Category: 2024

God works in mysterious ways.

Yesterday, HHH and I decided it would be a great day to make a huge batch of spaghetti sauce. We usually cook enough to make lasagna for the freezer. All day long, the house smells wonderful, while we pack a full day in the garden. Dinner is a simple as boiling some noodles and broiling a bit of garlic bread.

Here’s the recipe for the World’s Best Lasagna sauce. I only know it’s the best because the internet told me so at the top of the recipe.

Ingredients

• 1 pound sweet Italian sausage
• ¾ pound lean ground beef
• ½ cup minced onion
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1 (28 ounce) can crushed tomatoes
• 2 (6.5 ounce) cans canned tomato sauce
• 2 (6 ounce) cans tomato paste
• ½ cup water
• 2 tablespoons white sugar
• 4 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley, divided
• 1 ½ teaspoons dried basil leaves
• 1 ½ teaspoons salt, divided, or to taste
• 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
• ½ teaspoon fennel seeds
• ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper

After browning the meats, mix everything together in a pot, allowing it to simmer all day. Then, use it for spaghetti or lasagna, whichever you prefer.

After discussing it, HHH and I decided to double the recipe, making sauce for the freezer. After running to the store, the sauce was already simmering when I left for Bible study.

Many of my Harvest Sisters were missing yesterday. Some had to work, and some had more pressing issues at hand. The final head count was three. Some days are the perfect opportunity to get to know each other better. I love those days.

As we sat talking, we discovered that a brand new sister had some pretty pressing issues of her own. Rather overwhelming. A loved one lays just this side of heaven and a husband that’s feeling under the weather. As we visited, our fearless leader had a question as she looked into my eyes.

“Just what is Harvest Sister’s about anyway, Joy?”

I got her message.

Immediately, I asked our new friend whether she could use dinner delivered later in the day.

Her answer without pause — “Yes”.

Husband’s favorite meal?

“Spaghetti.”

God has a sense of humor, doesn’t he? At home, on my very own stove, a double recipe of spaghetti sauce sat simmering. A double recipe. I had fresh French bread in my car. Plenty for both families.

If the man’s favorite meal is spaghetti, let’s give him spaghetti! And so it was.

Always remember —

The feeling of being able to help someone in need is healing. How simple to share a little spaghetti when someone is having a tough time and a Meal to Heal might brighten their day.

While visiting, we covered a lot of ground yesterday. From parents to kids, every day stories shared knit our church family together. How blessed we are to have found one another in this crazy world. Everyone should have such sweet Harvest Sisters.

Lasagna is in the freezer for another day. Our spaghetti dinner was fantastic, as well as the dinner we delivered, which was so appreciated.

Whatever you do today, think about the friends and family you know. Is there someone that could use the surprise dinner? Or a vase of flowers from the garden? Life is short. It’s nice to share.

More tomorrow.

Gardening is a constant flow of learning. Each lesson imprints important information that you should remember from that point on. Lessons on life, perseverance, and faith cause one to draw on patience and a positive attitude. Just when you think you have the whole thing figured out, something changes.

Last Week’s Lessons—–

1. Lady Bugs have wings and will easily fly away when you release 500 of them from a tiny cup. Without tiny brands on their butts, your neighbor will enjoy your tiny little predators.
2. Aphids feeding on roses treated with systemic insecticide will disappear quicker than your Lady Bugs.
3. LB’s left to feast on aphids will leave when the aphid supply dries up.
4. The hundreds of birds attracted to Winterpast with food, water, and wren-tals (bird houses — rental — wren-tal — get it?) find LB’s a tasty treat. Basic biology and the food chain.

And so it goes. I never understood those lucky souls who claim to purchase Lady Bugs each year and find them to be beneficial. If you already have Lady Bugs in your yard, it’s good and bad. The good is that they are there. The bad is that there’s enough for them to eat.

APHIDS!!! EWWWWW!!!

This years Lady Bug experienced ended up as a big fat loss of $17.00.

When thinking about benefiting from this cute little bugs, remember that the larval stage is the one that does the majority of the feasting. If you are lucky enough to have larval Lady Bugs, it means they like your yard and will stick around. Otherwise, don’t waste your money. It’s a romantic idea that doesn’t always work well.

