Afternoon Stroll 4/30/18

 Hyacinth

 Hardy Magnolia

 Squill

 Perennial Forget-Me-Not

 Hellebore

 Rhubarb

 Lungwort

 Daffodil

Bleeding Heart

Now that spring has arrived (a month late),
the garden will be changing everyday.
More foliage, new blooms - can't wait!

Noticed today there are zillions of maple seedlings sprouted.
What a nuisance!

Also noticed lettuce is coming up from last year's plants going to seed.
Forgot to check the asparagus.
Asparagus is normally harvested here in Upstate NY in May.
Will be adding to my morning scrambled eggs.

Sorted vegetable and flower seeds today.
Already know I'll be running out of room.

Will continue moving compost pile tomorrow.
Hopefully this week's heatwave will warm the soil enough
to start planting spinach and lettuces.

I had stated earlier that while spring was detained,
it may be we'll skip spring
and go directly to summer.
Something an old timer would state.
Recent mailings announce my age on the envelopes
re signing up for Medicare.
I don't think of myself as old
though aches and pains suggest it.

Bloom where you are planted!

Babies

BABIES

Off to water the new climbing rose,
someday up the arbor it will grow.
What’s that I hear? Sounds like it’s scolding me.
It’s a robin in the crab apple tree.


I see the twig nest there in the arbor high.
To see it you have to look up to the sky.
Mr. and Mrs. Robin were crafty builders.
Their round nest is neat and tidy with mud shoulders.


The mud is packed tightly inside the nest,
a comfortable place for blue eggs to rest.
I don’t know how many eggs there will be.
I’ll just have to patiently wait to see.


One day the little blue eggs will hatch
and babies will be born without thatch.
Ugly, hairless, with big beaks
waiting for something to eat.


Their parents will supply worms aplenty
and soon feathers will sprout. There’ll be many.
They will turn from ugly to cute
and learn to sing just like a flute.


One day loud squawking will be heard.
It’s coming from the parent bird.
Encouraging their young ones to fly
from their safe loft up high in the sky.


All children are meant to spread their wings
while in the background parents sing
encouragement often to them
while praying “God protect them. Amen.”


Squawking might not be heard as encouragement.
It might be interpreted as disagreement.
Parents only mean to keep their children safe
while trusting in the Lord and growing strong faith.


Rather squawking from birds or testing from your teens,
there’s a lesson in this story to glean.
Be sure to say “I love you” and “be safe.”
They might leave the house with a smile on their face.

* * * * *

The Bible tells us that God knows
the activity of sparrows.
If God is concerned about little brown sparrows,
He certainly is concerned about your sorrows.


So many problems are solved by just simply waiting
even though we want a solution without waiting.
In the meantime, pray for everyone’s peace of heart and mind.
God does have an answer because He is loving and kind.


When you’re waiting for the situation to turn out different
please know, though it sometimes seems so, God is never ever silent.
He’s working out the details through others.
Just keep praying, God is never bothered.


Pray “Thy will be done.”
Cast your burdens – gone.
Just trust in the Lord while you wait.
You’ll learn that God is never late.

Not one sparrow is forgotten by God.

Luke 12:6

Do not be anxious about anything,

but in everything, by prayer and petition,

with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.

And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding,

will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Philippians 4:6-7

Wait for the Lord;

be strong and take heart

and wait for the Lord.

Psalm 27:14

I wait for the Lord, my soul waits,

and in his word I put my hope.

Psalm 130:5

Your will be done.

Matthew 6:10

Cast all your anxiety on him

because he cares for you.

I Peter 5:7

Trust in the Lord with all your heart

and lean not on your own understanding;

in all your ways acknowledge him,

and he will make your paths straight.

Proverbs 3:5-6

The above story is in Life Is a Garden Party Vol III

available via Create Space or Amazon.

At Last

At Last

After days of below freezing temperatures

with no sun to illuminate the picture,

after donning boots and gloves and scarfs

as cold snow blankets the frozen earth,

after huddling around the wood stove

as the winter winds continue to blow,

after cold noses and cold feet

when perhaps a cold settles deep,

after winter does its dance -

it's time for a happy prance!

Why? Because the sun again shines

after winter comes to dine

when it nips our nose

and freezes our toes.

The sun warms the earth

bringing with it mirth

for the long days of winter

are finally over

when at last the early morning sunrise awakens

and at eventide the sunset hovers over the horizon.

At last, the winter snow has gone

and with it you'll hear a new song

for at last, birds return again

and with them springtime rains.

At last, the grass turns green

painting a pretty scene.

At last, snowdrops are in bloom

and you'll see crocus' soon.

At last, you'll see daffodils

over the landscape spill.

Although it seems winter lasts too long

winter is needed, it is not wrong,

for bulbs and perennials,

every year to return will,

need this time of frozen hibernation

as they use it for rejuvenation

before they burst on the scene

with spears of delightful green

soon followed by a rainbow

of colorful blooms just for show.

