Bunny

Was mowing between the thunder showers when a baby bunny scurried out.
Was reminded of this story from Vol I of Life Is a Garden Party,
available through Amazon or Barnes & Noble.

Sedum smells like honey.
If you think that's funny,
wait until it's sunny
and there you'll find bunny.

Bunny comes a-hopping,
his long brown ears a-flopping,
his white puff tail a-bopping -
in my garden he's a-stopping.

Bunny takes a nibble here
and another over there.
Can't tell if it's flowers he likes
or vegetables bring more delight.

I'd prefer that bunny moves,
for he eats whatever he chooses.
He never seems to gain weight,
for he still fits through the gate.

Bunny came to visit
then in the road he's hit.
I need to dig a burial pit
before I can then relax and sit.

I wanted bunny to move on
but not to heaven so soon.
What a sad, sad tale.
No more bunny tail.

Would bunny have a strawberry snack attack?

Late May Flowers at Rainbow's End

 Poppies - just in time for Memorial Day!  Thank you, veterans.

 Alliums, a punctuation mark in my garden.

Allow seedheads to dry in order to share seeds.

Perennial bachelor buttons. 

When goes to seed, yellow finches will flock in for a free dinner.

 Rhodo

 Alliums multiply quickly and wherever they please.

 Columbines.  Sprinkle dried seedheads in empty spaces.

Think salt and pepper shakers.

 Shasta daisies.  A happy flower.

 Snowball bush, inherited from mom's father's side of the family.

 Siberian Iris.  Seedheads are loaded with seeds.  Save dried seedheads to share.

 Salvia.  New plants readily grow.

 Cantoon.  (The silver gray plant is rose campion.)

 Ajua, a ground cover comes in pink and purple.

 Rosa

 Azalea.  Netted and sprayed over the winter to keep deer at bay.

 Chive blossoms are also edible.

Columbine on a cloudy day (with iris on the right side).

Something new everyday here at Rainbow's End.

Iris are beginning to pop.  Peonies soon.  Buds on roses.

Was thinking everything blooming too soon

then realized this week will be June - already!

If the rain holds off, will plant vegetable seeds this week.

After all, Life Is a Garden Party!

To order Life Is a Garden Party, Vol II

go to WestBow Press.

To order Life Is a Garden Party, Vol I

go to Amazon or B&N.

Follow Life Is a Garden Party on facebook.

Battling

BATTLING

Gardeners spend the season battling

yellow dandelions in the spring.

They might find grubs in the soil

making for unwanted toil.

The battle has turned to war

for dedicated gardeners.

Without fail, slugs will find the hostas.

Gardeners devise ways to take them hostage.

After they think aphids are under control,

they then find green worms on the flowering rose.

Yes, the battle has turned to war

for most dedicated gardeners.

Japanese beetles come every summer

making more work for the gardener.

Some years there are striped beetles and bugs galore.

A dedicated gardener is never bored.

Gardeners battle to win the war.

That’s just part of being a gardener.

Not only do gardeners battle insects and beetles

they declare war on weeds – a season-long battle.

Rather dandelions

or two types of plantain

gardeners declare incessant war –

that’s just part of being a gardener.

At my house there’s unwanted purslane

and horsetails – both a genuine pain.

They both came in a load of topsoil

which now make for constant labor and toil.

Though war is declared, the battle is waylaid.

This warrior’s combat has begun to fade.

* * * * *

Every day there’s a battle of some sort,

though unwanted, I’m sorry to report.

Gardener’s battle with bugs and weed seeds

but there are worse battles to battle indeed.

There are physical, emotional, and mental battles.

Everyone fights the battle of gossip. Please don’t tattle.

Physical battles come and make life hard to deal.

Emotional battles take much longer to heal.

Mental battles with oneself even weaken the strong.

There are spiritual battles between right and wrong.

It seems we constantly battle something

for no one knows what a day will bring.

We battle not to eat too much,

otherwise we might end up feeling stuffed.

We battle not to spend too much

even though we already have too much stuff.

Battles are meant to make us stronger

so we’ll grow stronger faith and trust.

Pray that your battle does not linger,

that everything turns out fair and just.

Please don’t give up your battle

with whatever it is you are saddled.

Fight to win the battle by declaring war

and you’ll learn the good things God has in store.

This is what the Lord says to you:

Do not be afraid or discouraged

because of this vast army.

For the battle is not yours, but God's.

Take your positions; stand firm

and see the deliverance the Lord will give you.

Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.

Go out to face them tomorrow,

and the Lord will be with you.

Have faith in the Lord your God and you will be upheld,

have faith and you will be successful.

II Chronicles 20:15

Be strong and courageous.

Do not be afraid or discouraged…

for there is a greater power with us than with him….

With us is the Lord our God to help us and to fight our battles.

II Chronicles 32:7-8

If you make the Most High your dwelling -

even the Lord, who is my refuge,

then no harm will befall you,

no disaster will come near your tent.

