Wednesday in the Word

Show me your ways, O Lord,
teach me your paths; 
guide me in your truth and teach me,
for you are God my Savior,
and my hope is in you all day long.
Remember, O Lord, your great mercy and love,
for they are from of old.
Remember not the sins of my youth
and my rebellious ways;
according to your love remember me,
for you are good, O Lord.

Psalm 25:4-7

let the summer begin.

Volunteer tomatoes...we're not
even sure variety they are!

Good Monday morning. I, my friends, am not at work. Not that work is bad. I am grateful to have a job...absolutely. But I am also grateful that it is with the school district where I can enjoy the benefits of having the summer off!

The weekend was nice. Slow. For me, anyway. It was productive for Chris...he's been getting lots of things done around here.

The heat is here, but thankfully it is accompanied by a breeze. Tomorrow we'll escape the heat for a while...a friend and I are taking the kids to the beach for the day. Get this summer started right.

Chris potted some volunteer tomato plants that came up in random places in the garden. We're not even sure what variety they are. Maybe a Roma of some sort? Or maybe one of the heirlooms we planted? Now I can't remember what kind it even was...I know it was orange. (Note to self: keep a dang garden journal.) And we got one, big, beautiful orange tomato from it. (Yes. One. But it was quite tasty.) That's what I'm hoping it is (even though it was obviously NOT productive at ALL). I'd like to see how that variety (whatever it was...) would do in a better location. Last summer I planted it next to some pole beans and they used the tomato plant as a climbing support. So the poor tomato got dominated and couldn't do its thing. Time will tell, I guess. It'll be a fun surprise.

As for today...grocery store. We need beach food. And I need to make sure my camera batteries are fully charged. And I need to clean out the cargo area of the car...gotta make room for coolers and chairs and blankets and beach bags. Oh, and the camera bag.

Hmm...where did I put that sunscreen? Might be a good day to organize that dang hall closet while I'm at it...it's been a long time coming.

around here.

Me and my babies...12 years ago.

Good morning. It's windy today. Like, really windy. My other least favorite weather condition. :) Sounds like a good reason to use some bullet-points!

• It's graduation day today at our local high school. I just want to cry for all the moms that I know whose babies are headed out into the big world. And cry for myself because it will be my turn to send my baby out this time next year.
• It is officially summer vacation. In a couple of months both of my babies will be at the high school. I'm not sure how I feel about that.
• Chris is off today so he's planning on finishing up a project and starting another. He started building a small storage shed along an unsightly back wall of our house. I wasn't sure at first, but I think it's actually going to make that area look a bit better. The back of our house has always been unattractive. I don't think anyone that has ever lived here ever did anything to this backyard. It's been a long time coming to show it a little love. It's coming along...
• Seth is headed out for the day to celebrate with his friends that are graduating. I figure I won't see him much at all today.
• Ian will probably be helping Chris out today. He is a good builder. And a good designer. A couple of weeks ago he designed a fish tank stand using the computer program he learned to use in his Drafting class. Then, using that plan, he and Chris built the stand and then Ian painted it. It is now in Ian's room holding a gigantic fish tank (and a smaller one on the bottom shelf, too!) and looks great.
• As for me? I don't know really. I know that a grocery store run is in my near future...and cooking some dinner. And of course a load of wash or two. But other than that I don't have any big plans. Which is fine with me. I feel like I just need to go slow for a while...so I will.

I hope you all have a beautiful Saturday...take care of you, remember to breathe, and say a prayer of thanks. There's always something to be thankful for, ya know?

Someday.

Can you see her?

Someday I would love to have bees. I know, I know...not all of you will think this is a good idea. But that's OK. I understand. A few years ago I might have thought it a bad idea, too. But not anymore.

Over the past couple of years I've read several books about bees and beekeeping that only enforce the fact that I would love to have bees someday. Yes, yes...reading a book about keeping bees doesn't automatically make you a beekeeper. I get it. But you've got to start somewhere...and reading books is where I like to start.