At last, spring has come

under the ground from

buried bulbs and roots

when hope again shoots

as at last flowers appear

and you'll see returning bees steer.

At last, the long winter is over

as each new day the sun hovers longer.

At last.

At last.

* * * * *

As bulbs yearly need a time of hibernation

to store up energy for rejuvenation

we too need a time to rejuvenate

as we study scripture when we awake

for each day will bring a burden, a care,

that God did not intend for us to bear.

God did, however, intend

that we search scriptures often

for answers to help us fend

when daily troubles offend.

You'll find that scripture often

comforts and relieves burdens.

Scripture also instructs and corrects,

your daily decisions direct.

It gives hope

to help you cope.

It tells you of God's love

sent from heaven above.

Discovering you are loved

is like receiving a hug.

Love will warm your stone cold heart

when it finds its target -

the life-long wrong impressions

that keep you in a prison.

Begin today to discover

what's under the Bible's covers.

You'll be delightfully surprised

as each day you can't wait to rise

to read about God's love for you.

You'll find God's love will see you through.

I will instruct you and teach you

in the way you should go;

I will counsel you and watch over you.

Psalm 32:8

Your word is a lamp to my feet

and a light for my path.

Psalm 119:105

Casting all your cares upon him for he careth for you.

I Peter 5:7 (KJV)

You are forgiving and good, O Lord,

abounding in love to all who call to you.

Psalm 86:5

For the Lord is good and his love endures forever;

his faithfulness continues through all generations.

Psalm 100:5

You are precious and honored in my sight...

and I love you...

Isaiah 43:4

Though the mountains be shaken and the hills be removed,

yet my unfailing love for you will not be shaken

nor my covenant of peace be removed,

says the Lord, who has compassion on you.

Isaiah 54:10

Life Is a Garden Party is available via Amazon.

Undercover

 Undercover

Spring has sprung.

Yard work begun.

It's time to discover

what's undercover

for last fall gardens were put bed

covered with a blanket of leaves quite dead.

What was discovered today

underneath this crisp array?

From under this blanket burst

purple and bright gold crocus

now visited by honey bees

which is quite pleasing to me.

Rosy tips of tulips seen

among daffodil's leaves of green.

Can't wait for the tulips to bloom

as they were a gift last autumn.

Much of my garden makes a memory

of friends and family dear to me.

This afternoon under the sun's beams

other surprises wait to be seen.

There are grape hyacinths lacking chlorophyll,

yellowish green under the leaves looking quite ill.

Other hyacinths seem to grow an inch a day.

When I saw them pop up last week they made my day.

Day lilies are uncovered

as the warm sun hovers,

while songbirds serenade

as they build nests from blades

of dried grasses and twigs

when they build their new digs.

Yes, each year spring brings with it a time of wonderment,

where miracles reappear to our amazement.

These warm days seem to bring an excited energy

though I, for one, quickly run out of energy.

I'll need to cut the ornamental grass

and buy something to kill grubs which ate the grass.

The compost pile waits to be dispersed.

There's another pile piled high with brush.

There's holes dug in the yard by squirrels

and trails left behind by moles.

It seems each joy is tempered by a sorrow

but there will be joy abundant tomorrow.

As I uncover, I find lots:

there's fat buds seen on the lilac,

forsythia almost ready to bloom,

lovely daffodils, with their spring-fresh perfume,

new green growth on the rose,

a pair of mourning doves pose...

hostas poking out of the ground,

under the leaves rhubarb is found,

here's sedums green rosettes

and hellebores are met,

there's purple columbine leaves.

These dead leaves make me sneeze.

Hooray for spring

for spring does bring

renewal each year

as green growth appears.

It's as the earth is kissed

and now filled with promise.

* * * * *

There's another promise

much better than a wish

found in God's Word

direct from the Lord.

It's: you are loved with an everlasting love.

Consider yourself enveloped in God's hug.

Not only is God's love eternal,

it's also unconditional.

You do not earn it.

It is a free gift

waiting to be discovered

under the Bible's covers.

I have loved you with an everlasting love.

Jeremiah 31:3

The gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Romans 6:23

It is by grace you have been saved, through faith -

and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God -

not by works, so that no one can boast.

For we are God's workmanship,

created in Christ Jesus to do good works,

which God prepared in advance for us to do.

Ephesians 2:8-10

To order Life Is a Garden Party,

go to Amazon.

Sunshine Yellow

SUNSHINE YELLOW

A test of patience each spring is yearly instilled

as we wait 11 months for the daffodils -

some bright yellow with trumpet frills

or maybe the white ones will thrill.

Though these yellow blooms last for up to three weeks

their green leaves from the flower bed will peek

for several more weeks,

looking messy, not neat.

In the meantime yellow forsythia bursts into bloom,

though if you're impatient you can force their yellow blooms

by cutting a few canes to bring inside.

