My DH!

I was reminded yesterday why I married my husband. He reminds me every day actually, but yesterday something he said just drove home how much I love this man. He's a quiet guy that doesn't open up to many. I have always felt like I could tell him anything and he listens; that is rare.

I love to listen to his ideas. He has such insight and wisdom and a unique way of understanding things. He opens my perspective to entirely new vistas of perception. He's a humble man, so if you don't sit up and pay attention, he isn't likely to repeat himself.

In the thirty plus years I have known him, he has grown into even a more beautiful person. I am a much better person for knowing him and having him be part of my life. He has made this world a richer place to be, he has given me two beautiful children and so much happiness. I am married to my very best friend.

Thank you Allen...I love you so very much.

Spring

This has been a very mild winter for those of us here in the southern United States. I know some of you are asking, "Aren't winters always mild in the south?" The answer I guess is yes, compared to some, but we've only had a few days of weather below 40 degrees this year, which is rare. It got down into the low 20s for a couple of days in a row, just enough to kill everything and then it warmed right up!

We have to replace two citrus trees. They were young and this was their first winter outside of a green house so it was rough on them and we didn't put enough protection on them. We moved from an area nestled between two lakes which kept our citrus trees much warmer than where we are now. Next year we will be better prepared.

We worked in the yard today, cleaning up dead leaves, planting new flowers and enjoying the mild weather. I cleaned up and replanted my herb box. This year I have rosemary, spearmint, oregano, chives, sage, cutting celery, basil, parsley, cilantro, romaine lettuce and two strawberry plants. We will put the veggies out in a couple of weeks. We still have to get the boxes ready for those. We do have some tomatoes and bell peppers started, ready for planting.

We moved into a fixer upper and the yard is just about done. This is our second spring here and today we finished up the beds around the house. We put in a wall garden next to the AC and added two carpet roses, a red and white to cascade down the wall. It serves two purposes, one of holding in the dirt that washes down the slope from under the concrete pad for the AC and two it will be beautiful too! We planted pink, yellow, and red knockout roses around the other side of the AC and around the sunny side of the porch.

We put lirope and red fountain grass on the north side of the house, replacing the former owners lovely shingle garden! Yes, he planted rocks and roofing shingles in a beautiful walled bed because he didn't want to pull weeds. It was quite an eye sore. Looks much better now! Our Surinam cherries survived the winter, yeah for the lights and blankets. We are pushing the limit of their cold tolerance here, but I have so missed them. Haven't had one since I was seven; won't say how long ago that was! I think I saw a blossom on one of them today. :-)

Can't wait to put the impatiens in tomorrow. These go on the shady side of the porch under the big live oak and they bloom until they freeze. Last years plants are starting to come back too so they should be really thick and pretty this year. I added an African daisy to the small garden under the Chinese tallow tree (Popcorn tree). I know it is an invasive tree, but it so pretty when it blooms and in the fall when it is scarlet. (And it is food for those bees, see below...)

What I really miss about being here is our beehives. I so want to find a way to have them here, even if it means putting up a small area of privacy fence to encourage the bees to fly up and also to keep the nosy neighbors from worrying about them. I love honeybees, watching them, working with them and of course the wonderful, healthy honey.

I'll post some pics when the blooms start coming in on the roses. I hope Spring is just around the corner for you too. I love, love, love this time of year.

Till next time...Peace and happy planting!

Koali Visits Again

Hey guys, I know you've been waiting for me to get back on this computer and chat. It's hard, I can't seem to find a time when it is on and no one else is using it. I keep walking back and forth in front of the monitor and jumping across the keyboard, but humans are just too slow to take the hint.

Scooter and I have been having a great time in the house. There are hard wood floors in the living room and dining room and they are the greatest thing. When we chase each other, our feet get going and then we don't move we just make this awesome scraping sound with our claws on the wood and then start sliding all over the place. It's especially fun to slip and slide on when Scooter and I are play fighting.

We do a lot of that. Mom gives us catnip in a mesh bag. Wow that stuff is so cool. It makes me feel funny. Scooter gets nasty though, he actually boxed me in the face and bit my cheek trying to get me to let go of the bag. Instead of getting another bag so I don't get beat up on, Mom just sits and laughs at us. She did get a little upset when I turned on Scooter and we were rolling around on the floor in a big ball with hair flying.

