Dear Reader:

In the midst of a depressing inspection around my yard and garden yesterday…I learned a valuable lesson.

Every time I look out my side window now…all I see are brown fromes dragging the ground and driveway…All the plants that were so beautiful, like the Ginger Shell, are pitiful looking “sticks” and stems staring back at me.

The same is true of  most of the plants in the back yard….I keep remembering them in their glory…like the Confederate Rose and the long-stemmed sunflowers. Now they look like a broken shell of their old selves. The morning glories that lined the fence with such beauty are now brittle-looking “spider webs” still clinging to the fence.

It is time to cut back all the dead stems and branches now…leaving only the most important part of the plants and bushes…their main sustaining root system…the heart of the foliage.

Don’t we humans have to learn to “cut back” too sometimes for the good of ourselves…whether it is for financial, health, or social reasons…to allow ourselves time to re-group and grow stronger for the challenges ahead?

Even the gardenia bush took a brutal “hit” from the ice/snowstorm….but other bushes still retain their own unique beauty.

As I was “whining” to Vickie about my ugly-looking back yard and garden…she stopped me at “our” rose bush by the driveway and pointed out the new tiny buds already trying to form again on the stems.

“They are working so hard for you…but just undercover. I will cut back the rose bush to help them in this effort and you need to cut back the dead stems and branches of the other plants and bushes… but never cut the root of the plant…instead “root” for it…because it is preparing itself for survival during the next couple of months while already planning its glorious spring return. Nothing is as dormant as it seems…life never rests.”

So true! Take “Big Red”…it hasn’t stopped blooming all year…and continues to bloom even inside the house waiting to return to its beloved white bench and bask in the afternoon sun on the front porch. It is just patiently waiting out the time…while continuing to form more blooms.

This May 31, 2018 “Big Red” turns 10…I will definitely be having a birthday celebration for my beloved geranium…what did I ever do before “Big Red” came into my life to mentor me through the good times and hard times with its amazing ability to persevere under all kinds of conditions. I love you “Big Red!”

So until tomorrow…Let us never forget that the winter season is the season for cheering on our forlorn-looking plant life…knowing that life hasn’t ceased, it is simply digging deep within itself to  start planning its annual resurrection of beauty and glory.

“Today is my favorite day”  Winnie the Pooh

*I found this list of “changes” for 2018 several weeks ago and think today is as good as any other to share them…I can easily identify with each of these New Year challenges.

*I am so proud of Eva Cate…she got Student of the Month yesterday…! Love you sweetie! Way to go!

*While moving “Big Red” last week after the temps dropped back in the twenties overnight….Luke picked up a big red blossom that broke off during the transition from the porch to the B&B side dining room table. He was so concerned but I assured him it was fine…”Big Red” had more buds coming. (*The blossom looks beautiful on the bathroom counter.)

Luke and Chelsey are all into the story of “Big Red” and Luke said if ever necessary they will carry big banner signs…“Save Big Red!” 

The neighborhood loves this special geranium…it has become a fixture on Rainbow…with neighbors slowing down to inquire about the plant…if it has had to be taken in for a few days.