Gardening and Growing Older

Gardening is something I had little interest in when I was younger. As I've grown older, gardening has become a favorite hobby. For some reason planting things, tending those plants and watching them grow to maturity makes me happy. Why is that, I wonder?

I didn't care anything about growing or tending a garden when I was in my 20's and 30's. Maybe because I was too busy tending to my children and watching them grow. I didn't have much free time back then to indulge in hobbies.

Now that I'm older and have more free time, I find gardening very therapeutic. There is something so "zen" about digging in the earth and making things grow. A lovely calm comes over me when I am working the soil, planting seedlings, pulling weeds or watering my plants. And the rewards of this hobby are quite practical and nice. The vegetables and flowers I grow find their way to our table and nourish us. That nourishment is more than physical...it is almost spiritual. Spiritual, in that, I nurtured and nourished this plant and now it is nourishing me and making my life more beautiful!

I'm not a big time gardener with an acre to till and plow. But I do grow my roses (I have 6 of them) and try to plant a few vegetables each spring. I have done this for the last 9 or 10 years and it has become an important part of my life. I look forward to the coming of spring and planting season each year, pouring over seed catalogs all winter long...LOL! (This will sound all too familiar to those who love gardening.) Then, after caring and tending my plants, I can enjoy my harvest. Fresh tomatoes, sweet corn on the cob, squash, lettuce, cucumbers...yum!

If you haven't tried growing something, give it a whirl. It's more than just a hobby. It's LIFE! You may find that it does wonders for you mentally, physically and spiritually!!

Julie and Julia...Bloggers Dream Come True?

I had wanted to blog or journal or write something good long before the movie "Julie And Julia" came out. Journaling or blogging was something I always meant to do...but just didn't. No excuses, I just put it off for some reason that I'm not sure I understand completely.

Then the movie hit theaters and Julie Powell inspired me to just..do it! I mean, here was an ordinary person who wanted to write and, like me, had written other things...some published (in my case, on the Web), some not published (my romance novel...yikes!), so she took on a project to cook and write about it in a Blog. Simple, right? Yet it transformed her life!

Julia Child was her inspiration and her Blog was a great success. Of course, I do not think my subject or my blog will have that measure of success. But...how much did this movie inspire you to Blog? Have you seen the movie? Did you like it?

I often wonder if blogging increased after the release of this movie. Chances are it did!

Still, like Julie, I wonder if what I have to say is of any interest to anyone right now. I'm not a fancy chef...just a home cook. I make comfort foods and home cooked meals for my family and friends. (Note: I do agree that you can never have too much butter!) But my Blog is about living to be half a century old....does anyone care about that?

Everyone will be where I am someday, in their fifties, trying to figure out what is next in their lives. I want to be relevant, to help someone, to encourage someone, and maybe pass on a bit of wisdom...if I have any to give.

So, how has this movie/book impacted the "blogging world?" Is it a blogging success story that you aspire to?

Me? I loved the movie because it made me act on my long held desire to have a Blog of my own. I don't expect to attain the amount of success Julie did! I just want to write because I love that medium of communication...the unwavering and magical written word!!

Write on, my friends...and speak your heart to the world!

A New Look

I have been playing around with the layout and colors on my blog. I'm not real computer savvy, so it is slow going. But how do you like it so far?

I hope all of you are having a wonderful day... Mine has been peaceful and relaxed. That's always a good thing! Brightest Blessings to you!!

Small Dog....Big Personality.... Gus!

Say hello to the newest member of our family. This is Gus. He is a 4 month old Chihuahua. Doesn't he look sweet?

Actually I really love this little guy but I wonder...can dogs have ADHD? Because I think this one does! Here is how my day went:

Let Gus out this morning to potty and he wouldn't come back inside. Instead we had a game of "I run, You chase me." He is as fast as lightening so of course I couldn't catch him. When I finally ran out of breath and gave up, Gus trotted amiably to the front door and sat waiting patiently to be let inside. I would swear he was grinning!

Next I had to run some errands and was gone for about an hour. When I came through the door Gus greeted me joyously, jumping and barking. Then I saw my living room...from one end to the other it was covered in shredded toilet paper. How he ever got hold of that roll of paper, I will never know. He wasn't satisfied with just unrolling it...it was shredded into tiny pieces. It took a while to pick it all up, during which time Gus sat with head cocked to one side as if to say, "Hey, I worked really hard on that!"

Then I decided to make myself a nice lunch and Gus decided to help me. My kitchen is quite small and the entire time I was fixing my soup and sandwich, Gus was running in circles around me, giving my heels a little nip every so often. I almost stepped on him a couple of times!