On to the Praying Mantids. This little experiment turned out to be a dud, too. Another $17.00 down the drain. Their hardened-foam egg case is gorgeous. It’s comfy on its little bed of sawdust. It’s been laying there for one week now. Nothing. Not any sign of life. A complete dud.

Buying Insect Beneficial’s can be pretty tricky. There’s no guarantee that the store took care of the insects as instructed. Whether my egg case got too hot or too cold, something happened to prevent the hatching of the tiny little Praying Mantids. Very disappointing. I’ll give it another week, and then, the nursery owner and I will have a little chat.

I wish I could say that I KNOW the microscopic nematodes took off and are thriving. We followed the instructions to the letter, soaking them for exactly 50 minutes in three gallons of water and then watering them in under our apple trees. Not sure that we’ll ever know if they took off to do their work. I’m choosing to believe that they’re killing Coddling Moth Larvae as we speak.

On a happier note, when Miss Lady Bee, (teacher of all new BEEK’s), came to see our hive, we had some important questions. Would granular Bayer Systemic Rose Food and Insecticide hurt our hive? To our excitement, we learned bees don’t like roses and won’t be harmed in the least. Happily, we gave each rose a dose of food and aphid killer. Pretty sure that finished off the remaining Lady Bug we had left. The roses sure look great as they begin to bloom.

HHH has been enjoying the manly-man chores in the yard. After planting eleven new roses, he’s spread about 100 bags of bark here and there. He’s on top of watering, while looking for broken sprinkler lines and emitters. From dawn ’til dusk, he’s out there dreaming up ways to make Winterpast even more of a show piece than she already is. The gardens have never looked so beautiful.

With a family reunion for 75 guests coming up in August, we have our work cut out for us. The seedlings are maturing and some are even blooming now. I still have a hard time believing I grew four outrageous tomato plants from tiny little seeds. They are so healthy, they put the store plants to shame. Similar plants in the garden center are now priced at $20.00 each.

HHH and I will be embarking on a new adventure starting August 4th. With our deep love for gardening, we’ll be returning to college. We’re now enrolled in the Home Horticulture Certificate Program, which is a prerequisite to becoming Master Gardeners. Co-ed honeymooners. Absolutely delightful.

Whatever you do today, remember that when you stop having new interests, you begin to decline. There are so many wonderful hobbies to enjoy in this world. Find something that interests you and run with it.

More tomorrow.

Things have been pretty quiet around here without Wookie. She livens everything up with her antics and bubbly personality. Three years younger than Ollie, she’s infused life into his little world. Still in Cali with the Wooklets, Oliver has been mending his broken heart at home along with us. We all miss our Wookie.

Ollie’s been enjoying Little Caesar’s soft dog food. Meal time has been one big happy dance as he waits for me to lace it with his meds. Oliver never, ever misses a meal. He’s just that kind of little dog. But, Little Caesar’s is his all time FAVORITE.

If Oliver had his way, it would be winter every day of the year and he’d never, ever go outside for anything. Nope. He’d just hang out on the couch under his favorite blanket while sleeping the day away. Unfortunately, summer is just around the corner. It’s time to get things ready for him. He’s a 70 degree dog. Any other temperature is either too hot or too cold.

Our dogs are lucky enough to enjoy a handy little doggie door, so when the heat is on outside, they come inside to cool off. Already here when we arrived, the door is just the right height for Ollie, and Wookie makes it work. Although almost 12″ taller, Wookie slinks in and out with ease. They gain entrance into the laundry room, where they eat breakfast and dinner. Pretty spoiled to enjoy their own private entrance to the house.

Today, it’s time to fill his pool and put out outdoor toys for his enjoyment. Pool. Toys. Garden chairs for lounging under the trees. Toads for hunting. Birds for tormenting. Oliver has it made in the shade.

His favorite friend, Sam the Groomer, has been on vacation for the last few weeks. At this stage, he’s pretty shaggy. His swollen jaw returned to its normal shape and he finished his antibiotic and steroid/pain killer this morning. Once he gets his hair-cut, he’ll have nothing to do but count the days until Wookie’s return.

If you have pets, remember that summer can arrive unannounced. The temperatures on the high desert plains of Northwestern Nevada will be increasing every day. Pets need a place to get out of the summer sun, fresh cool water, and in some cases, a good haircut. Heat stroke is no fun. Any vet bills are painfully expensive these days. It’s best to be proactive.

