Life a Garden Party recent review

 Recent review of Life Is a Garden Party:

"Judy, Life Is a Garden Party: Gardening Observations with Spiritual Applications in Rhyme caught my attention with its delightful blend of nature, poetry, and spiritual reflection. I appreciate how you use the familiar beauty of a garden to invite readers to slow down and notice the wonders that often go overlooked in everyday life. The songs of birds, the work of pollinators, the fragrance of herbs, and the colors of blooming flowers all provide lovely reminders of the beauty and abundance surrounding us.

What I find especially appealing is your creative approach of pairing gardening observations with biblical lessons expressed in rhyme. This combination sounds both enjoyable and meaningful, offering readers an accessible way to connect the natural world with Scripture. I like the idea that a garden tour can become more than a pleasant experience; it can also encourage reflection on gratitude, health, patience, and the many blessings found in ordinary moments. Your whimsical and personal style promises to make these lessons inviting for readers of different ages.

Your reminder to stop, listen, and appreciate the music of the garden is particularly meaningful. Life can become so busy that we forget to pause and enjoy the simple gifts around us. I appreciate how your writing encourages readers to recognize God’s hand in creation and to consider how the lessons of nature can speak to their own spiritual journeys. The use of rhyme adds a memorable quality to these reflections, while the inclusion of Scripture gives readers something to contemplate beyond the beauty of the garden itself.

Overall, Judy, Life Is a Garden Party sounds like a warm and uplifting collection that celebrates both the wonders of nature and the richness of faith. I appreciate your effort to create a book that can be enjoyed as a family read while also serving as a source of inspiration and reflection over time. Your work invites readers to approach each day with greater awareness, cultivate gratitude, and find spiritual encouragement in the world around them. It is a lovely reminder that even a simple garden can offer opportunities to appreciate creation and give thanks for life’s many blessings."

The collection of Life Is a Garden Party is available at Palmetto Publishing in SC and Amazon.

 

Confused

I’m confused!

Will you be confused?

It’s not April.

It’s still fall.

In fact, the month of October

according to the calendar.

Yet here and there are

spring-time flowers.

Bright yellow among decaying brown leaves.

Not certain if these flowers confuse or please.

Seen here at my place,

they seem out-of-place.

Which flowers bloom in October?

I think you’ll be bewildered.

Their saw-tooth leaves are a giveaway.

Their bloom is bright yellow always.

Their blooms provide nectar for honeybees to sip

with their feeding tube tongue (proboscis)**, not their lips.

To see the first one in spring is a treat.

To see one in October: trick-or-treat!

Should you pick a bouquet

their beauty will fade away.

Did you guess dandelions?

I’m telling you, I’m not lying,

though it’s October my yard is in bloom

from these weed seeds that came in the month of June.

Are these dandelions confused?

Or perhaps they seek to amuse?

Some say dandelions are good news.*

They leave me rather bemused.

*I’ve heard it said to leave dandelions be as they are bees first food (as in refrain from pesticiding your yard). I recommend planting crocus’ as they are honeybees first food here at Rainbow’s End. Purchase and plant crocus bulbs in the fall.

** Butterflies also sip from their proboscis (feeding tube).

* * * * *

What confuses you?

What amuses you?

When life seems upside down

instead of wearing a frown,

think of something pleasing

then a smile you’ll be choosing.

When we choose to smile it lifts our countenance;

our spirits are happy despite our circumstance.

We feel better inside and out

when we wear a smile about.

So put on your happy face;

troubles will be erased.

You’ll even find a smile is contagious

as others will return a smile to us.

Pay attention to your countenance.

It does display your heart’s contents.

It also sets the mood

for others attitudes.

Why is thy countenance sad, seeing thou art not sick?

This is nothing else but sorrow of heart.

Nehemiah 2:2 (KJV)

A merry heart maketh a cheerful countenance:

but by sorrow of the heart the spirit is broken.

Proverbs 15:13 (KJV)

Thou hast made known to me the ways of life;

thou shalt make me full of joy with thy countenance.

Acts 2:28 (KJV)

The Lord bless thee and keep thee;

the Lord make His face shine upon thee,

and be gracious unto thee:

The Lord lift up His countenance upon thee,

and give thee peace.

