Late April Garden

 A lot of work happened in garden last week and this past weekend. We are officially past the frost-free date, even if we're having a cool week with highs in the 60's and lows in the 40's. Next week we should be back up in the 70's and my garden will really get to growing!

This weekend I planted okra, bush beans and pole beans, all seed, not plants. I was excited a few weeks ago and planted bush beans and they never germinated, so we'll see if this round is better. I planted a summer squash, lettuce, spinach and cucumbers, and some of those have started to germinate less than a week later. The lettuce and spinach are between the cucumber plants, so by the time they need a lot of space, the greens should be done growing.

I also put in a Major Wheeler Coral Honeysuckle at the far end of my vegetable garden, to climb up the chicken wire fence and help attract bees and other beneficial creatures. This is a non-invasive honeysuckle perfectly suited for our climate. The highly invasive yellow and white Japanese honeysuckle has come into bloom in our area and you can see it all over, including parts of our yard. I'll make sure it doesn't invade my vegetable garden.

 

I did, in fact, buy a Monrovio honeysuckle, so I don't feel bad stealing their photo.

I've got pea aphids on my snap peas, so I'll be figuring out how to get rid of those. I might just use water and a q-tip to brush them off, since it isn't a huge invasion.  The peas are about 6 inches high, and I'll be training them to climb up their teepees.

I also planted the beginnings of an herb garden up on our deck. I now have 4 planters that sit up on the fence, so I have basil, lemon verbena, thyme, chives and rosemary planted. Parsley and cilantro are planted in the big garden. My mom brought me a rhubarb from their house in Wisconsin, so that's in the ground. Fingers crossed it survives! I also caught sight of what might be a wild raspberry cane near the rhubarb, so I'll be keeping a close watch.

Rhubarb, adjusting to the South

When I was cleaning out the vegetable garden a few weeks ago, I kept tossing out the old leaves and straw and whatnot. That pile of nearly composted leaves sat in the grass for far too long. Yesterday I grabbed a rake to finally fix the eyesore, only to find I had completely killed the grass in a 3 foot wide circle. So now I'm trying to decide what to do with it, on the cheap. I saw the other day that I've got a peony languishing in the shade of our side yard, so I think I might move it there, where it will get significantly more sun. I've also got lavender and marigold seeds, and I'm wondering if it might be fun to try sunflowers. The peony will bloom sooner than those plants. I'm planning on taking over the grass from most of that part of the lawn anyway, so starting now isn't really a problem. A plant, some seeds and a little mulch might just turn that eyesore into the beginning of a pretty spot.

Oh! And- there's a lot going on right now- my tomato seedlings are still indoors, still growing. And a nice red bell pepper seedling. Only a couple more weeks before I need to make some serious space for them!

Spring in Tennessee

I keep having this thing where I don't know what month it is. It's May or June? Because it's so warm out, and the trees have leafed out and my husband mowed the lawn last weekend. No? It's April. Right. This is the South. The dogwoods and azaleas are blooming. Right now. Spring by tax day!!

I'm so grateful. Honestly, that's what I feel when I step outside, and it's warm and sunny and things are blooming. Here's my garden, mid-April:

Done tilling

With straw down for the pathways. I joked that with the chicken wire and the clean, bright straw, it looks like a set of "Oklahoma!"

I'm done tilling. All 8 beds are ready for planting. The snow and sugar snap peas are coming up. Seedlings of broccoli, red cabbage, parsley, onions and some peppers are in. I laid the straw down on Sunday afternoon in anticipation of all the rain this week: saved me from the weeds and mud completely taking over. There will still be weeds, mind you, but doesn't it look presentable?

I freely admit that there are things I still miss about the Midwest. Rhubarb, for one. We had a booming plant in my parents' backyard. My mom is going to bring me a plant next week, but it'll be fingers crossed on if it survives here. It's not cut out for Southern climes. Lilacs, for another. I don't see them down here and it makes me sad. And ramps! I had a wonderful secret ramp patch in my parents' neighborhood. I've been keeping my eyes open on our walks by the woods and nothing. Nada. No ramps.

I'm sure the pain of missing these things will be lessened as I enjoy our beautiful Tennessee spring. And if I get tomatoes before July...that'll be the cherry (tomato) on top!

Tomato seedlings, under the grow light. There are 26. I'm probably going to put in 18 (2 squares worth).

