Getting dirty

Yesterday my neighbor removed two huge hollies bushes that had been living in my front yard flowerbeds since before I was born, I'm sure.  The were so large that they covered the bottom half of my front windows and the trunks were as thick as fairly mature trees.  The moment they were gone, I felt an incredible lightness, and I knew what I had to do.  I went straight to Home Depot and bought 9 shrubs to fill the flowerbeds.  I got a gardenia, a rhododenron, a soft holly, a Chinese fringe flower and a few others that I don't know the name of.  My only criteria were that they have interesting foliage, in different shades of green (some of pink/purple tinges and two have a bit of yellow in them), that they do something interesting in the winter, and that they don't grow too big.  I also got some really beautiful showy "grass"-type plants which I planted in front.  Eventually I'll line the beds with periwinkle that I'm working on transplanting from another part of the yard.

I spent about 5 hours working in the yard yesterday.  The first time I've ever done anything like that.  When I finally came inside I realized I was filthy.  I don't think I've ever been that dirty in my life.  I was afraid I'd be sore, and I was a little, but for the most part, I felt great!  I thank God for my home.

Ugly trees can bear fruit

There's a really ugly tree in my back yard that I would have sworn was dead when I bought the property last fall.  On Thursday evening while planting some flowers, my next door neighbor came over to tell me that the cherries were ripe and if I wanted any, I'd better pick them before the birds do.  I'm embarrassed to admit that I didn't know what she was talking about until she pointed at that ugly, dead tree leaning over onto the top of my garage.

I've made two trips out to the cherry tree, with a big plastic bowl and a step ladder in hand.  I picked two big bowls full and have washed and packed the cherries in sugar for freezing.  I packed into 12 freezer bags enough cherries to top a cheesecake.  So every month for the next year, I will treat myself to a cherry cheesecake, compliments of that ugly tree in my back yard.

While I was elbow deep in cherries, I started thinking about how many of God's children I have overlooked or underestimated in my life because they didn't look like they were bearing fruit.  I wonder how many people have looked at me and written me off the way I wrote off that ugly tree. I thank God for that cherry tree and the fruit I brought me.  I thank God that I didn't have the resources at the time to follow my first instinct, which was to chop it down.  What a blessing I would have missed if I'd done that.  People, like trees, should not be judged by their outward appearance.  They should be judged by the fruit they bear.

Deadheads

Call me crazy, but I love deadheading my flowers.  There's something therapeutic about getting rid of old, spent flowers to help new flowers grow.  It's like the way I feel after getting a good trim on my hair.  My hair looks so much healthier, and easier to manage, when those dead, split ends are gone.

When I'm deadheading in my flower beds, my thoughts always drift to God.  I imagine that He must be thinking the same things about us as He prunes our deadheads away.  Whether it's attitudes, judgments, bad habits or unhealthy relationships, it's not only desirable, it's crucial to our wellbeing to make sure that we're deadheaded on a regular basis.  Getting rid of the things (and people) that no longer serve our purpose and our passion give us renewed vitality, time and focus.  What can you let go of today?

It's all in the proper tools

The irony isn't lost on me that my first winter in my new house is also the worst winter in recorded history in my part of the world.  I thought I'd be struggling with cutting grass eight months after moving in.  I never expected to be shoveling snow from the FOURTH snow storm of the season.  And, according to the groundhog, we still have several more weeks to go!

The first snow storm caught me totally unprepared.  By the second storm I realized that couldn't spend my way out of snow removal at the same time I realized that there wasn't a single snow shovel left in the stores.  I'm embarassed to admit that I used a garden shovel to dig myself out.  It was awful.

Just before the third snow storm last weekend, I called Home Depot on a whim and was stunned and delighted to discover that they'd just received a new shipment of show shovels.  I can't begin to describe how much of a difference dealing with the snow was with a snow shovel.  It just goes to show you, it's all in having the proper tools.

A lesson learned

Snow is beautiful when you're in a secluded mountain-top RESORT, meaning you can look at it from afar but don't have to do anything with it if you don't want to.  The foot or more of snow that continues to fall here today... not so much.  I was proud of myself this morning for going out to sweep/shovel away the snow before it got to deep or frozen solid like last time.  Two hours later so much more snow had fallen that it was hard to tell which part of the driveway I'd already shoveled.

It's been two hours since then and it still hasn't stopped snowing.  I haven't been back outside yet, but from where I stand looking out, my clear, snow-free driveway has again disappeared.  I ask you, where is a husband when you need one?

My new housemate

I'm counting the days until Bailey comes home.  I went to see him yesterday and he's getting more handsome with each visit.  He, more than anything, is going to make my new house a home.

What NOT to do when it snows

The weather forecast is calling for snow again.  Normally this would be no big deal, except for the lessons I learned recently from the season's first (and hopefully last) major snow storm.

It started snowing on Friday night.  By the time it ended on late Saturday, there were probably 10 inches on the ground, but by Sunday morning when it was time to dig myself out, it felt more like 10 feet.  I learned a lot of lessons about home ownership and show that day:

(1)    Buy a snow shovel;
(2)    Use it before the snow freezes into a hard, crusty mess;
(3)    Smother the driveway in salt BEFORE the bad weather starts;
(4)    Park close to the street so I won’t have as far to shovel to get out; and
(5)    Stay parked on the gravel driveway, NOT on the grass.  Frozen mud is still mud when it starts to thaw.

After shoveling for about an hour, I realized that I’d only covered about 6 inches of ground.  With only about 50 feet to go, I wanted to cry.  But fearing that my face would freeze and crumble like they do in the movies, I decided to pray instead.  I was literally standing in the driveway praying that God would send someone to dig me out before spring thaw.  Within 5 minutes, a nice older gentleman showed up with a shovel in hand.  Of course I had to pay him, he wasn’t THAT nice, but it was still an answer to my prayers.  And… he and his partner, a nice older woman that I also met, also do yard work and cleaning, so I got their numbers and will be seeing them again in the spring, or sooner if we have another heavy snow.