Spring Garden

Here are some of the things growing in my garden this month AND my "garden helper"!

Purple in Texas

Someone shared these photos of some of the lavender fields that are in the Hill Country of Texas. There are a number of lavender farms in that area, and there is even a Lavender Festival in June. I can't even imagine the fragrance!

Mulch

We have made a number of trips to our city's recycling center this week. I read that the city provides free mulch to any of its residents. Evidently, the city has an endless supply of mulch from a variety of sources and is glad to give it away. Who knew? All you have to do is load up your car/truck with shovels, buckets and a tarp, and make the 10 minute drive. Once there, you are faced with a huge container filled with mulch. One end is open, so you can back your car or truck right up to it and commence with transferring the material. If someone has beat you to it, you can always jump up on top of the mulch and begin filling your 5 gallon buckets. We have found that a pitchfork works best in loosening the mulch (which has become compacted by the sheer volume of it) and putting it into the buckets. And a two-man team is helpful - one filling the bucket and the other transferring the contents to the vehicle. Of course, you have to reverse the process once you get home!

After this rather back-breaking work, and in the sun, I began to wonder "What is the purpose of mulch anyway? Why is it so important?" I found a good explanation:

Mulch: any material placed over soil in the garden. It's designed to retain moisture, deter weeds and keep the soil from eroding. The benefits of mulch are plentiful. For the busy gardener, mulch is a great time-saving device because it helps to prevent weeds from sprouting in the garden. In addition, it can keep the soil moist, reducing the need for constant watering. Mulch will enrich the existing soil and will prevent rain and other elements from washing it away.

It seems that mulch serves as a protection - both to keep the good things in and the bad things out. Using it helps the plants and soil maintain a healthy environment for growth and strength, even under extreme conditions of heat and cold. A constancy is preserved underneath. In addition, it keeps undesirable elements from growing within which can short-circuit the plant's source of nutrition. Finally, mulch will keep the soil and plants from being displaced or torn apart during wind and rain.

I'm always looking for spiritual illustrations in the ordinary things around me. As an Orthodox Christian, keeping a morning and evening prayer time has become my "mulch". I have found that when I skip these times, I become more vulnerable to distractions and anxieties. My life seems out of control and aimless. I become more self-centered and impatient. For others, following the Divine Hours throughout the day keeps them centered and focused. Scripture reading is also a good "mulch". But whatever it is, our body and soul needs it to grow and be nourished. Don't be fooled when the enemy whispers, "It's not necessary!"

Harbingers of Spring

Crocuses (photo by N. Nice)

Spring always surprises me. After months of gray and brown and dead leaves, one begins to forget what flowers and grass and shade trees look like. Sitting on my back patio, I look at the barren branches of my crape myrtles, oak tree and pear tree and try to remember all the shade they provide. It is difficult to imagine everything coming back to life again. Judging just by outward appearance, the Snow Queen has pretty much killed everything!

Then a green blade pushes up through the weather worn mulch and fallen leaves. I had completely forgotten about the daffodils in that corner! The sunlight is still sharply angled by the tilt of the earth and casts long shadows. But deep down in the earth, crocuses and daffodils are drinking in the warmth and preparing to sound the first chords of the prelude to spring.

The bright green and yellow of daffodils are soon followed by Bradford pear trees around town exploding in white blossoms. They look like trees whose branches have popped popcorn overnight! And then, as if the Master Artist decided to add a splash of color for accent and surprise, the redbud trees add their brilliant pinks against dark evergreens and barren oaks. Everything shouts the promise of spring and the hope of resurrection.

The Savior by Viktor Vasnetsov

How fitting that Pascha (Easter) is right at this time of year. We have all of creation around us to remind us of Christ's resurrection and the gift of life he has given us. God always meant for his creation to be a reflection of spiritual truths and a means of understanding our life in him. Let us be mindful of always keeping in touch with this marvelous gift.

Sofa Cushions

Skimming over the home page of the New York Times this morning, this heading jumped out at me:  Effort to Restore Children’s Play Gains Momentum


I haven't thought much about this topic since I had my own children 30 years ago, but, now that I'm a grandparent, the issue has become relevant once more. For the past 20 years I have wondered how all this technology and immediate access to information (good and bad) would affect children growing up. I have been troubled to see children so "scheduled" with soccer practices, games, gymnastics, piano lessons, and AP classes.  Writer Hilary Stout states:

"For several years, studies and statistics have been mounting that suggest the culture of play in the United States is vanishing. Children spend far too much time in front of a screen, educators and parents lament — 7 hours 38 minutes a day on average, according to a survey by the Kaiser Family Foundation last year. And only one in five children live within walking distance (a half-mile) of a park or playground, according to a 2010 report by the federal Centers for Disease Control, making them even less inclined to frolic outdoors."