For he will command his angels concerning you

to guard you in all your ways.

Psalm 91:9-11

"Because he loves me," says the Lord,

"I will rescue him; I will protect him,

for he acknowledges my name.

He will call upon me, and I will answer him;

I will be with him in trouble,

I will deliver him and honor him.

With long life will I satisfy him

and show him my salvation.

Psalm 91:14-16

To order Life Is a Garden Party, Vol II

go to WestBow Press.

To order Life Is a Garden Party, Vol I

go to Amazon or B&N.

Follow Life Is a Garden Party on facebook.

At Rainbow's End 5/22/17

Got out the tools to do more edging today, but first raked over the vegetable garden plot.
Ended up transplanting freebies.  Never did get to the edging.

 Can't wait to have new potato salad with fresh dill!  I think red potatoes make the best potato salad.

Vegetable garden plot green with dill and borage that has self-seeded for many years.
Will provide nutrition when the soil is plowed this weekend.
I allow the borage to grow at will as it attracts bees.  Love to listen to their symphony.

 Transplanted a couple dozen fingerling potatoes that sprouted from last year's crop.

Too many to count sunflowers were transplanted to new locations.
Will need to spray to keep deer at bay.  To think of the miracle within just one seed.
For it to sprout and grow 6+ feet tall, produce a flower head for bees to pollinate,
and hundreds of seeds for visiting feathered friends.  Our God is an awesome God!

Also found nastursums to transplant.  I don't care for their peppery flavor but will use their blossoms to decorate with.

Raked off two 2-cubit potting soil bags of gravel.  I think it snowed gravel on the vegetable garden this winter?  Or the wind blew topsoil away.

Look who entertained me while I was raking this afternoon:

This is the male, with the red stripe on his face.  He was bobbing away so the photo is blurry.  And was he ever squawky.  Like to think saying a prayer of thanks for his free fare.

Look what I'll be harvesting this week:  Lettuce and spinach.

Heave

Heave

When winter comes and there's a freeze

there's something else that it will leave.

This something will have you rolling up your sleeves,

using your back muscles – sometimes under the trees.

It's best to work on a day when there's a breeze

for if you sweat a lot you'll become quite peeved.

You'll find this something under the dirt weaved

for when there was a freeze, this something heaved.

You'll need a shovel and perhaps the hoe

when you go out this day to dig a hole

or maybe attempt a row

with seeds you want to sow.

Sometimes the going is slow.

Never go with barefoot toes.

Sometimes down on your knees you'll go

as you dig around with the hoe.

When digging a hole

or marking a row

you'll find stones and rocks heaved

from winter's long, cold, hard freeze.

Though it seems like stones and rocks grow

and multiply each year to our woe

these buried treasures please

as stone walls and paths please.

There is a rhythm, a flow,

to this chore - it does flow.

In the above rhyme it's sowed.

Did you find it? Do you know?

It's: Heave, Ho!

Funny? No?

* * * * *

Many shovels and trowels end up broken

from yearly digging out rocks and stones.

Many lives end up broken

from wrong words that were spoken.

Words will either build up or tear down.

If words tear down, there will be frowns

and a heart that is forlorn

despite how much one has grown.

If words build up, they will encourage for a lifetime

as these kind words will be recalled time after time.

Take note: Think

before you speak.

When words are many, sin is not absent,

but he who holds his tongue is wise.

Proverbs 10:19

An anxious heart weighs a man down,

but a kind word cheers him up.

Proverbs 12:25

A gentle answer turns away wrath,

but a harsh word stirs up anger.

Proverbs 15:1

Pleasant words are a honeycomb,

sweet to the soul and healing to the bones.

Proverbs 16:24

A word aptly spoken

is like apples of gold in settings of silver.

Proverbs 25:11

To order Life Is a Garden Party, Vol II

go to WestBow Press.

To order Life Is a Garden Party, Vol I

go to Amazon or B&N.

Follow Life Is a Garden Party on facebook.

For those of you who sweat a lot and need to replenish salt to prevent weakness, 

a nephew gave me this recipe for a natural gaterade/electrolyte:

Heat honey, salt, and water.  Add lemon.  Refrigerate.

I guesstimate about a tablespoon of honey, a sprinkle of salt 

and more than a cup of water with 1 tablespoon of lemon juice.

I freeze fresh lemon juice in an ice cube tray.

Each cube is 1 Tablespoon.

At Rainbow's End 5/19/17

Finally...after days of too cold, too rainy, too busy, too hot, a day to start the edging.

Edging done with shovel and hoe - and woman power.  Four flower garden beds were edged today.   The green on these stones are maple seedlings.  Super abundant this year.

All work and no play isn't healthy, so played with stones as well.

When I started this morning, saw crows gathering nesting materials.
Went to get camera which scattered the crows.