I think she likes Scooter better than me, but I just don't see how that's possible. Everyone knows I'm much more handsome and have a more outgoing personality. What's not to like? Her loss, I'll just get the catnip bag while she's smooching up Scooter. Hey if anyone wants to adopt me, just drop me a line here. I don't have too many needs...let's see, here's my list of requirements:

Kitty condo in front of a very large window
Stainless Steel water fountain, freshened daily
Blue Buffalo food
Dried Salmon flakes
Wilderness wet food with Lysine for my delicate eyes
NO DOGS
NO KIDS
NO CATS
Only ONE human (maybe two on approval only)
Toys, new one every other day (I get bored easily)
Catnip bag of my very own
Comfy couch and recliner for when I don't feel like laying on my condo
Giant sized kitty box with crystal litter and freshener (must be cleaned at least twice a day, I don't like stepping into a dirty pan. I mean really, would you? Can you imagine not being able to flush the toilet every time you use it? Seriously!)
No brushing
No eye cleaning (everyday really is she nuts-LEAVE ME ALONE)
NO De-clawing (don't you even think about it, I'll call the ASPCA and yes I do know how to use the phone-I'm typing on a computer aren't I?)

If I think of anything else, I'll let you know, but that will do for now. I look forward to hearing from you soon, I'm sick of sharing with Scooter, he spits all over the bag and now he's ripped it up. I have to get out of here. He's disgusting. Please respond SOON!

Thank you,
Koali, aka, the most gorgeous cat in all the world.

Reactions

Here I am, two weeks down the road on my dad's chemotherapy. He is such a brave man. I have always been surrounded by strong men in my life. My dad, my brother and my husband; I love all three of them so much. But back to my dad's chemo: it is hard, hard on him physically and emotionally, hard on us watching him be weakened and made more ill, hard waiting to see if it will do the job we are hoping for.

I have to remember and this is very hard for me to do, that life isn't about making it over the next hurdle, it is about how we make it over that hurdle. In my mind, I make a picture of life and it looks much like a track and I am a lonely runner down that track, I get tired but I have to keep going. My outlook and faith or lack there of can either make the track dark and scary or bright and sunny. I can sail over each hurdle with the goal plainly in my sights (which is to accomplish this life with grace and good will) and receive the everlasting life at the end of it with my wonderful God or I can plod along, sweating blood, pouring tears, falling over each hurdle to end up face first in filth.

Sad to say, but true, I've ended up in the filth too many times. I also have to remember that I can't sail over those hurdles alone, I have to reach up my hand and firmly grasp the hand that God offers to all of us throughout every moment of our lives. We are never truly alone if we just make the effort to reach out.

Till next time, don't forget to reach up and hold on. Life is quite a ride and God is amazing.

Peace!

A Frightening Path

When we're born into this life, it doesn't take us long to know that the only way to our next life, a life not on this plane of existence, is death. Still we go through each day and push it from our mind because we believe that it isn't going to happen to us.

I remember being a young child and lying in bed at night, my best thoughts always come in the silence of a darkened room or from the remnants of a dream. But on this night I was thinking about my parents and how much I relied on them, loved them and how much they loved me. Then I started thinking about one day they wouldn't be here. I cried and pushed that from my mind too.

About three weeks ago, we learned very unexpectedly that my dad has stage 4 lung cancer. I can only guess how this made him feel, his dad died from cancer. It hit me like a wrecking ball right in the gut. I literally couldn't breathe and I continue to cry nearly every day. I cry not just because I may lose him through this, but I cry for the pain, anguish and illness he will have to endure on this road with no alternate routes.

We're scared, he's scared and there is nothing so terrible as looking into the eyes of the man that has always been there for you to heal your hurts, ease your pain and being able to do nothing to ease his. I hate the helplessness that life makes us face so many times and in so many ways. It brings us to our knees and while on mine, I've been praying loudly and fervently for God to bring my dad peace and comfort, ease his fears, heal is body.

The statistics for this illness are dreadful, but my dad is one in million and I'm hoping, no praying that with everything we have and through God that he beats the statistics. I know there is life beyond this earthly plane, I already have a brother waiting for us there. But, I'm selfish and I want my dad with me as long as he can be and so does he. One never wants to lose a parent and dad's are special to almost every little girl or big girl.

The next months won't be easy ones, but I'll check in as often as I can. Til next time....
Peace and Good Wishes

                                                                           My Dad!