faith - Grieving Gardener

August 16, 2024

Prayer for the Bees

Here at Winterpast, the news isn’t what we wanted to hear. Our bees are failing like so many more in Northwestern Nevada in 2024. The scary part is that there’s no obvious answer as to why. Not even the best entomologists throughout the country can identify the cause. But, when dealing with wild animals, that’s often the case.

With such optimism, we started this journey with the 2023 Christmas gift of a hive and tools. We attended classes and ordered books from which to learn. The most beautiful mentor came to Winterpast to not only help us, but to become a dear friend.

Our very calm, sweet, and expensive Saskatraz bees were delivered and “installed” into our hive. Even bee hives are available from Amazon, although a real bee keeper would never purchase one there. Live and learn the 100 reasons why while surrounded with 25,000 flying friends.

HHH has suffered through stings, while I’ve avoided them for now. All the while, we’ve watched and learned from these wonderful little creatures as the spring and summer seasons have flown by.

As it turns out, on August 6th, over 60 bee keepers came together for the monthly meeting. They all share and intense love of bees. With over 600 collective hives, only two held extra honey. The rest are in real trouble.

Wednesday, our sweet Bee Lady came to visit. With excitement, we hoped that we could be the 3rd hive that had extra honey. Unfortunately, it wasn’t to be. Our top honey super (shorter box) was completely empty. No comb. No honey crop. Nothing. Our hive is suffering just like all the rest in Northwestern Nevada. This failure is across the state, from the desert to Lake Tahoe.

Our queen may have died, but at the very least, the hive is stressed for reasons unknown to us. They’ve had food and water at the correct times. They were treated for mites. Their hive was placed in their very own private spot in the back yard. We planted every kind of flower any bee would love. And yet, they failed.

We won’t know the outcome for another month or two. It’s possible the hive will live through the winter, but as we march toward fall, the population will naturally decrease. Without the proper number of bees to warm the hive through the winter, they’ll freeze to death.

Please, pray for the bees of the world. The Bee Lady summed it up this way. Without bees, we would still have wheat for bread. However, the jams and jellies of the world would be a thing of the past. Bees bring wonderful fruits and vegetables to our lives.

If you’re bored this weekend, learn a little about bees. They’re pretty fascinating little animals. Please remember, they need our prayers. Have a wonderful weekend.

August 8, 2024

Happiness Happens

Smile today to share in “National Happiness Happens” Day. This is one national day that has merit. Although, it reminds me of those in Japan taking lessons to practice smiling. With all the stress in the world, we need a day to remind Americans that Happiness Happens when nurtured.

The Secret Society of Happy People (SOHP) was founded in August of 1998 to celebrate the expression of happiness. The society encourages members to recognize happy moments and be grateful for happiness in their daily life. They have two motto’s which include “Happiness Happens” and “Don’t Even Think of Raining on My Parade.” Their main purpose is to stimulate the right of everyone to express their happiness.

In 1999, the Secret Society of Happy People created “Admit You’re Happy Day” which eventually evolved into “Happiness Happens Day” created to celebrate the expression of happiness. August 8th was chosen because it’s the anniversary of the first membership in 1998.

Today, recognize every moment of glee, joy, delight, and pleasure. Don’t let it pass. Most importantly, giggles should be encouraged and allowed to blossom into full-blown laughter. Happeniness happens!

Today, more than on any other, please don’t rain on anyone’s parade. Somedays the happiness of others might be a bit irritating. Excessive giggling might try our patience, especially when the day’s been a bit rotten. However, personal trials don’t give anyone the right to squash another person’s joy. Instead, recognize the day’s delights. Just maybe, the smiles of others will part the storm clouds and allow a little sun to shine on your heart.

Whatever you do today, look for ways to share the blessing of happiness with others.

Minions courtesy of” “Despicable Me”. Try not to smile during THIS movie…… Just saying.

More tomorrow!

July 26, 2024

Choose Today to Begin!

Celebrated each year on July 26, National All or Nothing Day allows people to throw caution to the wind and go for broke. Everyone holds unfulfilled dreams, unmade decisions, or uncompleted plans. On this day, people break free of everything holding them back and Go For Broke!!!

In 2020, I’d never blogged a day in my life. With so much to share, I decided I was ready to publish my thoughts. On one autumn afternoon, I created Grieving Gardener, posting my first blog on September 24. Since then, I’ve never looked back.

Is there room for improvement? Of course. Is every word spelled correctly, or every bit of grammar correct? Nope. But, this much is true. I’ve found the words I’d lost for so long. As each month passes, my writing has improved. I’ll continue to write for the rest of my life. It all started with that first blog so long ago.

Everyone has at least one obstacle they’d like to conquer or overcome. It may be that fear or hesitancy is holding you back. So make today YOUR September 24. Make a plan, take a first step and move towards it.