Don’t forget their teeth! If your pet is experience terrible breath, as Oliver was for some time, check their mouth. There are many products to help the situation, such as Greenie dog Chews, additives for their water bowl, and even, doggie tooth brushes. After getting stuck with the bill for dental care, Oliver and I are going to work on the doggie tooth brushing idea.

Spring is a great time to check out their beds and blankets. Wash or replace if necessary. At the same time, check out the toys. Throw cloth toys in the wash right along with their bedding. Of course, if your dogs are like Wookie and Oliver, those soft toys don’t last more than a couple hours. It saves on the work of washing them.

With not much else to report here from Winterpast, that’s it for today. Still working on the new blog, it’s not quite ready for viewing yet.

Whatever you do today, remember your pets and do something nice for them. Their love is a very precious gift.

More tomorrow.

To all of our veterans
Far and near.
We thank you for your service
For all those years.

You sacrificed your time,
And some gave your life.
You preserved our freedom
By willingly paying the price.

Many of you
Were sent overseas.
You were wounded in battle,
With scars and disease.

But courageous and brave,
You weathered the storm.
You faced every battle
With faith and beyond.

We honor you with joy
For all that you’ve done.
You stood strong for our country,
For our daughters and sons.

So no one stands alone,
We walk hand in hand.
Remember, we are with you.
Together we shall stand.

We salute you today.
Hear what we say.
Let our words speak eloquently
In this special way.

On this day,
Let us express our love and thanks
For the sacrifice you paid.
You served in honor
For many years and days,
And we will never forget
How you were strong and brave.

Thank you to all of you that gave of your life to protect our great country. Thank you for your bravery and willingness to travel around the world while watching over us. You went on your way, bravely serving weeks, months, and years away from home. Some never made it back.

I’m proud to be the mom of two Air Force Veteran’s that fought to protect us after 9-11. After the attack on our country, they didn’t question, but recognized a patriotic duty to serve. My sons gave half their lives in service. I’m so proud to be their mom.

To HHH, I’ll never forget you started out as MM, My Mysterious Marine. Thank you for serving during the Vietnam War when signing up to serve wasn’t so fashionable. You will forever be My Mysterious Marine. I’m so proud to be the cherished wife of a United States Marine.

Too all the moms and dads of service men and women, you deserve a debt of gratitude from our nation. You stood by as your children grew up into fine young men and women, and then, let them go as they chose to serve. Only parents of military personnel know what that’s like. Thank you for your sacrifice for the greater good of our country.

Don’t waste this Memorial Day. Look for ways that you can show you remember. If you have a flag pole, fly a flag. If there are services in your area on Monday, attend. Be visible. Thank a Veteran. Without them, our beautiful country would be quite different.

Most importantly, REMEMBER. Remember the bravery. Remember the love of country. Remember the sacrifices. REMEMBER.

I’ll be back on Tuesday. Have a wonderful holiday.

When you are lucky enough to have gardens like the ones here at Winterpast, then, you are lucky enough to have a place for a garden party. June is the perfect month to share the beauty HHH and I have created with family and friends. I need to throw a real girly-girl garden party!

The roses are in full bloom and the seedlings are maturing. Solar lighting adorns all the trees, turning the back yard into something of a fairy land. The fountains are tinkling away as the sun shines powered by individual solar pumps. It’s a magical place that we enjoy every day.

At this writing, with brute strength and pick ax, HHH has planted at least 31 plants of all kinds. From roses named Serenity, Bliss and Mr. Lincoln, to a vegetable garden producing tomatoes, zucchini, watermelon, eggplant, cabbage, broccoli, and cantaloupe, we’ll be producing food and flowers for the community this year.

My seedlings, (with whom I conversed every day during the late winter), are going crazy. The Black-Eyed Susan’s are ready to bloom. The alyssum are adorable with their tiny little purple and white flowers. The marigolds survived the frosts. Everything we’ve planted has decided to take off and thrive. Our bees are enjoying the yard as much as us.

I haven’t decided if I’ll ask everyone to wear hats or not. Probably no gloves unless someone wants to help me do a little weeding. At 4:00pm, on an evening in early June, ladies from all over town will come to Winterpast for a party. At least, that’s the plan.

Sometimes, girls just want to have a little fun. HHH will need to find something else to do that evening. Maybe some night fishing or a little Glo-Golf. This is a full blown, Girls-Only party. Heck, we might even enjoy a pot of tea together, who knows.

