Whatever is Good for Your Soul…Do That

For me, gardening is what is good for my soul.  There is something cathartic and healing about playing in dirt. There are clear parallels between the transformation of a garden and our own human stories.  We plant, we nurture, we reap, we make mistakes, we rectify them.  There are drawbacks, stumbles and successes along the way in both our lives and in gardening; there is not enough sun, there is too much rain, we sowed our seeds during the wrong phase of the moon (yes, that is a thing).  Check out the website https://www.gardeningbythemoon.com/how-lunar-planting-works  for further proof!

Gardening is fun, maddening and challenging, all at the same time.   There are so many good reasons to garden.  Here are just a few:

1. It makes my world beautiful, outside and inside my home.
2. It is a way to commune with nature.
3. It forces me to exercise…up, down, back, forth, bend, squat.  My body is constantly in motion.
4. It’s great eye-hand coordination.  This synchronization sends important messages to my brain.
5. It is good for the soul.  It is good for the soul.  It is good for the soul.

Every year, gardens change.  New problems and possibilities emerge.  New infiltrators show up in the form of tiny insects, fungi, and other organisms requiring me to constantly analyze and strengthen the fragile parts of my garden.   Just when I think I should give up, the first flower of the season blooms and hope is renewed.  It doesn’t matter that I thought I had planted light pink peonies.   The dark burgundy ones that emerged are just as beautiful!  Serendipitous surprises in both life and gardening enrich and delight us.

My garden has to cope with a  two-legged protagonist, myself.  Just as the people in my life have to cope with me.  It is not an easy task most of the time.   Both things  take effort, attention, forgiveness, love and patience.  It is by our growing that we learn.  It is by our growing that we change.  It is by our growing that we have the opportunity to alter the final results.

I especially love to add special touches to my garden, things that are meaningful to my family and me.  We have planted small gardens throughout our property in honor of our grandchildren; purple hydrangeas for our granddaughter who loves the color purple (#alltheothercolorsarejustcolorsbutpurplehassoul), a rose garden for the granddaughter who bears the middle name Rose (#theroseisafloweroflove), a willow christened as the Juliandon for our two oldest “grands”  (#awillowsurvivesthebendingofthewind).

Our next scheduled planting is this fall when we will plant a small orchard of fruit trees for our other grandsons (#hewhoplantsatreeplantshope).  Our final small garden is yet to be decided as the #8 grandchild is still a bit young.    Based on her sunny personality, I am certain we will choose something that requires full sun.(#turnyourfacetowardsthesunandtheshadowsfallbehindyou).

Today’s Passion Finds

A Vintage Touch

There are some great “finds” in the marketplace and I want to share a couple of them with you.  As a Southern woman who loves tradition and owns china and silver from both my mother and grandmother (you can relate if you are a Southerner), these vintage spoon herb markers are the best!  I ordered several for my herb garden and am more than pleased with them. You can buy them on Amazon from Vintage Garden Art.  The seller gets a huge thumbs up from me in terms of customer service and responsiveness. I purchased the package of 6 prestamped as well as the package of 5 which allowed me to choose the herbs I needed.  These are well worth the money!

https://www.amazon.com/Markers-Vintage-Handles-Oregano-Rosemary/dp/B017VLLWVG/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1525530339&sr=8-2&keywords=vintage+art+herb+markers

Bring Your Garden Indoors

These pillow covers are a perfect touch for any home, cabin, or lake house.  I absolutely fell in love with them online and they are even more beautiful than I imagined.  The company is responsible and committed to customer service.  We can’t say that about every company these days.  But, these folks are top notch!  The pillows below are only a sampling of their many products.  These are the female cardinal and the tufted titmouse pillows.   Check them out online at https://natureunboxed.com/products/bird-cushion-covers-vintage-style#

Also, on their website is the new male cardinal pillow.  Beautiful and symbolic!

We have a male cardinal who perches on the fence in our backyard.  He is a faithful part of my morning landscape.  It is my thought, and prayer, that he is watching over our house. There is much to love about these beautiful birds and there is much folklore about them as well.  Some people believe that a cardinal is a representative of a loved one who has passed away.  When you see one, it means they are visiting you.  It seems that they show up when you most need them. They also make an appearance during times of celebration, as well as despair,  to let you know they will always be with you. #iamalwayswithyou

A Parting Thought

Share my blog with your friends and family. I also welcome comments and accept ideas for future blogs.

And, remember........play in the dirt as often as you can, because life is too short to always have clean fingernails.

#embracethebows