Dear Reader:
Valentines Day might be the day for love and hugs but yesterday, February 3, was my day for hope and restored strength…gifts more precious than jewels. Thank you Father for blue skies, warm temperatures, kind people, and fresh air in the house…to clean out all the old germs!
Yesterday was “tax” day for me….exactly a year ago I had my taxes done …must be something about early February that pulls me like a magnet to my tax service office.
Margie was my assigned tax preparer. We knew several people in common and just hit it off…in half an hour I was out of there…a little richer for the outcome this year than last. Margie’s last words to me were “Plan something for Valentines Day because you should have your returns in the bank by then! Happy Valentines Day!”
That is always such a nice feeling to get done and over with each year. A good check-off day! Out of my hands into someone else’s…
I left feeling more energized than I have in three weeks. I rolled my car windows down, stopped and picked up a ham sandwich, took photos of my yard and porch in the beautiful warm afternoon sun. Yesterday was a good day to be alive.
But even more importantly… I realized hope had returned to me. I had gotten so discouraged fighting the horrible cough and congestion that I secretly feared my immune system, even with antibiotics, just didn’t have to strength to fight this stuff.
And now…I was scurrying around the yard, filling bird feeders, checking the mail…watching a beautiful red-shouldered hawk hunt for moles (really pulling for the hawk!…the mole tunnels in my front yard are so numerous I trip trying to walk from the car to the porch and back!- drawback for living one street back from a golf course)
This year I have made a list of the plants that survived the entire winter and year….these are going to be the first flowers purchased this spring.
*mini- red petunias- Can you believe that this one huge wooden petunia basket survived the entire cold winter on the porch on the green chair- I want to buy a variety of colors in the petunias and see how they do too.
*Gazanias- they have bloomed in baskets and in the garden soil all year…every time the sun emerged or the temps warmed only a little they popped back out. I want to buy these this year in bountiful clusters…the gift that continues throughout the year.
It took three years for the sasanquas and camellias to finally get buds and bloom but this winter was definitely one of the prettiest…can hardly wait for Brooke’s camellia to start blooming in the next few weeks.
Note to self: Plant the pansies in a hanging basket off the Bradford Pear…the pansies have loved that spot!
Look at the blooms and future blooms on Big Red…he is loving this weather!
And speaking of blooms…Big Red is filling up with them…obviously this is his kind of weather.
So until tomorrow….
“Hope begins in the dark, the stubborn hope that if you just show up and try to do the right thing, the dawn will come.” -Anne Lamott
“Today is my favorite day” Winnie the Pooh
ichaseferalcats
John Turner
Legally Ohm
Becky Dingle
Becky! I agree with you! Flowers bring so much hope! Especially when they are able to bloom in the middle of winter. Thank you for all of the suggestions for the flowers that have stayed alive through the winter months. I will have to be selective as we have a deer problem in our neighborhood. But some of those suggestions will work out just fine for me. Enjoy your day today!
Thank you dear Lisa…hope some of the suggestions work for me…I am all about more for less in time and money spent…not wasting it on plants that simply can’t survive in lowcountry summers or the various sand/clay soil. My flowers have to be tough and acclimate to whatever the garden soil has in it. Have another beautiful day today friend!
Please share with me where I can locate, The Train -Intuitive Dawning. Thank you. Dr. Violet McNerney163 Genesee LaneMadison, CT 06443203.314.8658
Dr. McNerney …the photo/metaphor/story was my friend Lisa’s ‘find.’ I saw it on Facebook a few days ago and texted Lisa to see if I could copy it on my blog which she readily agreed to…use it however. It is a wonderful metaphor on life.
This morning I sent Lisa your contact information and asked her to get in touch with you since this was her story find and hopefully she knows more about the origin. Hope this helps! Have a wonderful day!
Lisa….***Hope the suggestions work for YOU…already worked for me. Sometimes I think my brain just pulls up opposite words to drive me batty!
So very happy that you are back to your “ole self”…not old but just you. Thanks for the flower suggestions. See you soon.
Believe me….ole and old and proud of it….especially these day…the old gal still can fight the good fight against the winter germs…so happy to see spring is fighting hard too with daffodils, crocus, and even tiny azaleas!
So glad you’re feeling better. You are such a trooper and fight so hard for your health and happiness! So inspiring to me. The flowers are gorgeous! Fight strong, dear lady
Beth! Hearing from you have been the best booster shot! It has been awhile friend…hoping you have stayed well and away from these annoying congestions and other illnesses. Spring is determined to push winter out it appears and I am enjoying seeing all the early spring flowers pop up and look around for the first time…like…”So…this is life” Okay it was worth it! 🙂