When I think about April 23, 2020, my mind goes back to the lonely woman that moved into a house without a name. Over the days, weeks, months and years, this woman named her beautiful home Winterpast. She hired a sweet gardener named Mr. B to help do the heavy lifting. She grieved while writing and wrote while grieving. All the time, the garden helped her heal and time went on. Many days it was a tough decision to CHOOSE HAPPY. She slowly turned into the me of what’s happening now.

Now, beginning the fifth summer here at Winterpast, (11th as a Nevadan), life has changed. Making the list for my party, there weren’t just 1 or 2 names on the list, but almost 30. Thirty Ride-or-Die friends that I can count on when things go a little south. And, we all know things have a way of doing that from time to time. It’s called LIFE.

I’m planning to decorate while the hot tub bubbles in the background. There’ll be snacks, dinner and some kind of yummy dessert. I plan to let each and every one of these wonderful women how special they are to me and how much richer I am for knowing them.

If you’re reading, Miss Carson City, know an invitation will soon arrive. Miss Fire Cracker and Jackie, get well! I need you here!! Ninja Neighbor, you must come. It wouldn’t be a party without you. Now, if only Auntie TJ and the Goddess of the Central Coast were closer, the party would be complete.

In the next two weeks, I plan to look at every possible idea for this Garden Party. We already have the theme song. Everything else will fall into place.

Whatever you do today, remember something very important from the words of this song.

“You can’t please everyone, so you’ve got to please yourself.”

More tomorrow.

After spending too much time listening to the current news from New York City, it’s refreshing to unplug and drive west across the desert. Every eight weeks, Oliver goes to see his friend Sam who handles his grooming needs.

Oliver has known Sam since he was four months old. After years of suffering through his craziness, she now looks forward to their time together. How she gets him to stand still for a shave is beyond me, but she does. Oliver enjoys having the run of the place, meeting all kinds of new friends.

Driving 40 minutes across the desert on the loneliest highway in the world is a treat. It reminds me how lucky I am to live in such a vast and gorgeous place. I wonder how those New Yorker’s would ever survive in the wild, wild west. They’d most likely die outside their concrete jungle just as I wouldn’t survive if transplanted there. Just the thought of life without an endless cobalt blue sky and puffy white clouds is a sad one.

Every trip west is different. On the bigger highway, we travel along the Truckee River. Now in the midst of the spring run off, the river is full. Reflecting the brilliant sky and bordered by fresh green cottonwood trees, it’s a lovely sight to behold. The problem with that route involves heavy traffic. Not much time to enjoy the sights unless your lucky enough to be the passenger.

The southern route travels right into the capital of Nevada. HHH and I were discussing this just the other day. With most of the population centered in Las Vegas, one would assume it’s the capital. Wrong-o. This causes dismay during major elections when the vote of a major city overrules the inhabitants of all rural areas combined.

In Nevada, law-makers meet every odd year limiting legislative nonsense. Heaven knows Americans could all live with a few less rules and regs. It works nicely here in the Wild, Wild West.

While Oliver got pampered, I visited the nicest grocery store in the area. Our town has a population of almost 25,000 people, not big enough to have a REAL grocery store. Just a Walmart and a Raley’s, both marginal. To walk through aisle after aisle of real bargains, I took time to enjoy the lower prices and fully stocked shelves.

Of course, a day wouldn’t be complete without buying a plant or three. White chrysanthemums advertised as a Memorial Day special — 2 for $10.

After suffering through high prices at our local hardware store, I knew I needed three to complete my dream of a moon garden. These gardens are full of white flowers that look lovely by moonlight.

As it turns out, the mums were discounted 3/$10. The deal of the day and more plants for Winterpast.

Soon, by text I learned that Sir Oliver was waiting for his ride home. As always, he’s soft and cuddly after grooming. He always wears the best cologne and this time, came home with a patriotic bow tie. All dressed up and still waiting for Wookie, he’ll need to settle for HHH and me a little while longer.

Whatever you do today, consider taking a drive. Get out in the fresh air and be grateful to be a part of such a beautiful world. It’s a great day to be alive!

More tomorrow.

‘Tis the season for Farmer’s Markets! The one in our town begins this Saturday and I can hardly wait. Just the thought of a little country gathering of backyard farmers selling their surplus warms my heart. If only these lovely products came from an organic garden grown by anyone in the area.

