For years I have fought them! Those pesky little critters that ruin the grapevines! They suck the juice out of the leaves and leave behind a fungal infection that pock-marks the leaves and eventually destroys them. Since the leaves are the food-making factory for the vines, you can guess the Read more…
I have chickens. Hens, but no roosters. That means that they lay eggs that will never hatch into chicks. It got me thinking about fruitfulness. . . I wonder if they produce those beautiful, extra large, brown speckled eggs expecting them to hatch. I wonder if they are disappointed when Read more…
About six months ago we bought four fuzzy featherballs, hoping for fresh eggs. It’s felt like a long wait. Last week we started finding the treasures we anticipated! Instead of the blue eggs I was told to expect, they have been pinkish tan and a deep russet. The first one Read more…
My grapevines look very sad. And they are teaching me a thing or two, as usual, about God’s pruning. Thanks to the recovery time dictated by a complete knee replacement, they have mostly not yet been pruned. Care for grapevines (if what you are after is fruit) means reduction of Read more…
(Warning: Longer than usual post.) I love volunteers! Not the kind that make the bake sale a success (though those are lovely and needed as well!), but the kind that appear in my yard and garden without human agency. These are the plants that appear somewhere I didn’t intend for Read more…
Last week I promised some more answers…not solutions, mind you, just answers…you know, like in a conversation? About a month ago, a dozen of us went out into the gorgeous Arizona desert on a brisk Saturday morning (Yes, it does get chilly here in winter!) for a few hours of Read more…
During a lively question-and-answer time that included the subjects of heaven, hell, the New Jerusalem, and why it wasn’t creepy for all those who belong to Jesus to be His Bride, the Lego platform on my dining room table was adorned with all the yellow bricks, eaves and flats I Read more…
As the okra plants reach the height their genes call for, they start to blossom and put out fruit on secondary branches, lower on the main stem. This makes the hunt for fruit like a Where’s Waldo puzzle. I can’t just reach for the top of the plant to snap Read more…
Counting the hours that I lay in a hospital bed…waiting… Counting the days till a birthday gift massage… Counting the minutes until the absent loved one comes home… Counting the seconds the microwave has to warm up my coffee… There is lots of counting in our lives. Some of it Read more…
My garden…yeah, about that… My Asian yard-long beans are climbing and blooming, but not bearing. My okra is beautiful and growing, but not blooming. The oregano and mint are threatening to take over the planet! Almost the only things out there I can eat are the weeds! The point of Read more…