Whether you make a public announcement, apply for the job you’ve been eying, or mend a fence, sometimes we need to take a different path. While other days on the calendar don’t urge us to make a decision or change, this one does.

So…..

1.Define your goal.

2. Write down the first three steps to move toward that goal.

3. Enlist help from a friend or family member to encourage you. You can even choose a challenge you can do together.

4. Get out there and tackle it!

Some of the biggest changes in our lives start with small steps. Often they are gut-wrenching decisions because we rarely know whether the outcome will be successful. But how will we ever grow if we don’t keeping reaching for those dreams?

Whatever you do today, make a decision. Make a plan. Inform others of your goal. Most importantly, Go For Your Dreams!!!

Have a wonderful weekend. I’ll be back Monday.

July 12, 2024

Then And Now

Harvesting food and flowers from Winterpast, I can’t help but remember how the gardens have changed since I came here in April of 2020. Moving into a new home, I had no idea if I could even keep anything alive, yet alone help it to thrive. Alone and terrified of the responsibility, the need for greenery and my own space outweighed my fear.

During the first two years, I ran into some huge problems. The air conditioning unit died, causing an unexpected expense of huge proportions. There was no choice when living in the desert.

Then, there was the problem with the lift station for the sewer system. What a shocker it was when it stopped working. Even more eye opening when I was told a new unit would cost another $5,000. If not for the kindness of a neighbor, I would’ve never known the broken equipment was owned and maintained by my city.

At that point, I began to question the wisdom of owning a home as a widow. So many different things to understand, diagnose and fix. Many, many things I’d learned about while farming and doing renovations. For that information, I’ll be eternally grateful.

And then, there were continual problems with the very complicated irrigation system that’s grown Winterpast into the beautiful oasis she is. From split lines to the need for burrowing deep into the ground to find bigger leaks, a desert garden requires high intense maintenance.

The other day, I was looking through some pictures and was a bit shocked. They tell the tale of how things have changed around here. HHH and I are so blessed to enjoy this paradise that is our Winterpast.

With faith, hope, patience, and hard work, dreams do come true.

Whatever you choose to do this weekend, look closely at the path your life has taken throughout the past five summers. Although some changes might’ve been tough, try to focus on the beauty you’ve enjoyed along the way. Life is a blessing. Now, go enjoy your weekend.

July 9, 2024

Good Timber

Good Timber by Douglas Malloch

The tree that never had to fight
For sun and sky and air and light,
But stood out in the open plain
And always got its share of rain,
Never became a forest king
But lived and died a scrubby thing.

The man who never had to toil
To gain and farm his patch of soil,
Who never had to win his share
Of sun and sky and light and air,
Never became a manly man
But lived and died as he began.

Good timber does not grow with ease,
The stronger wind, the stronger trees,
The further sky, the greater length,
The more the storm, the more the strength.
By sun and cold, by rain and snow,
In trees and men good timbers grow.

Where thickest lies the forest growth
We find the patriarchs of both.
And they hold counsel with the stars
Whose broken branches show the scars
Of many winds and much of strife.
This is the common law of life.

I hope that someday, when I’ve gone far away, someone compares me to Good Timber with deep roots and strong branches. You can fall for anything if you don’t stand for something. Standing for beliefs and values takes extra effort and courage at times. Doing the right thing isn’t always the easiest thing.

As I look through the decades at my ancestors, it’s obvious I came from an entire forest of strong timber. Life wasn’t handed to any of our fore fathers on a silver platter. They chose their own course in life and went for it, even when going for it was the toughest choice they could make.

Christoph and Anna Geringer — 50th Anniversary

When Christoph and a pregnant Anna (my great-grandparents) were deciding on a move to America, it would have made a lot more sense to stay put. The unknowns were deep and dark. Childbirth. Traveling through unknown and dangerous territory by foot. Depending on their faith and following their own Northern Star, they went for it. The courage and bravery of all the German’s from Russia that made the trek is awe inspiring.

Once here, they impressed upon their children the importance of education. Assimilation in the American culture was vital for success. Learning English, they became the Americans that helped build our country. They cherished the freedom that they had only read about while living under oppression in despair. In doing so, they found their own Last Green Valley.

Life in 1902 makes the troubles I faced in 2020 laughable. Too Cold? Turn up the heat. Too Hot? Turn down the AC. Hungry? Call “Door Dash” for a pizza. Just widowed? Order extra Kleenex from Amazon. The life of our forefathers made adults of children at an early age. What would they think of the state of things in 2024????????

Whatever you do today, think about being “Good Timber” in times of storms and strife. An easy life is promised to no one. In fact, if the truth be told, easy lives are a myth. With hard work and effort, some people are just good at making it look that way. So, buck up and carry on with one foot in front of the other. Life is beautiful and we are so blessed.