Farmer’s Market’s, organic food, and lady bugs are all very romantic ideas. They take us back to simpler times of small town goodness when Mary might’ve had enough apricots to bake an extra 25 pies to sell. Look carefully at the photo above and there are some tell tale signs to watch for when visiting your first sale of the season.

1. Please notice that all the crops pictured above don’t take the same number of days and temperatures to ripen all at once. Mixed winter and summer crops. Perfectly wrapped bundles of summer herbs. This farmer has many farm hands and a huge cold storage barn to pick, clean, size, and store all this produce.
2. No scars on the produce. Although this group isn’t the most perfect, it’s pretty close. Our broccoli is just starting to head and in no way resembles the perfect heads of cauliflower, uniform and perfectly white.
3. There is absolutely no dirt present on any of the vegetable roots. Not sure how they pulled that off. Maybe hydroponically grown???? That makes this operation even more expensive and labor intensive.
4. No visible signs of pest damage. Many pesticides sold in hardware stores are not available for commercial use. If you do find the perfect gardener with amazing fruits and vegetables, ask them to name the chemicals used. If they mention “Sevin”, walk away.

Although tempting, the evidence above doesn’t point to food grown in a small garden just outside town. It was more likely purchased from Costco for resale.

Now, I’d be all over this stand. If you’re wondering where the person is that grew all this, they’ve probably run home to water the vegetables they have growing for next week’s products.

Dirty roots, untrimmed produce. Beautiful. With this much to sell, their “garden” is more than hobby size. They run a nice sized farm with lots of help. This is what your Farmer’s Market fruits and vegetables should look like. Carrots, cabbage, and celery DO grow at the same time of year. The bell peppers don’t and are hard to store. (Probably purchased elsewhere.) It’s up to you to KNOW your growing season to make the best purchases. Freshly picked food IS worth the extra money.

In 2022, when things were beginning to return to normal, our town re-opened our version of a farmer’s market. Over the moon with excitement, I wondered what would be featured? Local onions and garlic grown an hour to the south? Fresh cheese produced 30 minutes to the east? Not familiar with the local growing season at the time, I thought of the Central Valley of California.

Strawberries, apricots, and peaches might be ready in June. Too late for lettuce. Tomatoes wouldn’t even be red yet. With fruits and vegetables dancing through my thoughts, I grabbed a little extra cash, ready to fill the frig with freshness.

Oy. Vey.

When I arrived, the lack of tables was the first thing that hit me. I remember four little tables. One lady was selling her eggs. At least there was something identifiably fresh. I bought one dozen for $4.

At the next booth, a woman had been up all night baking tiny little loaves of fresh banana nut bread. She also sold precious bouquets of lavender. Too cute to pass up, I bought one of each.

The third table was exactly what I feared. The sign read “Stanko’s Locally Grown Farm Fresh Organic Fruits and Vegetables”. His table was swarming with unsuspecting customers buying everything from apples to watermelons. His produce was tired. June 1 doesn’t see fresh apples in our little town. Heck, apricots are early and they aren’t ready for another three weeks. Watermelons are ready long after July 4th has come and gone.

I observed the professional boxes. Red and ripe tomatoes were way past their prime. No sun spots or blemishes on any, they had survived many other farmer’s markets on the way to ours. Everything on this table was as tired as the heavy man with the cane taking money.

The worst part of all was that I KNEW this farm name from decades of life in the Central Valley. A shady guy with a reputation in his own town, this overweight swindler was there to make a fast buck. And, it was working.

“Hi there! Wow! Tomatoes! How did you get them to grow so quickly?” I asked with a smile.

“Well, we’re from Central California.”

True enough. Except that tomatoes are not ripe in Central California on June 1. I suspect his came straight from Mexico.

“Wow, you must have quite the crew.”

Nope. Just me and my boy. We stay busy growing everything you see here,” he replied, with a smile smoother than the skin on his un-farmer-like hands.

And with that, another little old lady handed him $20 and told him to keep the change.

Be careful at Farmer’s Markets. Organic corn has worms. Tomatoes are often scarred and misshapen. The best fruits and vegetables don’t grow in uniform size and shape. The very best food is picked from the tree or bush and eaten within an hour.