Numbers 6:24-26 (KJV)

Dandelions contain many health benefits, especially Vitamin A, C, and K.

Their greens (before blossoms develop) can be eaten raw or cooked.

These blooms might be deep fried as fritters. You could collect these yellow blooms to make dandelion blossom jelly or even wine.

It will be worth your time to google the health benefits of dandelions – there are many – all mighty, like a lion, as its foliage is said to resemble lion’s teeth in which its name came from. The French phrase “dent de lion” means tooth of the lion.

Regarding the health benefits of dandelions: Popeye's famous spinach has competition. Also, dandelion’s deep roots aerate the soil as well as adding calcium.

Folk lure claims the yellow blossom is the sun, the white seed head is the moon, with the dispersed seeds as the stars. Factoids or trivia to share with your children/grandchildren. Take a tour of your yard come spring to discover these free delights.

Honeybees forage dandelion blossoms as one of their first foods each spring; Beware: pesticided yards will murder bees, as well as insects, in turn killing birds.

Autumn blooming dandelion.

Life Is a Garden Party

is available via Amazon.

TRANSFORMATION

TRANSFORMATION

Autumn brings a colorful transformation -

a metamorphosis in the making.

The season of autumn is replete

when leaves crunch under ones feet.

A time to live, a time to die -

autumn's flamboyant leaves sigh,

green leaves surrender to this picturesque season

preparing for their showy transformation.

Autumn's intermission

brings a celebration

when everything is dressed

vibrantly in their finest.

These leaves, once green, are now noted for their array

of dynamic multi-colors, day-after-day,

ever changing,

transforming.

A termination of what was, these leaves

now begin the process of what will be -

a return to earth where they lie

before their final goodbye.

These leaves will live on, though, as compost

where new life will one day again boast.

Their cycle of life now complete

as new life continues to greet.

Never ending this life-changing transformation

fulfilling its purpose - a transfiguration.

You'll find each season is a celebration

completing its own awesome transformation.

All too soon the trees are leafless and bare

transforming into a skeleton where

it casts its shadow when the moon rises

and again when the sun sets or rises.

Life goes on

with each season

as each rotation of the moon transforms night into day

bringing another sunrise to highlight autumn's display.

A continual transformation

miraculously occurring,

ever changing,

never ending.

* * * * *

As each fall trees leaves change into sought-after displays of picturesque beauty,

or as caterpillars will one day transform into colorful butterflies so pretty,

we, too, are constantly being transformed through our difficulties -

which in the end is meant to reflect our inherent inner beauty.

This inherent inner beauty only comes from the Lord

as left to ourselves, our lives are filled with strife and discord.

You see, we can't handle life's constant problems on our own.

We need to rely on the only One who can transform.

Besides, God already has the perfect solution in mind.

One that will give you perfect peace of both heart and mind.

So let's learn to look at our difficulties differently,

not as burdensome, but as vessels of beauty.

For the difficulties we encounter will one day transform us.

What joy to know our troubles will cause us to grow our faith and trust.

To be changed for the better:

kinder, gentler, humbler.

Lord, transform me through difficulties

to display an inner beauty

that will bring you honor and glory

for through you alone is victory.

And we, with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord's glory,

are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increased glory,

which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.

II Corinthians 3:18

But we have this treasure in jars of clay

to show that this all-surpassing power is from God

and not from us.

We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed;

perplexed, but not in despair;

persecuted, but not abandoned;

struck down, but not destroyed...

so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body.

II Corinthians 4:7-9

Create in me a pure heart, O God,

and renew a steadfast spirit within me.

Psalm 51:10

Restore to me the joy of your salvation

and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.

Psalm 51:12

The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit;

a broken and contrite heart,

O God, you will not despise.

Psalm 51:17

Life Is a Garden Party

is available via Amazon.

ABLAZE

 

ABLAZE

The hills are alive with a blaze of colors.

Among the green: red, orange, and golden yellow,

as if the painter’s palette had spilled

splashing the trees upon the hills.

The deep burgundy of the red maples,

the bright orange splashed upon sugar maples,

a magenta red drawing attention to the sumac,

autumn's golden yellow foliage never seems to lack.

