THE DUST WILL WAIT

I've scattered a little of me everywhere the past three months.  I've gardened a little.  Birded a little.  Traveled a little.  Grandmothered a little.  (Is that a word?)  Water colored a little.  Remodeled kitchens a little.  And I've improved my health a little. Obviously I've 'littled' way too much this season. The weeds still grow with gusto in our gardens.  I don't think the birds or bees really care about the ones that drive me crazy.    Here's a young hummingbird enjoying  the  'salvia hotlips' that we planted with the hummers in mind. Twice this summer I've been a farmer at my eldest daughter's.    This last time was when she and her husband took the eldest boy to college 6 hours away.  I made sure that all the creatures were cared for and her farm was not unattended.  On the first night  around 3 a.m.  I awoke to the loudest thunder I've ever experienced.  Not to...

I got up at 6:45 am and ground some coffee and set the brew. My favorite morning activity is drinking coffee while sitting on the patio in my pajamas. Old pajamas. Really old . This morning I decided to water all my potted plants while I waited for that first cup of Joe. I have potted plants in the front entrance, too. That was where I was when I heard my elderly neighbor Bill call. "Hey Pam - I've got something to show you!" I couldn't pretend I didn't hear him just because I was in my pajamas. Old pajamas . Really old . AND... I had yet to brush my hair but it was covered by my ever present sun hat. Before I crossed the street I looked both ways to make sure there wasn't any other neighbor out there getting the opportunity to see me in my pajamas. Old pajamas . Really old. "Look!" Exclaimed Bill. "I have a perfect zinnia. "Awwwww...," I responded when I saw it. ...

(Yes, Squash is recognized as an Olympic Sport.) Click here to visit WW headquarters.

Thursday we went for a walk in the evening. We met a friend riding his antique bike. White bleeding heart. Basket of Gold. Lavender Phlox. White Birch. Dandelion. I love dandelions. As a child I picked them for necklaces or held them under a friends chin to see if she "liked butter." The weather has been unseasonable cool, which has been wonderful for the spring flowers. The tulips and daffodils have been blooming for over a month. Every photograph was taken Thursday within four blocks either direction from our house. There are at least four separate creeks/streams running through our neighborhood. The one with the split rail fence reflecting in the water is in the yard of the house directly behind us. That is where Karmyn performed her Polliwog hunts. This is Yellowhawk, where Amanda and Jennifer met their friends many wet socks, shorts, and T-shirts ago. This beau...

Flowers are the sweetest things God ever made and forgot to put a soul into. Henry Ward Beecher I don't think God forgot it - I think he meant for flowers to be an extension of yours and mine. Flowers restore my weary soul. I hope that while so many people are out smelling the flowers, someone is taking the time to plant some . Herbert Rappaport Tulip bulbs can be buried in autumn and forgotten through the winter. Yet they listen for natures voice to speak the true Easter Message: come out of the grave, look to heaven, and bloom with joy. Nobody sees a flower — really — it is so small it takes time — we haven't time — and to see takes time, like to have a friend takes time. Georgia O'Keeffe The Flowering Quince requires one to stop and look closely to see the intricate and delicate blossoms. It grows surrounded by thorns - but the end result is a rare fruit, like a true friendship. A bit of fragrance clings to the hand that gives flowers. (Chinese Proverb) I love o...

Two days in a row, I have been thinking about my mom. Today I am thinking about her because her Christmas Cactus is blossoming. There are scores of buds promising a big bloom. A remarkable feat, considering the plant is over 50 years old. I always keep a start growing beside it in the window. It’s blooming, too. Some of you know I have a propensity to name things. This plant is named “Mom’s Christmas Cactus.” It has graced my living room since 1993, which means that by the law of possession it should be “My Christmas Cactus.” My daughters all have their own pots started from “Mom’s Christmas Cactus.” I may have heard one call her plant “Grandma’s Christmas Cactus.” When mom died, the cactus was so large that we had to trim it to get it through the doorway of her house. I didn’t have an out of the way place for it to grow, so it has never returned to its former dimensions. Frolicking children and clumsy adults impede its attempts to reach out into the...

Last weekend I was tracking the nuthatches as they flitted between my house and my elderly neighbor's yard. He walked out and told me to "C'mon out back, I have something that might make a good photo." He opened the door to his little "greenhouse" and proudly displayed all these fantastic gourds that he had grown this year in his garden. He also grows "loofah" or "vegetable sponges" and had some hanging on his clothesline. He breaks the "loofah" by hand and washes and washes them until they are soft and pliable. His old hands must be very strong, and I thought about asking him if I could photograph them. But he is very private. He is also going deaf, so you are never sure if he understands what you say to him. For a man in his mid 80's he is very active. He grows all his own vegetables and fruit. I see people stopping during the summer to buy tomatoes and raspberries. I am the lucky recipient of cucumbers and be...

Here are some things we saw: Yesterday was a gorgeous day. So we went to a Garden Party. We have already been approached by the Hospice Fund Raising chairperson to consider having our back yard on the "Hospice Pond Tour" for next year. We weren't sure what that involved, so we bought tickets and toured the parade of "ponds" in this years fund raising event. We had the opportunity to see what strangers have done in their front and back yards; plus, the added benefit of spending the day together having fun. What better way to get some tips, or figure out what we like by seeing what others have done. These are pictures of some of our favorites. Our landscaping in the backyard hasn't been finished - after having to have it all torn out this year. However, if it's looking good next year we will probably open our back yard to support the hospice program.