With all that being said, HHH and I are applying for a table this year. With enough food to feed an army, we’ll be donating some and putting proceeds from the rest towards Cruise #2, already in the works.

Whatever you do today, research Farmer’s Markets in your area. In our area, there’s a market every day of the week. We plan to visit each one and decide which little town has the most authentic. Forget about taking those fruit and vegetable pills. Fresh is best!

More tomorrow.

Growing a beautiful garden has consumed our every waking hour here at Winterpast. As the spring days are winding to an end, HHH and I have found many ways to make the gardens more beautiful. In the light of day, the roses are blooming in stunning colors. The choke-cherry tree has changed from green to rust, as it does every year. Colorful birds are bathing in the new fountain.

It’s at night that Winterpast turns into a magical fairyland. In the 1900’s, such a transformation would have required trenching, electrical plumbing, and extra breakers. In 2024, solar power has made things so much easier.

Last year, I found my first set of solar lights at our local Grocery Outlet. Little hanging light bulbs now adorn most of our trees. With a soft yellow glow, they accent the height of the trees. Uplighting was necessary to show off their trunks. The local hardware store offers solar lighting with an adjustable power bank attached to the light and stake.

Even Dollar Tree offers solar lighting. At $1.25, small staked solar lights can be crafted into many projects. Just Google “Projects with Dollar Tree Solar Lighting” to see amazing uses for these cute little lights.

Into our second year of ambient lighting, I’ve learned to choose lighting with a soft yellowish cast, as opposed to very bright lighting with a whitish-blue cast. The softer the lighting, the more romantic a look for the yard.

When re-using solar lighting, remember to change the batteries once a year. Not until a knowledgeable repair man shared this did I learn solar lighting had batteries. The main thing to remember is to replace them with the same kind of rechargeable batteries.

Along with decorative lighting, our fountains now run powered by the sun. Replacing electric pumps with solar ones is as easy as going to Amazon. There are all sizes of solar pumps available, some with battery backup. These pumps allow gardeners to place fountains throughout the garden without unsightly wires. Truly ingenious little creations.

With water fountains and evening lighting, Winterpast continues to grow into the showpiece she was always meant to be. Every evening, HHH and I marvel at nature’s beauty. With birds, bees, butterflies, and two honeymooners adding to the magic, we are blessed to call this little slice of heaven home.

More on Monday.

As the days continue to lengthen, my Hubba-Hubba-Hubby and I spend more and more time in the sun. From early morning until dusk, we are micro managing the gardens. HHH never forgets his big straw hat. I’m lucky to remember sunglasses with UV protection. At this point, there is a strong resemblance to a plump raccoon.

Being children of the 1900’s, there was no such thing as Sun Screen when we were growing up. In fact, quite the opposite. Although neither of us grew up coastal children, we both enjoyed tanning in the summer. On hot summer days I’d slather on the baby oil and and sunbathe while listening to my transistor radio. 150 miles from any coastline, the Beach Boys would remind me that California Girls were something special.

Once a grown woman, tanning was limited while teaching full time and farming on the side. On many trips to Hawaii, I was accompanied by the farmer who sported the tan pictured above. We’d just laugh it off and go on our merry way.

Before I became a wife, last October, I decided to step up my game. It would please my new husband if I would manicure these large Germanic hands. Such a small thing, I decided it was time to have nice nails, especially while wearing such a beautiful symbol of our love.

My wedding ring was created with gardening in mind. We both asked the jeweler to make it failsafe, although that seemed silly in September. Gardening season was almost over. There’d be a wedding, honeymoon, travel, and then, winter. For 8 months, I’ve faithfully attended to my nails.

Then, my toes needed some touch up for the spring cruise making it necessary to book more appointments. Pampered relaxation is lovely, but also time consuming when there are so many fun things to do in the garden.

Spring came and gardening began in earnest. Since March, my farmer’s feet have become an embarrassment. It’s too late to turn back now. Although none of these are mine, all of them could be. My legs are that dark while my feet remain that white.

The picture explains perfectly why there is no need to continue with a pedicure. I only wish the picture would explain how to fix the mess before our upcoming cruise on the love boat. I’ve been googling the problem and found exfoliation might help a bit.