When the sun shines, the hills are ablaze

under the autumn sun’s golden rays

calling attention to us today to gaze,

to take a moment to capture this blaze.

It will take your breath away

to see their beauty today.

Enjoy before this color leaves

when the rain falls on these leaves.

For when the rains come,

these leaves are soon gone.

Floating down they gather in a pile on the ground

where several afternoons of work will then be found.

Mottled leaves lie there,

crispy ones join in pairs.

The pile turns to brown

as these leaves pile on the ground.

Another year has come and gone,

another season is done.

A time of renewal awaits the trees.

A time of reflection for you and me.

A time to count our blessings

with a song of thanksgiving

from a glad, thankful heart.

Let's everyone now start.

* * * * *

Counting our blessings everyday

is a habit that will well pay.

One payment will be a happy heart

from the moment each new day starts.

You’ll discover more blessings to add,

even if the day turns from glad to sad.

Those with a heart full of thanksgiving

are thankful for their many blessings.

Counting our many blessings

causes us to look for blessings.

There’s always one more

around every corner.

Counting our many blessings

is much better than stressing.

You’ll find you’ll have more energy today

despite the ups and downs of the day.

Do you have a blessings jar?

If you don’t, it’s not hard.

An empty jar, slips of paper,

daily blessings written and dated.

One day you may take time to look back

and give thanks to God who never lacks

in giving many blessings individually

which, in turn, blesses others collectively.

The blessing of the Lord brings wealth.

Proverbs 10:22

You will eat the fruit of your labor;

blessings and prosperity will be yours.

Psalm 128:2

I will bless them...

I will send down showers in season;

there will be showers of blessing.

Ezekiel 34:26

A happy heart makes the face cheerful.

Proverbs 15:13

You are my God, and I will give you thanks.

Psalm 118:28

Life Is a Garden Party

is available via Amazon.

TRANSFORMATION

 

TRANSFORMATION

Autumn brings a colorful transformation -

a metamorphosis in the making.

The season of autumn is replete

when leaves crunch under ones feet.

A time to live, a time to die -

autumn's flamboyant leaves sigh,

green leaves surrender to this picturesque season

preparing for their showy transformation.

Autumn's intermission

brings a celebration

when everything is dressed

vibrantly in their finest.

These leaves, once green, are now noted for their array

of dynamic multi-colors, day-after-day,

ever changing,

transforming.

A termination of what was, these leaves

now begin the process of what will be -

a return to earth where they lie

before their final goodbye.

These leaves will live on, though, as compost

where new life will one day again boast.

Their cycle of life now complete

as new life continues to greet.

Never ending this life-changing transformation

fulfilling its purpose - a transfiguration.

You'll find each season is a celebration

completing its own awesome transformation.

All too soon the trees are leafless and bare

transforming into a skeleton where

it casts its shadow when the moon rises

and again when the sun sets or rises.

Life goes on

with each season

as each rotation of the moon transforms night into day

bringing another sunrise to highlight autumn's display.

A continual transformation

miraculously occurring,

ever changing,

never ending.

* * * * *

As each fall trees leaves change into sought-after displays of picturesque beauty,

or as caterpillars will one day transform into colorful butterflies so pretty,

we, too, are constantly being transformed through our difficulties -

which in the end is meant to reflect our inherent inner beauty.

This inherent inner beauty only comes from the Lord

as left to ourselves, our lives are filled with strife and discord.

You see, we can't handle life's constant problems on our own.

We need to rely on the only One who can transform.

Besides, God already has the perfect solution in mind.

One that will give you perfect peace of both heart and mind.

So let's learn to look at our difficulties differently,

not as burdensome, but as vessels of beauty.

For the difficulties we encounter will one day transform us.

What joy to know our troubles will cause us to grow our faith and trust.

To be changed for the better:

kinder, gentler, humbler.

Lord, transform me through difficulties

to display an inner beauty

that will bring you honor and glory

for through you alone is victory.

And we, with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord's glory,

are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increased glory,

which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.

II Corinthians 3:18

But we have this treasure in jars of clay

to show that this all-surpassing power is from God

and not from us.

We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed;

perplexed, but not in despair;

persecuted, but not abandoned;

struck down, but not destroyed...

so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body.

