Share a Garden Sunday

So how are your gardens growing? I went blog hopping today and Artie at "Color Outside the Lines" is hosting this.
http://niagaranovice.blogspot.com/
Grab the doo hicky and share a picture or twelve, don't forget to post your link.







Ever wonder what to do with mardi gras beads?









Well what do you think? Do you want to share? I am always posting mine. You might even be getting bored with squash blossoms and cat litter buckets full of peaches.






for the inquiring minds that want to know;
my hair color.



and just in case you missed it yesterday,
Heather Jansch
not be missed.

Some Saturday Shots

Peak a boo.Baked french toast, easy peasy and good for you too.

First squash from the garden isn't it great? I NEED recipes, raw, cooked whatever, bring them on!

The hunny picked a bucket of peaches and then COOKED them into preserves. Yeah I know you can pick your chin up off of the floor now. Like the bucket?

I almost forgot to show you the finished rocker.



We went to see 3D Up...Loved it. That's all I am going to say. How does PIXAR manage to keep coming up with, no smut no bad language, heart warming, funny, wonderful, artistic stories? I mean really they are putting out a non stop parade of winners. This one really takes the cake.

I spent about 3 hours coloring my hair, but it only cost 13.99. One of those 2 step deals with color and highlights.



Saving the best for last; CHECK THIS OUT!

Heather Jansch see her sculptures made out of driftwood you will freak out! Awesome and incredible, actually there aren't adequate words to describe what she has captured. Amazing.

A Crossroads

In one more hour I go to the doctor and find out what he has to say.

I have a lot more questions than answers.

So I spent some time in prayer today. I get slack in my prayer life. I know God loves me so I get into the habit of having these all day conversations with him, a very casual thing. Yeah, I know if you don't believe, then I am just a crazy woman that talks to herself.

Just because he is invisible right now doesn't mean that he isn't real and really alive.

I must be one of those really hard headed sheep, because it seems I never learn without some kind of affliction. I don't know what I am supposed to learn from this.

Like I said I am full of questions today.

What does it mean to live by faith?

Abraham lived by faith. When he was 80 years old God told him to pack up and leave home. He told him to get up and go somewhere that he would show to him. Abraham just did it.

God told Noah to build a big boat. Not just by the water out on dry land. He told everybody there was going to be a flood and it had never rained before. Everyone thought he was crazy, he was ridiculed every day for over a 100 years while he built that big ship. They lived a lot longer in those days. No one was laughing when the rain came.

The children of Israel walked around the city of Jericho for 7 days with the band in front, the priests and their bugles. don't you know they had a lot of questions all week long while they were being laughed at? God had them blow their horns to win a war, and the walls fell down. Surprise.

God asks his kids to look pretty stupid sometimes.

Not to embarrass us but to show the impossible, that He will do the impossible.

Well here I am, up against the Red Sea in two boots.

I am not really sure about anything. How to pay the bills, if we should even pay the bills here or simplify our situation even more. To work or not to work. There are questions about Kayla, her future, her needs.

Heather is in a far away place alone, separated from her family. Her mother has been lost to all who love her drowning in a sea of alcohol for years now. I remember when she loved Jesus, I remember when she was a good mother, I remember when she loved me. She has been lost for a long time.

So what would you give to restore one who is lost?

God gave his son Jesus for us.

I prayed today for my family. I prayed one of those, "DO whatever it takes," prayers. Actually I have heard of those with the courage to pray that, but I have never had the guts to pray that way.

I hate pain. I mean you know the WHATEVER might cost ME something. What if what it takes is something that costs me? What if to win my daughter back I have to get sick? I hate being sick.
I hope this is not confusing.

See I am bringing up questions about suffering and God's goodness. Those are questions wrapped in mystery. I KNOW God and if he did give me a dose of suffering it would be to bring about a good result. Even if I never saw it. It is just true. God's love is like a law that can't be broken or changed. That little word "all" means all when it comes to how he works things out. The good, bad, ugly, pretty, it "all" falls into the little word,"all" and it is going to be alright in the end.

