April 30th

This spring brought out the Gardenias

in full blossom!

The scent they emit when we walk to 

the front door is amazing.

These waxy delicate blooms don't last

very long before they turn yellow,

but they are always the 2nd 'bloomers'

in our garden after the Amaryllis.

I had to cut some to bring inside.

They also attract bees!

We've learned to watch closely

for any of them flying around.

The Gladiolas are 3rd on the bloom list.

This one is stunning.

Although, this one looks like an Amaryllis,

it's a blood red Gladiola.

It's top half broke off in high winds the day before.

There's a few Amaryllis still blooming.

And...

the Cymbidium orchid is still

blooming!!

It's been almost 5 months and those blooms 

are still fresh!

Unbelievable.

********************************

Daily salad harvest.

I pick some lettuce, tops of onions,

celery leaves, some basil, oregano and thyme.

Mint - several varieties.

Herb garden with a few flowers to encourage bees.

Bay Laurel bush

with Amaryllis and Zinnias.

Once a week, I give the herbs a 

"haircut" and remove some of the

longer stems. 

Then, I wash them well and hang upside down

in my east facing window to dry.

This always brings that earthy, herbal

scent to the house.

We have several tomato, bell

pepper and eggplants that have small

veggies on them.

Soon we'll start that harvest.

The CEO planted potatoes, carrots,

and garlic. All of them are beginning to sprout.

There are some blue berries, black berries,

and asparagus also growing well.

The sheer joy of being able to eat

pesticide and growth hormone free

is amazing. The taste is always so

much better than the vegetables 

in the grocery. When we get way 

more produce than we can eat fresh, 

I either preserve it or dehydrate it.

Dehydrating it helps us to

enjoy the fruits of our labor well

after the growing season is over.

To prove a point, last week I used

the last of the tomato gravy I made 

and froze from last year.

Freezing, canning or dehydrating doesn't

diminish the flavors one bit.

***********************

I have come to the end of an era.

My youngest grandchild is graduating

from high school with honors.

It's bittersweet.

No more ferrying to and from school,

no lunches or extra curriculars.

You know that they grow up and 

that is good, but you also kind of grieve

the loss of a part of yourself.

I'm still Grammy, still needed,

but differently now.

All 5 grandkids are grown.

I'll miss those baby cuddles but

I look forward to observing

the adults they become.

💗💙💙💗💙

***************************

Sometimes it's nice to just sit,

smell to flowers and remind 

yourself that under boob sweat,

dirty fingernails and a slight

heat stroke, will bring forth

the best fruits of labor that

a mere twenty dollars at Aldi 

could have accomplished 

in air conditioning.

But the rewards aren't the same.

😉

****************

💚💙💗