May Flowers and Other Things

 April showers really did bring May flowers to our yard.  I need to move the fire pokers but I don't know where to put them.  Mom's amaryllis  trumpeted bright red this year.  The wildflowers beside the shed are starting to bloom.  They'll bloom through frost and we always enjoy them.

The garden is flourishing.  The sugar snap peas have outgrown their stakes.  We have baby tomatoes and peppers.  We are picking broccoli and kohlrabi.  We've never grown kohlrabi and it's delicious, sort of like a sweet turnip.  We'll be planting it again. We transplanted the strawberries from pots into raised beds and they're doing well.  So far we've picked 16 strawberries.  That was our entire harvest last year so we'll at least be equal.  Something is eating the strawberries, though. Phillip thinks it's slugs. We are battling them by putting eggshells around the plants. 

Phillip took the base of an old treadle sewing machine and a vanity top that he found in the outbuilding and made a garden sink for me.  He did a great job.  The water drains to the bucket underneath and I use it to water the gardens.  It is handy to wash the vegetables before we bring them in to the kitchen. 

The old washing machine stopped working, with a full tub of water and a load of Phillip's work jeans, of course.  We decided not to buy a front loader or an HE, just a regular machine.  So far, I've been pleased with it.  

 I'll close this post with pictures taken at our Memorial Day cookout. The weather was perfect and we had a really good time.  Jason brought his Kubb game and even Jonas got into the spirit of the Vikings.  Jason was our chief cook but everyone contributed to the meal.  It was all delicious and I ate way too much. 

 

In April

We celebrated birthdays.

Rachel's - obviously not a current photo

Jonas

Jason - another photo from a birthday long past

  

                                                                          I bought new cookware.  I love the way it stacks together so neatly.

Phillip worked in the gardens,

and things are growing.

See the baby broccoli!  We've never grown broccoli before.  This may be the entire harvest but we're very pleased with it.

Mama's irises bloomed.  They smell so sweet.

I finished copying the book of Joshua. I started in December.  One of my goals is to copy the whole Bible before I die.  I have a tendency to read things very quickly.  Copying scripture word for word is a way to force myself to slow down and really see what it's saying.  It's one of the best things I've ever done.

I got a new sewing machine, but I really miss my old one.  Jaclyn had given it to me and it was the best machine I've ever used.  I knew it and it knew me and we got along well.  One day it just stopped.  Since I was in the middle of sewing dresses to send to the mission in Haiti, I feel that it gave its life in service to the Lord.  This new one has quite a lot to live up to.

The Legendary Chocolate Bunny Heist of 1989

Jason was apparently trying to convince either Jaclyn or Rachel to share their candy.  Emily, holding her bunny, was looking quite concerned.

Jason was searching his empty box for a few last crumbs of his chocolate bunny, which he had already devoured.  Emily unwrapped hers and seemed to be pleased with it.

 

Jason reached around and took Emily's bunny.  He took a big bite of it before I could intervene.  Emily was really, really, really upset.

 Jaclyn and Rachel enjoyed their bunnies.

Laura enjoyed her bunny.(She was a baby.  She apparently didn't get a big one.)

No more pictures of Jason or Emily.  Emily was inconsolable and Jason was banished. I don't remember what his exact punishment was but I'm sure it was designed to instill character.  It seems to have been effective because, as far as I know, he never took another chocolate bunny away from a small child.

And that's the way it happened, a few days after Easter, 1989.  We have the pictures to prove it.

Garden Journal

Since it's getting warmer Phillip is anxious to get the garden started.  He's built 2 new raised beds to try Mel Bartholomew's square foot gardening plan. On Saturday he filled the first new bed and planted broccoli, potatoes, and peas.  Today after work he planted onions and radishes.  Broccoli is a new crop for us.  We eat a lot of it so we decided to try growing our own. 

80

Today would have been Mom's 80th birthday.  So far it's not a horrible day for me.  I believe there are two reasons for that.  First, Mom was adamant that she did not want to live to be in her 80's.  When she talked about that, I'd always say, "But Mama, we want you to be here with us."  She'd answer, "What you want doesn't matter."  Mama knew the Lord and knew that she was ready for heaven and  that's where she is today.  She's probably chuckling that she got her way in the end.  She usually did.  The second reason is that on Feb. 11 last year, which was a very hard day for me, my six girls surprised me by getting together for a lunch at a tea room in Gastonia.  Now I have a sweet memory for that date.

One of the things I've found most comforting since Mom died has been using her Bible.  Mama was a very private person who rarely shared personal feelings, but her Bible is filled with verses she's underlined or highlighted, put stars or check marks beside.  I know that the Lord used those verses of Scripture in some way in her life, and I've loved finding them.  God has used them to comfort me just the way He did for her.

I've also been pondering what she'd think about the changes I've made in her house.  I really believe she'd like the laundry room, den, and hall bathroom.  We're getting ready to buy new carpet and she'd talked about that a lot so I know she'd be ok with that.  My orange bathroom, now that's a different story.  I think Mom would say one of two things.  She might say, "You're a nut."  But I think she'd  say, "You've always been weird."  She was probably right but she loved me anyway. 

Happy Birthday, Mama, from your favorite daughter.

The Orange Bathroom Is Finished

Orange has never been on my list of favorite colors.  I can't think of anything I own that is orange (that isn't related to fall.)  Why I decided to paint my bathroom orange is a mystery to me but I really like the way it turned out.  It wouldn't suit everyone, but it suits me.  Phillip was pretty set against my orange idea so I had decided to compromise on the color to keep peace.  When we went to buy the paint, he actually chose this color, Canyon Sun.  Does he like it?  No, he doesn't but he says he can live with it. He's a pretty good guy.

My Christmas Purse

My granddaughter Lilly gave me this delightful and unique Christmas gift.  She bought it at her school's Santa Shop. 

I don't know if you can read the package but it's a kit to grow a purse.  Lilly was very excited about this.

It's quite tiny but it grows 600 times bigger.  We followed all the instructions very carefully.

And we waited.  And it grew. 

Because Phillip and Hannah have been sick, Lilly hasn't been able to come over, but if she was here to hold it, you'd be able to see how big it's grown.  I'm sure it's 600 times bigger, maybe even more.  Thank you, Lilly, for this wonderful gift.