My first response is - "Well, who lets the child sit in front of a screen that many hours?" The answer soon bubbles up:

"Behind the numbers is adult behavior as well as children’s: Parents furiously tapping on their BlackBerrys in the living room, too stressed by work demands to tolerate noisy games in the background. Weekends consumed by soccer, lacrosse and other sports leagues, all organized and directed by parents. The full slate of lessons (chess, tae kwon do, Chinese, you name it) and homework beginning in the earliest grades."

"Too little playtime may seem to rank far down on the list of society’s worries, but the scientists, psychologists, educators and others who are part of the play movement say that most of the social and intellectual skills one needs to succeed in life and work are first developed through childhood play. Children learn to control their impulses through games like Simon Says, play advocates believe, and they learn to solve problems, negotiate, think creatively and work as a team when they dig together in a sandbox or build a fort with sofa cushions. (The experts define play as a game or activity initiated and directed by children. So video games don’t count, they say, except perhaps ones that involve creating something, and neither, really, do the many educational toys that do things like sing the ABC’s with the push of a button.)" 

To be fair, I have to admit that it would very difficult to raise a child today in our culture. You can't isolate your child from what's going on around him. If you do, he won't know how to deal with it once he gets older. Parents who want to create a more healthy atmosphere for their children must go to battle daily to keep things in balance - putting limitations on technology in the home and inevitably being unpopular with other parents or children who haven't made the same decisions. Not an easy path to choose.


Perhaps some good can come out of our current recession. Many families have been forced to cut back on items that cost money - technology, toys, lessons, team sports. One can hope that these families will find they have more time with their children and that everyone ends up benefiting from it.

The entire article here.

Flora and Fauna

I grew up in the North with a big backyard, no fences, and a woods at our property line. My parents always had a big vegetable garden and flowerbeds around the house, and they were always interested in the different birds that were native to that area. A birdbath was provided in the summer and a bird feeder (some would call it a "squirrel" feeder!) in the winter months. I failed to appreciate my parents' fondness for the flora and fauna. Gardening seemed a lot of endless work, and watching birds was...well...boring!

My perspective seemed to miraculously change once I had a house of my own, a yard, and then children. Planting a vegetable garden was initially an economical decision. I didn't anticipate the magic that occurs when you see that small shoot pop out of the ground, grow into a healthy plant and then produce green beans! Then when you have enough to put into a pot and cook for dinner, you can't believe the marvelous flavor and freshness. It's absolutely addicting. Ahhh...now I get it. This is why my parents were willing to expend time and energy to maintain a garden. Of course, I think there might be a direct connection between the culinary delight of freshly picked vegetables and the degree of physical energy output (and soreness) required in the cultivation.

The appreciation of birds (lizards, snails, toads, worms, and other critters) has come a lot later in my life. A frenzied, busy lifestyle is not conducive to noticing this rather silent and often hidden aspect of creation. It's only with a slower life pace that I began to see these inhabitants around my house and in my yard. They were there all along. I was just moving too fast to see them. Indeed, they often seemed more of an annoyance than a marvel.

We have several ponds in our neighborhood. Currently, one of them is very populated with white egrets, cormorants, ducks and sea gulls. (Yeah, I know, we're not even near the ocean! Tell them that.) On my morning walk today, I noticed the ducks and cormorants were very busy paddling back and forth through the water, looking for bugs, fish, and who knows what. The egrets, on the other hand, stand like ghostly statues on the water edge, not moving. But they aren't asleep. They are watching the water and waiting - waiting for the fish to come to them. Because the egrets are so still, the fish probably figure the egret legs are "sticks" and don't notice. When the timing is right, the egret will spear the fish with its beak. Two very different ways of securing food for the day.

I identify much more with the egret at this time of my life. Duck paddling looks impressive, and you eventually get what you're looking for. But the egret seems to have mastered the art of patience, strategy, and conservation. Work smarter, not harder!

Seat Belts

The other day my 21 month old granddaughter had "had it" with not getting her way. Since we were not at home at the time and had to drive home, putting her in her car seat with seat belts all snug and constricting didn't help her outlook. As she fussed and fumed, trying to break out of her confinement, I continued to drive the car. She did not like her situation and wanted us to know it. Her mother, knowing that the tantrum would just have to run its course, calmly reached back to the car seat and placed her hand on Katie Lynn's leg and with all sincerity said to her, "I love you." She wanted her daughter to know that she heard her, recognized her frustration and loved her anyway.

Later, I thought how similar we are to this little child. We find ourselves in unpleasant and sometimes even painful circumstances - physical limitations, financial crisis, rejection, grief or personal losses - and our emotions carry us off into dark places. We are angry, lonely, disappointed or afraid. Why doesn't God remove me from this situation? Doesn't he love me? We don't understand that he is there with us all the time, wanting to use these situations in our lives to make us stronger and to encourage us to trust him more. His reassuring hand is on us as he whispers, "I do love you." We must stop screaming long enough to hear it.