Really the question this morning was what would I give to get my family all where they need to be? To restore them? To defeat the enemy in their lives? What would I give?

Like I said it's a day of questions. Two broken ankles will do that to you.

PS. I am off work for the next 6 weeks and off of income too. No work comp and no disability. (that would be a period) But YES on faith. We HAVE a big garden We HAVE a BIG God, and He is up to something.

New Baby Old Glasses

Look at what this man pulled out of his desk drawer.


Can you tell what it is? Is this dorky or what?



Can you believe that big glasses like this we're EVER in style? He has been told to never ever wear them outside. If he does, I will pretend I don't know who he is.


Look it what I got to do today.



I love babies. This one is 12 days old. Isn't he precious? Finally, a baby that's not too far away!



We went visiting today. We rode in the pick up and went out to see a new baby! I love their velvety soft skin and little soft heads. The new Mommy was very tired so Aunt Nannie cuddled and petted the little fella for almost 4 hours and they both slept. I am so relaxed, new babies are better than valium. Notice the hunny is wearing his good glasses. What a relief.
Does anybody remember the old cartoon about "Fearless Fly?"
That's what I'm talkin about.

Two Boots.

Sometimes I think I seriously miss the boat. Once when my back was hurt I slipped and fell down a short flight of steps about 5 of them. My wrist was sore but nothing compared to my back. The short end of that tale was a little hot pink cast on my wrist. It was the same pink cast I soaked off in the hot tub a couple of weeks early because it itched so bad I was going to lose my mind.

Nurses can be hard headed, I am in the perfect profession in that regards.

We have established that USUALLY I am not a whiner, right? Aside from sudden and intense withdrawals from the west coast, it's beaches, coffee, and cool ocean breezes.

I mean now and then, I have mentioned that I live with pain, but I don't moan and groan or you wouldn't come back. I know because whiners drive me crazy. So imagine my surprise when the results of my bone scan came back positive for stress fractures in both ankles!




Two boots?! Two boots for 6 weeks.

I can get around ok.


To snap some shots of these beauties for you.

Yum, can't wait for these and neither can these scary bugs!


So now what? Tomorrow I find out if the doctor is going to take me off of work. I don't see how I can. It's too fast paced, I'll fall on my face or worse, not a pretty sight. NOT.

May I philosophize a bit? I believe that "all" things that God allows in His children's lives are for good. Even these little nasty looking gifts, that outwardly seem unfair.

I have an idea in my head for another book and it's churning around ready to come out and be typed. I can't do that while hoofin it around the ICU. I can't do anything when I work those 12 hour shifts except hit my bed and thank God that I am still alive. Sometimes I feel like I signed up to be a Navy Seal or something. The attitude in the unit where I work is that the "new kid on the block," should have the toughest assignments. While I am jumping around the others are sitting, and chatting with their feet propped up, bad for morale, mine not theirs.

The funny thing is I have been telling the Hunny that when I get home I can barely walk. It has been very hard to get up the stairs. I was blaming arthritis, being over weight, etc,... etc...
but it is fractures. I am not a whimp. When I was a little girl I was a whiney Mama's baby and couldn't stand anything. I am not a whimp, hee hee snort!

In my last post I made a joke about unemployed nurses, now it's not so funny. I could make this a workman's comp case because my right ankle cracked at work. I haven't worked there very long and I really don't want to do that.

I am thinking a lot right now about what I do want. Do you think that God gives us our desires?
The desires in our hearts and our secret dreams? Those things we wish we could do? Those if nothing was in your way what would you do with your life kind of secret dreams?

I think He does. I think the only thing in the way, is our believing that He will do it for us.

Would you like to know what my dream is?
I would like to know yours. What if we stopped pretending for a moment and thought about those deep longings in our souls. Life is too short to waste even , a minute.

