Sunny Days

Sunny days are for…

Fieldtrips with favorite students…

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and for finding wild flowers.

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And the long evenings while the sun slowly sinks are for seeing what’s blooming in my own yard…

Mostly Dandy Lions!

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But bluebells too.

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And it wouldn’t be spring without the dainty salmonberry blossoms dancing in mid-air…P1100754

Or the cheery face of first Calendula!

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I love a sunny spring day!

–LS

“The flowers appear on the earth; the time of the singing of birds is come, and the voice of the turtledove [or in our course the bullfrog!] is heard in our land.” Song of Songs 2:12

Starting with Seeds…

 

Then God said, “Look! I have given you every seed-bearing plant throughout the earth…” Gen.1:29

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And that’s how this cherry tree came to be all on its own in my flower garden (and former compost pile!):

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Then there is horsetail with its spores and incorrigible rhizomes ever spreading and sprouting… But this is an exotic specimen, don’t you think?!

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Speaking of seeds… it’s that time again (even a little late?!), to get the tomato seeds planted, but first for the pots.  I discovered this super simple, no frills, no saving/storing/cleaning pots method:

Got Newspaper?

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Choose the size and shape of your pot from any old jar or can.  I chose a cute square jar this year. I love it that it never rolls away while I’m working with it!

Now roll it up in a lengthwise sheet of paper folded in on the long edges to fit your jar,  with an inch or two to spare at the bottom…

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Secure it with tape.

Upend your jar/can and fold in the bottom ends…

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And Voila!

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Your very own pot for starting seeds!

Huddle your clever pots in a waterproof container. Add potting soil and seeds.  Label with permanent marker and water liberally from the bottom…And one day there will be seedlings ready for transplanting out of these compostable pots. Works like a charm. No pots to clean. No muss, and just a little fun fuss.

Meanwhile, I love the plants that just pop up and bloom unannounced when their time to shine comes—among the first to brave the chill of spring—forget-me-nots and yellow alyssum.

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And that’s what’s happening at my house!

–LS

Winter’s grip is not forever

Arrived home yesterday on a red-eye flight from Alaska…

Winter still claims the landscape there.

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Glaciers preside as though eternal…

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Snow still threatens motorists in disregard for the turn of the calendar page to April…

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And the primary  indication of spring is the fast lengthening days and the rise of temperatures from REALLY cold to just cold!

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Yes, there is glory in a winter’s landscape but all creation longs for spring to break  winter’s grip.

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Deep in this wintery world, up a lonely pipeline access road…P1100492

down a snowy drive, nestled in neatly pruned evergreensP1100490crop

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resides a lonely wife and mother waiting for Spring, the breaking of Winter’s grip…

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We kids went to ease the loneliness for a moment, to share the waiting…

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Returning ‘home’ to the green of a fresh-born spring I was reminded again of how the cycling seasons pattern for us a hope that the dark seasons of life are not forever.  Spring does come. And it is all the more glorious for the long waiting!

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The willow outside our window has traded her drab dress for a garment of praise, a lovely thing that soothes snow-blinded eyes…

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Our King is on the move…His Kingdom is eternal.

–LS

“…weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning.” Ps.30:5