Along with the ghostly-white feet, I’m also experiencing the problem of Gardener’s hands. While my wedding ring has stayed in one piece, sunshine, tilling the soil, and constant watering have taken their toil on my skin. So far, there hasn’t been a hand lotion strong enough to combat Gardener’s hands. HHH’s are even worse, but then, he’s a guy.

Farmer’s tans are no joke. Wearing t-shirts and shorts every single day leaves a wide swath of very white skin somewhere in the middle. All of this needs to blend, and soon.

As you begin your own gardening adventures this summer, perhaps sun screen wouldn’t be a bad idea. HHH and I are so proud of the beautiful tans we have, we’ll forego the lotions for now. At least we’re a matched set.

As the sunny days intensify, remember to check on your pets. Little white dogs like Oliver are prone to sunburn. Be sure your pets have plenty of shade and cool clean water to drink. Heat stroke in pets and humans can be deadly. If the cement is too hot for you to walk barefoot, it’s hot for pets, too.

If you have any suggestions for severe farmer’s tan or gardener’s hands, please drop us a line. HHH and I would love to hear your suggestions. Until then, Happy Gardening!

More tomorrow.

Everyone lives out their own unique story every day. Teaching 3rd graders over a decade, I always loved it when students would tell me they had nothing to write about. After a few gentle questions, mental sparks would fly as they’d realize they DID have important things to say. EVERY living person has a story to tell with a future that remains unwritten.

The first things necessary to record your thoughts are the right tools. Try writing with both pen and pencil. Try many different kinds until you find just the right fit. If you are like me, your preference might be a keyboard. Again, there are many different types available. You need to find the most comfortable for you.

Journals come in all shapes and sizes with paper in a variety of textures. Lined or unlined? Walmart usually has a pretty good selection of quality journals. Amazon is my go-to place for writing supplies. Along with blogging online, I love recording my thoughts in paper journals. Old School.

For me, the time of day is crucial. For years, I wrote at 4:30 am. I’d wake up with great topics in my head. After feeding Ollie and getting myself a cup of coffee, I’d be ready to start the day with my blog entry. For many years, I began writing long before the sun came up.

Now, a newly wed bride of eight months, I find late afternoon is the most relaxing time to put thoughts into words. I love the afternoon sun as it travels west. Looking out at the beauty of the gardens of Winterpast, the words tumble onto the screen. Oliver still snuggles at my feet, waiting for me to finish and give him his dinner as HHH catches up on the news of the day. It works well for our new family.

Something magical happens when I put pen to paper. I open up, breathe easier, and find my own truths in a place of honesty. As I write about my current life, visions of the future appear before my eyes. Writing from the heart gives a place for unexpected insights to grow. After a few months, you can look back on your own journey and plan your next moves.

It takes courage to be a writer. Sharing your own words creates vulnerability. Stay on course and own each sentence. Your life is yours and yours alone to share, not belonging to parents, children, or friends. It’s unique property and yours to share or keep private. You are the only one that can write the story of your life.

When you begin writing, be it journal or blog, write every single day. Don’t miss. Don’t put it off. Any good habit begins with repetition. Tell the truth. Don’t edit. Don’t hold back. Don’t change your voice to be perfect. Write as you talk. Write truth from your heart.

If you have trouble starting, begin with introductory questions during the first week. Answer any of these questions. Who are you are this moment? What do you hope to gain by journaling? When did you first realize you had something you needed to write down? Where do you find yourself in life? How did you end up where you are now? Why do you want to share? These questions are only examples of how to begin. Once you get started, you’ll find your own original questions that need answering.

Some days, the words fly out of my fingers onto the screen. Other days, I have nothing to say and need to work to find my words. On those days, I have googled “Journaling ideas for the month of X”. It’s not cheating but research. By reading journal topics, new ideas come to mind.

Remember to choose the place you write. Pick the perfect instruments for you to capture the story of your life as it unfolds. There’s no one but you to critique your story, spelling, or punctuation. In fact, you can also record your story if talking feels more comfortable.

April 8, 2020, I experienced a serious blast to the heart leaving me with embedded shrapnel in my soul. Writing helped find deep wounds as I began the healing process. The more I’ve written, the more completely I’ve healed. My medicine is words. A brilliant 5th grader once began her “A+” assignment with the words, “Writing is life.” A true writer can be any age.

Whatever you do today, think about your life story. What parts must you tell once more in your life? Get some paper. Get some ink. And please, please, please, just tell the story.

More tomorrow.