That's how I ended up with the chickens. I read a blog or two or 10, checked out some books at the library, learned and thought on it for about a year and then finally I felt ready to keep some chickens in my backyard. And I have to say, I've never regretted it.

But back to the bees.

I remember my first encounter with a bee. I was about seven years old waiting at the bus stop to go to school. I was wearing my pink flowery coat and a bee landed right on my zipper just as the bus pulled up. I was terrified. Mom and Dad had taught me to hold real still if a bee should ever land on me so it wouldn't get scared and sting me. So I froze. The bus driver had to get off of the bus to gently shoo the bee away so we could get on with gettin' to school!

Since then I've always been cautious of bees. I wouldn't say afraid. But I am careful when they are around. A few weeks ago our Japanese maple was FULL of bees. The whole tree buzzed. It was amazing. Of course I ran in and grabbed my camera then stood under the branches watching the bees do their work, letting them fly around me, snapping photos all the while. I felt a little like Idgie Threadgoode.

If I could have my way I would have a beehive right here in my suburban backyard. I would. I have got the perfect spot for a nice little hive right along the back fence. It's shady, it's protected...all we would need would be a water feature for them to get a cool drink.

I am convinced that there are people in town who keep bees in their backyards. But this isn't something people just blurt out at a dinner party. Especially with the fear of Africanized bees. And then of course the many rules and regulations that have been placed on what we can and can't do on our own property.

It's funny, when I tell people I have chickens in my backyard many times they will tell me how they're grandparents had not only chickens, but goats and rabbits and, yes, bees, too. And right in the middle of town. Not as pets but to provide food for their family. And this was within the last, oh, 50-60 years or so? That's really not that long of a time to go from being a bit more self-sufficient to what we are today which is totally dependent on someone else to provide our food. And really, to call some of it "food" is a real stretch.

But again...back to the bees.

The reality is, I won't become a beekeeper anytime soon. Making that big of a decision isn't just up to me. And right now just isn't the right time. And honestly, I'm not ready. I have a whole lot more learning to do. A lot. So in the meantime I will continue to read and learn and gather up information. I will continue to borrow books from the library about bees and beekeeping. I will continue to thumb through the beekeeper's catalog and read helpful and informative blogs. I would even like to attend a class or two.

And then...someday...I will have some bees of my own.

the garden: June



Click on the photo to see what's what.

The garden is coming along. I took this photo two evenings ago. We've got tomatoes, peppers, green beans, zucchini, cucumbers, cantaloupe, eggplant and one lone sunflower plant. I planted 8-10 seeds and only one made it. Oh...and Chris planted some watermelon seeds that are coming along, albeit a bit slowly.

We also planted strawberries and blueberries. These are a bit of an experiment as we've never grown them before. Hopefully they do well. So far so good.

We harvested our first tomatoes this afternoon...two little Sun Sugar tomatoes. I rinsed them off and Chris and I each ate one. We said, "Mmmmmm." at the same exact time. Tomato season, here we come.

Today was the last day of school. Summer is here. I feel like I could sleep for a week. I just might...

Wednesday in the Word.

Until now you have not asked for anything in my name.

Ask and you will receive, and your joy will be complete.

John 16:24



I wish I was a cat.

Pablo...making sure I'm gardening correctly.

Not just any cat. But a cat that belonged to my family. They sure have it good around here.

I am very tired lately. I feel like I can never get enough sleep. Pablo gets enough sleep...that's for sure. Usually in someone's open drawer. (Silly cat.)

When school gets out I'm going to sleep for a week. (Yeah right. But it's a nice thought, isn't it?)

Did you ever see Overboard? Remember when Goldie Hawn finally loses it and can't stop saying, "Buh buh buh buh buh buh buh..." as she stares off into space? Yeah, come Thursday, that's gonna be me.

:)