Noticed poppies had begun to pop overnight:

As orange and purple is my favorite color combination in the garden,
thought I would sprinkle allium seeds in with the poppies once the alliums go to seed.
One thing to bear in mind when planning your garden is to consider which plants bloom
at the same time.  In the past I noticed that poppies and iris bloom at the same time
so planted those in the same bed.  Alliums also bloom when poppies do.

Simply allow these seed heads to dry, than scatter the black seeds which will form bulbs.
I cut off the dried seedheads to share.  Love the architectural interest in the meantime.  Like fireworks.

Daisies have taken over many empty spaces, creating a field of dreams:

(I'm thinking this photo is upside down.)

Jack-in-the-pulpit:

Noticed the snowball bushes have been attacked by caterpillars.  :-(

First blooms on wisteria this morning:

Rhodo in bloom too:

Every day there's something new here at Rainbow's End
where everyday there's something to tend -
involving digging, lugging, bending, lifting... Since I have no tractor,
I'll be making an appointment to see Linda, my chiropractor.

The Buzzing Tree

The Buzzing Tree

After two days of unseasonable heat

today a surprise as a buzzing tree did greet.

I didn't realize I was growing a buzzing tree.

It certainly was a delight to me to hear and see.

This buzzing tree covered with white blooms

this warm Sunday May afternoon

had caught my attention -

a picture in the making.

So off to take its picture,

a memory captured.

There was a sweet fragrance

that greeted me as a went.

Each blossom like a five-pointed star

and delicate yellow stamens were

indeed perfect,

without defect.

Against the clear blue sky

these white blossoms up high

were quite beautiful to behold

as in another rhyme to be told.

This buzzing tree

a sight to see

and sweet to smell

also did swell...

with harmony -

a buzzing tree.

What? You've never heard of a buzzing tree?

Yes, as you might have guessed, it was full of bees.

The white crab apple was full of bees -

honey bees, sweat bees, buzzing happily.

As I listen to the joyful sound,

I realized it is paradise found.

* * * * *

Heaven on earth according to the bees

as it was paradise there in the tree.

There really is a heaven

high above the heavens.

Heaven...where God, the Father, dwells

with His Son, Jesus Christ, as well.

Heaven where a mansion is being prepared

for those whose names are written in the book there.

Heaven...where those who believe

and at one time received

Jesus as their Savior

will receive His favor.

Heaven...where those who believe will dwell

when they leave this earth, instead of hell,

for hell is for those who reject the Lord,

who rebel, who serve Satan as lord.

Heaven...where there's no more sin

so there will be no more pain -

rather physical or emotional -

as there's no tears or death there, no, no.

Heaven...where the saints will worship

with praise and thanksgiving on their lips

for God is worthy to be praised everyday

and forever - as well as today.

Heaven...where you'll want to be

for all of eternity

so make that decision right now -

believe as in prayer you bow.

In my Father's house are many rooms;

if it were not so, I would have told you.

I am going there to prepare a place for you.

John 14:2

...rejoice that your names are written in heaven.

Luke 10:20

...rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents...

Luke 15:7

Out citizenship is in heaven.

Philippians 3:20

He will wipe every tear from their eyes.

There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain.

Revelation 21:4

Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain,

to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength

and honor and glory and praise!

Revelation 5:12

...he is Lord of lords and King of kings -

and with him will be his called, chosen and faithful followers.

Revelation 17:14

If you confess with your mouth,

"Jesus is Lord,"

and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead,

you will be saved.

Romans 10:9

To order Life Is a Garden Party, Vol II

go to WestBow Press.

To order Life Is a Garden Party, Vol I

go to Amazon or B&N.

Follow Life Is a Garden Party on facebook.

Rainbow's End

A sampling of what's happening May 12, 2017 at Rainbow's End:

Breakfast of champions!

Look at the birds of the air;

they do not sow or reap or store away in barns,

and yet your heavenly Father feeds them.

Matthew 6:26

When morning gilds the skies,

my heart awakening cries

may Jesus Christ be praised!

The land produced vegetation:

plants bearing seed according to their kinds.

Genesis 1:12

Forget-me-nots

Praise the Lord, O my soul,

and FORGET NOT all his benefits -

who forgives all your sins

and heals all your diseases,

who redeems your life from the pit

and crowns you with love and compassion,

who satisfies your desires with good things.

Psalm 103:2-5

Bleeding Hearts

How great is the love the Father has lavished on us,

that we should be called children of of God!

And that is what we are!

I John 3:1

Honey bees in crab apple.

Pleasant words are a honeycomb,

sweet to the soul and healing to the bones.

Psalm 16:24

Rhubarb

Working fields and vineyards in the hills 

and in the fertile lands, for he loved the soil.

II Chronicles 26:10

Off to harvest rhubarb again!

How do you apply God's principles to nature?

P.S. A very good year for rhubarb:
28 more cups of rhubarb in the freezer
plus the 16 cups previously.