That time again...

It’s that time again. The time when, instead of green, everything is brown and crispy and forlorn… The time when I go out to my garden to “inspect” and find myself thinking longingly of little green shoots and the smell of growing plants instead of bare earth… It’s the time when I seem to forget things like earwigs, bindweed, and an over-abundance of green beans… I forget about trying to climb into and through huge, bristly tomato plants, forget about the chore that watering can become… I forget about secretly hoping in October that a frost will come and end it for the year. Oh, this is what is going on in my mind in January.


And then what happens when I am in this vulnerable position? Yes, that’s right – seed catalogs start arriving!

Suddenly I start reading about all the new varieties of all kinds of garden plants, and I begin to have delusions of grandeur. Surely, I must try melons again - no matter that last time I did they tasted of sand… And okra – I need to grow okra. And what about growing several varieties of beans for drying – imagine being able to eat our own beans in hearty soups next fall and winter! This year I will start my tomatoes from seed! – and plant them early! – and grow enough to have lots to can! – enough to supply our tomato needs all year!! This year I will outsmart the wily squirrels and protect my strawberries – yes we will have a big strawberry harvest this year!

The difficulties seem small – surely bindweed isn’t that indestructible – the promise endless… So once again I will make a plan, order some seeds, and give it my best shot. Ask me about it again come October...

2008 in review

I know that 2008 has been over for a while now, but I really feel like I need to bring a little closure to it before turning fully to 2009. So here they are – the highlights of the year gone by.

**My sweet Jonah transformed from a cuddly, smiling baby at the beginning of the year to a walking, climbing, and talking (a little) toddler. When I look back at how much he changed this last year, and then think forward to how much he is going to change this year, my heart clenches up a little bit, and I feel the beginnings of panic over “losing” my baby. Fortunately, my own wise mama reminded me that my mama self will grow up right along with him…

**A new baby was born! Adelyn Ann was born on May 10 to my brother and his wife. I had the great privilege to be able to visit them right after Addy’s birth and see her wonderful newborn self in person, and then to visit three times after that. She is such a sweet little person – I only wish we lived closer! (Thanks to her talented mama Kelly for letting me post her photo here.)

**Our family gained one more member when my beautiful sister married Joel. They had a lovely wedding in September – and Katie even wore my mother’s (slightly remodeled) wedding dress which my grandmother made for their wedding back in 1973! (Another Kelly photo – thank you!!)

**All four of us traveled to Fargo for Christmas. This was the first time I had been with any of my family for Christmas since before I was married, and what a joy it was! It was quite the journey getting there – think Minnesota weather in December – but it was worth every minute.

** I made many new mama friends! This was a special blessing for me because at the start of 2008 I didn’t really have any other mamas as friends – and they all have filled a special place in my heart.

Okay, I guess that’s it – or as close to “it” as is possible in five bullet points, that is. I look forward to the yet-unknown joys that 2009 will bring!

Getting back on the horse that threw you...

Getting back on the horse that threw you…

Despite my best intentions, I fell off the blogging wagon over the last two months. However, it is a new year and time for a new start. One of my goals for myself for 2009 is to be more disciplined about keeping up with this blog. I want to take time to stop and reflect, and what’s more, to put those reflections into words before they slip from my memory. I want to make meaningful choices for me and my family, and to keep a record that I can look back on when we get to the end of this year to see where our path has taken us. After all, the time is going to pass regardless of what I do – might as well make the most of it!