Just a week it takes for flowers to betide.

Forsythia, another springtime bloom,

that we patiently await to bloom

bursts into color, a bright sunshine yellow,

reinforcing spring is here – hello!

How soon these bright sunshine yellow daffodils are over and gone

but do not fear, yellow dandelions are soon coming on...

and on...

and on.

Dandelions test our patience

seemingly beyond our endurance.

Many neighbors yearly apply "weed and feed"

as dandelions are filled with endless greed.

You'll find my yard filled with an abundance

which remind me of God's "faithfulness"

for that's what dandelion happens to mean -

these sunny blooms among jagged leaves of green.

For many weeks on end, over and over again,

you'll find me (impatiently) digging out dandelions in the gardens

as last year's dandelions went to seed

growing thousands of dandelions to weed.

I'm reminded of God's patience

and everlasting faithfulness

daily toward me as I weed -

a needed reminder indeed.

Let's not forget the sunshine yellow sun

that each spring brightens and warms

the barren, colorless earth

causing new life to spring forth.

Bright sunshine yellow,

such a cheerful color.

Much happiness it brings,

painting the earth each spring.

* * * * *

Patience is a hard lesson to learn,

though often needed at every turn,

for everyday something unforeseen goes awry

causing unwanted suffering, why oh why?

Yet God's Word says those who persevere are blessed.

Something to contemplate during the next test -

and you can be sure one will come,

though hardly ever welcomed.

 

Instead of worrying,

simply start praising.

The peace of God will again calm your spirit,

then perhaps you'll see God's solution in it.

And you'll find an attitude

of unceasing gratitude

will peacefully surround

through life's many ups and downs.

Asking for God's "hedge of protection"

will allay many daily problems

showering us with blessings instead.

Just pray this simple prayer before bed.

Focusing on the positive

instead of the negative

will change your perspective.

A blessed way to live.

As an example of patience in the face of suffering,

take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord.

As you know, we consider blessed those who have persevered.

You have heard of Job's perseverance

and have seen what the Lord finally brought about.

The Lord is full of compassion and mercy.

James 5:10-11

Have you not put a hedge around him

and his household and everything he has?

You have blessed the work of his hands...

Job 1:10

Life Is a Garden Party

is available via Amazon.

Grow

Grow

A tiny seed planted in a peat pot

to grow under a heat lamp, not too hot,

and sprinkled with water wet

will sprout with two green leaflets.

In a few weeks this seedling

will need careful transplanting

then will daily mature under the sun

and from a needed rain that weekly comes.

By inches it will creep

and soon blossoms will greet

in a yellow array

imitating the sun's rays.

Bees will unerringly seek

these pretty blossoms which greet

as this plant now matures,

though hardship it endures.

Yes, buffeted about

by wind and/or drought

it grew despite

life's unknown plights.

For its life is filled with hardships whether

from too much sun or from stormy weather.

These hardships will harden the plant to endure

and most likely a sweeter harvest ensure.

On summer afternoons the plant will wilt

as the sun over the horizon tilts

but the plant will survive

for its roots keep it alive.

 

This plant that started life as a seed

now produces enough to feed

ones family through the months of winter

as it soaks in the goodness of summer.

This seed grew

with life anew

for inside each seed is a miracle

waiting to be let out. Grow little plant, grow.

* * * * *

And so it is with us

as we grow in faith and trust.

We mature through hardships

for hardships equip us.

One day our hardships may another encourage

as others see us prevail and take courage

as our roots have grown deep

in God's Word, which we seek.

God's Word assures us that God is with us,

and in us, and will never forsake us.

We are assured that God loves us

and through His Son has forgiven us.

Hardships are meant to refine us,

as we learn about God's faithfulness,

and in the end, we find, teaches us

to give glory to God who blesses us.

His delight is in the law of the Lord,

and on his law he meditates day and night.

He is like a tree planted by streams of water,

which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither.

Whatever he does prospers.

Psalm 1:2-3

Be strong and courageous.

Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged,

for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.

Joshua 1:9

I pray that out of his glorious riches

he may strengthen you with power

through his Spirit in your inner being,

so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith.

And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love,

may have power, together with all the saints,

to grasp how wide and long and high and deep

is the love of Christ,

and to know this love that surpasses knowledge -

that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.

Ephesians 3:16-19

God has said, Never will I leave you;

never will I forsake you.

So we say with confidence,

The Lord is my helper;

I will not be afraid.

Hebrews 13:5-6

Though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief

in all kinds of trials,

These have come so that your faith -

of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire -

may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory, and honor

when Jesus Christ is revealed.

I Peter 1:6-7

Life Is a Garden Party is available via Amazon.

 

"x"

"x"

(Inch by Inch)

story

on my Life Is a Garden Party

facebook page

for National Poetry Month (April).