My dream is to write, and speak for womens conferences. My dream is to go on every short term mission trip our church offers every year, every time. My dream is to give my life away. My first book is already set aside to be given for minsitry, it is waiting for a route to be published. I just haven't seen a way yet, but God. When He is ready it will happen.

My dream is to be available to do whatever God wants me to do, whenever he wants me to do it.
I think if working full time in the ICU was where he wanted me to be, I wouldn't be wearing two boots.

Grains and Greens

Once a year we buy grain in bulk. One woman has been organizing a 5000 pound minimum delivery of grains from Montana twice a year. This year she said she would just do it once. I have plenty to use up so I only bought another 100 pounds and I spent about $100. That is really cheap when you figure out how much one loaf of bread costs at the store. If I was smart in math I could figure this out. I just have an intuitive idea it is cheaper.



Here comes the truck!


Unloading freight is second nature to an old trucker, he couldn't be more relaxed with a hand truck. He taught me that word, "hand truck". It is not a dolly. A dolly is the flat board thingie with wheels.

Helping unload the 5000 pound shipment.



Wonder how it looked in Egypt when Joesph dispensed grain during the famine. When I started buying grain in bulk the Hunny started calling me Josie.


Once it is all stacked and counted each family pulls their order, checks the slips and off we all go, home to bake bread or whatever. I like seeing all these people working together, my job was to take pictures. I didn't pick up the 50 pound bags. Do you know what you call a nurse with a bad back? Unemployed.

GARDEN UPDATE!

I finally got around to painting that door on the shed. With the mailbox it looks like a little cottage sitting there. The garden is berserk, we should be able to start picking some food soon. When I scroll down to the dirt prep pictures even I am amazed!


It needs a little sign or something above the door don't you think? Ya'll thought I was nuts when I said I was going to paint the door purple. It's cute isn't it! Purple is a great color for doors. I like to be weird.


The dirt is almost covered up the plants are so thick and they are luscious.






A lovely southern evening, it's a little blurry but I posted it anyway because the sky is so beautiful tonight. Have a good week.

Questions and Answers

1. I am doing better with my beach withdrawals. I'm going to work enough extras and overtime to buy a ticket.
2.I just found out how to open my email on the blog. It's that Clairol thing again.
3. How do you email me from a comment?
4. How do I email you from a comment?
5. Please don't think I'm rude because I haven't been doing that, I don't know how.

So here it is.

Grandma J. yep you got it exactly right.

Sadie, you need to go sometime and take your girls.

Peach I always love to visit you, there is no one like you and your family.

Debbie you love me I know you do and I'm seriously going to make some kind of a plan.

Farm lady yeah your pictures contributed but I loved every minute of the agony.

Becky your hilarious, and I've got no problem with you comin along maybe we should have us a little west coast blogfest.

Karen I would love you to come and see me and bring your chitlins.

MaBunny I did change my patch.

Noble Pig, you do know how to live. If you want to try a different beach try Aptos.

Linda, you made me laugh, crack up actually, and cocktails? for reals?

Gail, you are very sweet, totally right, and glad you have your flowers planted already, I still have half a wheelbarrow full to plant. The shame!

Chris H, wise council, I do like where I live, I am grateful, I had an attack.

Tracy, yeah you were a contributor to my demise but you are not alone. I don't even like Mr Toots coffee as much as Santa Cruz Roasting Company, but I love that little deck to sit outside and watch everything. You have to make a point to go there for the begonia festival you will flip. They do floats for a parade that is all on the river and all made of gorgeous begonias, it's incredible. I hear what your talking about, your reasons are why we moved here. We bought this house with2/3 of an acre for $113,000. You hear what I am talking about? You can't even buy a single wide trailer for that in California, heck you probably couldn't buy a storage shed for that.
Yeah maybe we could trade for a vacation or something.

Farmchick, you got it and yep, that's exactly what I'll do.

thank ya'll, I'm working my 4th 12hr shift tomorrow so sayanara.

I Have a BEEF.

This was my home in Felton.