Our Most Important Anniversary

Every year in early April, I have to reset the password on my nearly defunct Yahoo address in order to get in and search for a certain email. It's from the previous associate pastor at our church in Wisconsin. He emailed a few of the young adults who were attending WFBUMC at the time. With four different services, we were all missing each other and he wanted to start a fellowship group for us. He invited us to dinner at a local restaurant and I decided I would go. I hadn't been to church in a few weeks, and I remember my Mom chiding me, that I wasn't really committing to that church, why should I show up to dinner??

Why, indeed?

I met my husband on April 8th, 2011. I have no idea what my life might have looked like if I hadn't gone to that dinner. Perhaps I would have pursued passions like cooking and agriculture more intensely, but I would have missed out to the amazing journey of getting married, meeting our son and discerning my call to ministry. I"m not sure God would have called me to ministry without Brian by my side. He and I are so much better than we are apart.

A good friend came over for wine and cheese straws a few weeks ago, and she and I chatted upstairs while Brian worked down in the garage. A little while later, he bounded up the stairs, holding his hand, heading for the kitchen sink. He had a small accident in the shop, nothing more serious than a band-aid wouldn't fix, but there was a lot of blood and Brian felt a bit woozy. He decided to sit with us awhile, and I noticed his face was rather white, so I fixed him a plate of crackers and a tall glass of water, refilling it when I saw he was done. When he was feeling better, he went back down to clean up. Once had left, my friend turned to me and said "You're so glad for each other. You're so good to each other."

I don't like to brag, but it was a matter of fact statement. We are good to each other. We both spent enough time in relationships that were not good. We had experience being unkind relationship partners. We knew what emotional distance felt like. We knew what that low laying unhappiness felt like, how it creeps up on you and settles into your life. We knew we weren't going to do that again. So we are good to each other. On purpose. It takes effort beyond being well matched.

Four years later, I'm so grateful for Brian, for our family, for our extended families, for our relationship which we consistently put first.

The darkest week

This is the darkest week of the Christian year. Right? I mean, I didn't grow up observing Lent or Good Friday. But in my years with the Methodist church, I've learned that this Holy Week, is also the darkest week. Tonight many churches will come together to celebrate Maundy Thursday, the Last Supper. On Friday we'll observe "Good Friday," which is not very good at all, it's when our Lord and Savior chose to serve and save his people from the cross.We journey with Christ to the cross. Like Him, we know what's coming and that there's no way to get out of it.

And on Holy Saturday? A day of silence, a vigil? This year on Holy Saturday our extended family will bury a six year boy, a cousin of Caleb's, a beloved son, grandson, nephew, friend and leave us entombed behind a rock of a grief. This death has hit me the hardest of the three I've experienced this winter. It is the loss of a child, so early in his life. I truly believe in the celebration of a life well and fully lived, but 6? Those precious years seem too few and I'm heartbroken.

I don't know about Easter this year. Less than 24 hours after Holy Saturday? It's too soon. There is no resurrection, no light this year. I imagine the pastor crying out "He is Risen!" and a silent congregation staring back at him, half of them related to the small constituent they are suddenly missing. Who among us will have the strength to roll the stone away?

The Easter baskets, the egg hunts, the branded candy seem smaller and pettier than in years past (and I have opinions on commercialized Easter). Tonight we'll make our midnight trip over the mountains again, but instead of looking forward to the Risen Christ on Sunday, we are grieving with the rest of our family. I'm grateful Caleb is too little to comprehend what's happening.

I can't bring myself yet to God and ask Him to lighten my emotional burden. There's something that feels honest about sitting in the grief with the community who loves Luke. I do believe, as much of our family does, that Luke is sitting in the lap of his Maker, full of joy, happiness and light. That he is with family who have gone on before, who were ready for him with open arms. It is a small comfort. In the meantime, we here in this life will sit with our silence, with our prayers, with our tears, and our mourning.

And yet - there's an answer to the question "Who has the strength to roll the stone away?" It's God of course, Love. And when we're ready, ready to ask God for light, rejoicing, hope and faith, may we remember that Easter is not just one day, but everyday. May we remember that we are the men and women whom God has made, and each of us, including the ones sitting in the arms of Love, are crowned with light that cannot fade. 

Let us sing of Easter gladness
That rejoices every day,
Sing of hope and faith uplifted;
Love has rolled the stone away.
Lo, the promise and fulfillment,
Lo, the man whom God hath made,
Seen in glory of an Easter
Crowned with light that cannot fade.
-The Christian Science Hymnal, words by Francis Thomas Hill