flowers, sea Lions birds, Oh my

Happy father's day

my father
you are the reason I am the son I am today
your enjoyment of the great outdoors is alive and well, in me
the eye you had for beauty sees on, in myself, and in your grandchildren
your skill for hearing and understanding was not lost, it too, endures
nothing of the essence of you is missing from our family
we have your best thoughts, and deeds and hopes
all are very much alive within the hearts of we, your children
I dedicated my life to serve God a long time ago
only recently did I have any idea what that would mean
You raised me right and gave me strong lessons in what it was to be a man
the quiet strength you possessed so elegantly has been reborn in your grandsons
the woman you loved so much is still very much loved and cared for by the children you blessed with the gifts of your time, your heart, your wisdom.
I have the best dad, still with me, in every way that matters.

Graduation day

pray for Iran

Wall hanging

40 minutes to therapy
I go because
its where I meet myself best
some days it is also where I meet my best self.

Thank God for the skills and study of the psychology personnel
and for the zillions of self-help books.
Its a wonder that it took me so long to get where I am
but on the other hand... what was the rush?
I am here now, and as long as I am here,
where here is does not matter very much.
What seems to please me most is a new awareness
of myself moving and enjoying the texture and fabric of my life.
Many hands have woven bits and pieces of this tapestry ( nod to Carole King)
and from the back it looked like a big thready mess
but now that I am getting it turned around
it blesses me to see what God has made of me.

got this from Zan's blog

have you seen these?

a way to go MICRO small
from BMW, in 1958

Oh the good old days

Psst, I know where there are three of them,
or three that are "needing restoration". I will bet I could get you a good deal ( from the wife!)

More BMW Isetta's HERE

Have saw, will carve

 
 

The Gardener is IN

I have tomatoes, peppers, squash plants in the ground.
Seeds for radishes and onions also hit the dirt.
lettuce plants were transplanted along side collard greens.
The dirt is something beautiful to behold, a mix of sand, clay, compost and chicken manure.
The raised boxes are about 12 to 18 inches deep and made from recycled deck boards.
Now I am going out to add some spinach seeds, way late anywhere else, but
I am only a little behind here in the mountains where the season starts mid-May and we could be frozen stiff by late September ( need greenhouse, BAD!)

I have yet to make the water distribution system so I am watering by hand.

Saturday afternoon was the big Ride the Mountain event with Harley's and their riders swarming all over the ski area parking lot. What a crowd, what leather, what tattoos! We stayed for 15 minutes and then went for lunch somewhere quiet. The County Sheriff cars were lined up and quite busy..... lots of revenue to our town from all these bikers. Plenty of noise, too.

I am watching mom much more carefully as she is starting to make more perception/judgement errors. Nothing dangerous yet but curious and leading me to want to better understand this disease ( Alzheimer's) and its stages. Do any of you know of good sources of information?

remember when

do you recall my saying "don't go to Mexico"

HERE is another article explaining why I hold that view.

This time the violence is in Acapulco.

Nuff said

darn you russ!

Russ is making another Kayak and he has me thinking I should make one too.
I spent half this morning looking at CLC kits and dreaming of wood chips, sawdust and the smell of fiberglass resin.... Go encourage him at "a Boy and his Dog"
Tell him he is costing me a lot in lost time that I should be spending on my current deck project.

My dear friend Amrita could use some cooler weather or more electricity, but I do not know that we can help so much with that, please though, do visit Yesu Garden and remember to pray for her mother, Hazel.

It nearly froze last night and will be cool and cloudy today, perhaps I will be brave and put the tomato plants and the squash into the ground. I held off transplanting them until I had the beds all ready
Pictures later

skywatch friday

for cool photos and people who take them
go see SKYLEY at Sky Watch Fridays, you'll like what you see

kayak, oaks, maple, columbine

Not just dirt

Sifting reveals rocks that are a problem for some and a building material for others.

Today as I was filling my garden beds, I felt the need to sort the rocks from the soil using my old sifter ( picture) much like the kind my father used many years ago

In therapy I am also using a sifting device to lift up the contents of my life and to let the good and useful knowledge, wisdom and gifts fall through and screen the boulders, scree and gravel for other uses. It HAS BEEN a long process and I bless God and the many sensitive souls who have gone through those times with me.

here is what I have after sifting the soil for my garden; several large rocks that could be used to build a wall or a path, many smaller stones and gravel that I am using as fill below the depth where the roots will reach to provide drainage and stability, and then the smaller particles that fell through my 1/2" screen that will be mixed with manure and other soil amendments to make a nutritional source for the flowers and vegetables that I am going to grow.

Obvious to me, this is hard work. I lift the dirt at least three times before it is in the garden beds.
( my brain just told me how to do it in two moves, yay! )

As I work my brain works also - usually on hidden things, so no surprise that the sifting of my emotional, spiritual and psychological perspectives should come into view as I moved a half ton of dirt from one place to another.
A while ago I was a mess, a large pile of debris with some good stuff hidden in the midst. Trust me, or read my archives. A series of life changes and relationships has caused me to continue to examine what about me works and what did not, my last two therapists lent an huge boost to my progress by NOT TELLING ME MUCH, but by letting me see it for myself and OWN the reality so that it was also mine to alter. ONE REALLY GOOD BOOK opened my heart to me in a new way, Many conversations with sweet and caring friends pushed me along the path toward NOW, and being here with mom has turned into the great blessing that God is using to make me into a strong man and a more compassionate human being. It has been a hard path, but worth every step and every stubbed toe for I am seeing the mountain pass and the blue sky that foretells a brighter day.. More later - the garden has more to teach me

He/ she wanted to get closer

but I was wary of the claws and teeth

Tiptoeing through the tulips

there is NOTHING like a garden.
it matters not what size
containers on a balcony
neat rows of veggies in a garden plot
or massive old grand royal gardens
planted hundreds of years ago

we all need to keep and nourish our connection to the earth
for that is what we were made from
and what sustains us
tend a small plant and see it produce food
watch a seed become a pair of leaves and then a flower
and you will never doubt than life IS a miracle

YOU are a miracle and a flower in the garden
you have the ability and the need and the honor
of nourishing others and beautifying the world we live in
I welcome your miraculous life into my world
Thank you for your presence here