn't the rose on the tag.

 

This is same rose the next morning and looked like the rose on tag. Amazing!!

 

Solar glass flamingo

 

I am going to try to get back into blogging. I have missed it, I have missed visiting a lot of  you and I'm sorry to have lost touch. 

 I work a couple of hours each morning outside when I feel like it or don't have other plans. I'm moving potted plants around, planting some in the area that is almost cleared. Still have cut limbs and stuff to move out. It is amazing what has been done around here in a little over a year.

Below are some before and after pics of one area.

January 2021

February 2021 - neighbor asked if he could have someone cut down the 'rattle tree', as it was a nuisance to both of us. The 'rattling' of seed pods and droppage of pods several times a year. I of course said yes. He had already bought most of the fencing for his side of my property and my friends put up the fencing. The tree trimmer knew Juvenal who picked up scrap metal and the rest is history.

There's still more to be gotten rid of, limbs, junk. It took years to get here and it has taken years to get it this far, this last year being really productive, thanks to so many helping hands. I want to make this place a tropical sanctuary, for myself and those who visit.

This is after my friends were here in early March this year. He cut the rattle tree and a smaller relative to the ground and weed wacked. I have the blue tarp down to kill weeds. ;-)

 

I'm still crocheting 'comfort' lap blankets. I love this pattern. The full size is much larger than this. I had some yarn colors in my stash but had to buy some.

 

I want to get back into doing embroidery with threads, beads and ribbon. 

 

Gardening is a chore and a joy. Spring is a wonderful time of year. I found the sign, broken, in my laundry shed when I cleared it out some so that a new washing machine belt could be put on my 20 year old Maytag washer. I rigged the sign back together and it makes me smile.

I've had times of being overwhelmed and depressed, but Jesus has brought me through those times. Friends have reached out, prayers have been said, love has been given and I am thankful more than words can say.

The last couple of years have been rough for the whole world, some more than others and now this horrible devastation in Ukraine. Let us keep praying for each other and the whole world. God is working even when it feels like He isn't. Evil will not win.

I've become more of a 'chair potato' watching you tube videos, more than I want to. I watch gardening, homesteading families, different crafts, natural ways of healing, cooking/baking, nature documentaries, and movies. I've been reading a lot of spiritually uplifting books, my library is full to overflowing. I read, and re-read. I want to get back to the public library. They did a major remodeling while the world was shut down and have recently reopened.  I need some good fiction.

 I live on a small ss check. My little cottage is paid for, it is old, 1951- quirky, my little haven. My car is paid for also. I have a little $ in savings in case of emergency. My goal is to live contentedly, not envious of others, pray for things to work out, and to be thankful always in all circumstances. 

The privacy/stockade fencing is barely standing along the driveway and across the back of property, 20-30 years old. It is something I'm praying about. Fencing has just about doubled in price. Prices are going up on everything. I am thankful for this place and all that God has blessed me with.

When going through buckets of stuff under the barn's awning, I found one with broken stained glass pieces in it. I threw out most of it, except for three pieces.

This one below is painted, not really stained glass. What a find!!! I have it leaning against two pieces of petrified wood, and the flowers are Tahitian Gardenias. Huge and wonderfully scented.

The two aqua stained glass are the other pieces. Excuse my dirty windows, they do need cleaning, but they also have fogged up because of losing the qir or whatever between the double panes of glass.

Ok, this has been a long post. I will close with the following photo of a little gift I made for the ladies of my Bible study group. The words are Bible verses. So good for any of us to think on.

 

Have a lovely Easter/Resurrection weekend. Remembering the reason we celebrate.

God came down to earth. He took on flesh. His name was Jesus. He gave His life for us so that we'd be set FREE from death and destruction. We are all sinners, and His death and resurrection gives us life now and forever, when we truly believe in Him and what He has done. He said,

"I am the resurrection and the life. 

He who believes in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live."

John 11:25

May God bless and keep you all.

Love, hugs and prayers,

FlowerLady