This is the best dad gum coffee on the Earth. period. Steve's Smooth French, that's what I'm talkin bout, yeah they do internet orders buy some.


Guess where? I know I took the picture. I'll give you a big hint just around the corner is the Crow's Nest.


This is an internet photo of West Cliff drive, I would give the photographer credit if I knew who took it, amazing picture. Yes it is this pretty in real life no special effects needed.

Ok just quit it. It seems like everywhere I look people are writing about Santa Cruz and Monterey, in California. You may not know this but I am a California born native. I moved here in the year 2000, because we saw a house we couldn't resist. Seriously for a price like that we could pay the note by flippin burgers for a living, or so we said.

People are going everywhere, places that are my old stompin grounds and I know exactly where they are and what it's like.

And I am getting depressed.

I miss it.

It's hot here.

My life is good here, but I wonder if it will ever feel like "home."

And just when I think I can't take another post of this, the other big whammy comes, puppies and dogs. Or worse losing a dog, or a bird, or shoot fire a sick mama. You know what?

CRAP I can't take it anymore. If my granddaughter could've waited a few more days I would've run away with her! Only when your a kid can you just up and go like that, and tonight I'm jealous.

I really want some coffee from Mr Toots. On Saturday night I want to go to Mt Hermon for the outdoor music. I want to walk in the woods, and stroll on the beach. I'd like to go see Speckwoman and oooh and awhh over all her latest insanely fantastic designs. I'd go see my friends, and have tea parties with W&R. Maybe I'd never come back to Mississippi.

I could do it too, if I didn't have a house, a husband, a kid, 2 cats, and a job in the ICU.

Oh my gawd I am soooooo depressed. I must need a new hormone patch.

If I happen to have any Santa Cruz lurkers and you have a garage apt for rent, leave me a comment. I can almost smell the sea air, I have got a bad case, a bad bad case.... Carpos, The Palomar, the thrift stores, the beaches, the library book sales,..... waaaaaaaaah

yep that is definitely whining, bawling, complaining, pity party, whatever, yep that would be right. Anybody want to buy my house? The garden comes with it, and you can even have the cats.

The Garden is Leaping.

The stairs are finished. I didn't shut the door because I haven't painted it yet, shame. I won about putting in the old mailbox up here, it's yard art, in my opinion. Other opinions around here is it's hoakie. I don't care I got my way!



The transplants in their happy bliss, they don't seem to have been affected at all, being dug up at the wrong time of year and all.



I don't think my camera is catching the size changes well, these plants have grown about 6 inches in 2 days, unbelievable.






This is what I call a riot of color. When I first came to the south I tried to plant a garden similar to my friend Debbie's at Wisteria and Roses. When we lived in the same town she taught me a lot about roses. Like I've said before I planted 36 the first year. Roses don't like heat and humidity. Watermelons like heat and humidity. Plants that have bright colors like heat and humidity, like these lilies and purple sage. You know "when in Rome do as the Romans do," has some truth to it when it comes to gardening.




Do you recall my lovely Easter out door dining room for alfresco meals?



And my idea for a large table? Yes this is the same area. How long ago was Easter? Only a few short weeks? Seems like an eternity when my eyes gaze upon this. Maybe I should go paint the door, it must be in the high 90's today. To paint and sweat?

Or read and blog?

Just to add a little humor to your day.

Kayla is no longer working at the Greek restaurant. They were not kind to her. One of the two cooks a deranged mental patient kept cussing her out, we were not happy about that.

She is also not the type of person to move around at a fast pace. One time in a rush she managed to get both her hands on the grill, ouch. she also slipped and sprawled onto the floor, not good.

They fired her. My poor baby was pretty hurt. After soothing her hurt feelings and building her back up I made a comment about how some people in different cultures behave in different ways. She had been talking about how crabby the two different cooks were, one the cussing son, and another a sweaty old woman. I said ,"Well Kayla she is Greek!"
Kayla replied, "She's not Greek she's Presbyterian."

Seriously, it runs in the family, we have Clairol in our brains.