Next came the laundry basket. Gus is absolutely fascinated with this household article. I sat my basket of laundry down preparing to put the dirty clothes in the washer, turned to get the detergent, turned back around...and in the middle of the basket...there sat Gus! Honestly, I fear he will get accidentally thrown in the washer someday!

And then there is the fact that this puppy thinks he can fly! That's right, FLY! His most death defying leap so far has been from the back of the love seat...he soared through the air and landed near the bedroom door...a huge distance. But he always seems to land on his feet, just like a cat. I think if I could teach him to flap his over sized ears, he just might get airborne!

I'm getting up now to take my new tennis shoes away from him...he is using them as a chew toy...just munching away with a look of utter contentment on his little face.

Can dogs have ADHD? Should I call the "Dog Whisperer"? I don't know.

What I do know is that I love little Gus...so funny...so sweet and lovable. He keeps me pretty busy but... he is also good for about a hundred smiles a day! Thanks Gus!!

Parenting...A Look Back

These are my children...and I wonder sometimes how they ever survived! Seriously, I was so unprepared and young when I had them that I wasn't much more than a child myself.

I was a person who was hurt as a child. Call it abuse or ignorance or anything you like...I was damaged. And I was totally unprepared for parenthood. Yet my children have been and continue to be my greatest JOY in this life!

If I were able to live a thousand years, nothing would be sweeter to me than the feel of my baby girl and my baby boy laying in my arms. It is a memory so vivid that I can still smell the sweetness of their breath on my face.

But I was a nervous and fussy mother. I was often depressed in those days. I was impatient and unable to cope many days. I fear I was not a very good mother. But oh, how I loved them...my sweet girl and my precious boy! They kept me alive!

I had days when I didn't think I could get out of bed in the morning. But my children needed me...so I got up and did the best I could that day. Children shouldn't have to bear the burden of their parents' damaged childhood. But they so often do...and that isn't fair.

My children kept me going. They gave me a reason to live when I didn't seem to see anything else good in my life. I look back and wish that I could do it all over again...and do a better job as a mother.

I guess everyone looks back and wishes they could do things over...do it better. I think that is a normal human reaction at my age. I have lived fifty two years, and the greatest thing I have ever done is to be a mother to two of the most amazing people I have ever known.

I wasn't a very good mother in theory....but, oh how I loved my girl and my boy! They were never unloved...they were my life...and continue to be at the heart of everything I think and do.

I love you, Lisa. I love you Wes. Your love will go with me into the darkness. Your love will light my way...as it always has.

Do Something!!

Today I have been a bundle of pent up energy. I need to do something! So I mowed the yard and went shopping for groceries. Whoo-hoo. Big deal.

At 52 years of age, I need some excitement in my life. Don't get me wrong...I am SO thankful for all my many blessings and never take them for granted. But I feel so restless!

Is this what people mean when they say "Spring Fever"? I need some adventure!! I may be in my 5th decade but I'm not dead yet!

I went to a tanning salon today and laid in a tanning bed. It was like lying in a coffin...with heat! Is that what hell will be like?

I gave myself a facial and now I have the softest wrinkles of any woman on the North American Continent.

I put my Tae-Bo work out video on and actually got through half of it! I am going to be so sore in the morning.

What should I do now? Maybe I should just go to bed and start again tomorrow. Of course, I will be one day older tomorrow. The wrinkles will still be there. I will still be "over-the-hill".

But, who cares? I'm not brilliant. I'm not young. I'm not beautiful.

But I AM happy....most of the time. And that's a good thing!!

Welcome Springtime!!

Today was beautiful here in southeast Oklahoma! We had blue skies and temperatures in the high 70's...PERFECT! There aren't a lot of perfect things in life, so a day like today should be enjoyed. I took a drive up to my Mom's and all along the way people were outside in their yards, or taking walks, or sitting on the patio, just enjoying the day.

Winter is finally over, it seems, and we had a particularly long one here. The thing about winter that bugs me the most is not the cold temperatures. I can handle the cold by bundling up and staying indoors by the fire. What bugs me the most about winter is the darkness of it. The overcast grey skies and the weakness of the sun can make for some dark days.

Then comes Spring...sunshine...warmth...the Earth coming back to life after her long sleep...everything green again...Hallelujah!! I feel like I have come back to life after a long sleep as well.

Thank you, God, for giving us such a beautiful world to live in. Let's enjoy it all we can.

Welcome Springtime, we greet you with smiles and happy hearts!