II Corinthians 4:7-9

Create in me a pure heart, O God,

and renew a steadfast spirit within me.

Psalm 51:10

Restore to me the joy of your salvation

and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.

Psalm 51:12

The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit;

a broken and contrite heart,

O God, you will not despise.

Psalm 51:17

Life Is a Garden Party

is available via Amazon.

INSTRUCTIONS

 

Instructions

Much of what one knows about gardening

has been passed down through generations

of gardeners before

to those who come after.

These “oldies but goodies” know the best dirt -

not gossip, but the best secrets about earth:

how to enrich the soil,

how to reduce toil.

How to make compost

so your garden will boast.

Recycled leaves make the best organic matter

if manure is not available from your farming neighbors.

Egg shells add calcium to the garden's soil

which also cut grubs and slugs that sometimes toil.

Potassium in banana peels grow roses healthier.

Organic fresh cut grass adds nitrogen, a free fertilizer.

How to read the signs of the moon

in order for your plants to zoom.

What to plant side-by-side

and which should never reside.

When to prune

and how to prune.

How to deter deer

who are not dear.

Their advice

free, without price,

is not via the best chemicals to buy

but the best organic remedies to try.

For instance, Epsom salts grows better tomatoes.

They know the reason to hill up the row of potatoes.

Have you learned the reason?

It’s to prevent sunburn.

Yes, reading labels does teach,

as do catalogs sent to reach

perspective buyers who desire

to plant more, if they never tire.

Magazines and books

are other places to look

for needed advice

to make ones garden look nice.

But the best advice, by far,

is from old timers who were

taught by family instructions (wise tales) passed down,

and through trial and error, ups and downs.

* * * * *

Many of our practices and sayings

are based on Biblical teachings.

For instance, our saying:

“Red sky in the morning,

sailors take warning.

Red sky at night,

sailors delight”

is a Biblical teaching.

The Bible has a lot to say about farmers,

or the smaller version of the same – gardeners.

Basically caring for the land

which provides for all of us humans.

That land is a gift from the Lord

upon which His blessings pour.

After reading the below scripture from Isaiah

take a moment to appreciate – be in awe...

that God still speaks to us today:

through the Bible always,

through His wonderful creation,

through previous generations,

through our spirit

when we listen to it.

When a farmer plows for planting, does he plow continually?

Does he keep on breaking up and harrowing the soil?

When he has leveled the surface,

does he not sow caraway and scatter cumin?

Does he not plant wheat in its place,

barley in its plot, and spelt in its field?

His God instructs him and teaches him the right way.

Caraway is not threshed with a sledge,

nor is a cartwheel rolled over cumin;

caraway is beaten out with a rod,

and cumin with a stick.

Grain must be ground to make bread;

so one does not go on threshing it forever.

Though he drives the wheels of his threshing cart over it,

his horses do not grind it.

All this also comes from the Lord Almighty,

wonderful in counsel and magnificent in wisdom.

Isaiah 28:24-29

When evening comes, you say,

'It will be fair weather, for the sky is red,'

and in the morning,

'Today it will be stormy, for the sky is red and overcast.'

Matthew 16:2

Since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities -

his eternal power and divine nature -

have been clearly seen,

being understood from what has been made,

so that men are without excuse.

Romans 1:20

Teach them to your children,

talking about them when you sit at home

and when you walk along the road,

when you lie down and when you get up.

Deuteronomy 11:19

He who works the land

will have abundant food.

Proverbs 12:11

See how the farmer waits for the land to yield its valuable crop

and how patient he is for the autumn and spring rains.

James 5:7

Life Is a Garden Party

is available via Amazon.

AUTUMN

 

Autumn

I’m sad to see the garden yellowing

these beginning days of autumn.

Already turning yellow are hostas, the sugar maple,

lily of the valley, peonies, the white crab apple.

Though come autumn other flowers showcase yellow

for golden mums make welcome bedfellows

as does the perennial Maximilian sunflowers

and the remaining rudbeckias with gold flowers.

Some bushes and tree’s leaves are already turning red

here and there in their various garden beds:

Moses' burning bush, dogwood, forsythia,

and barberry’s red berries meet that criteria.

Red geraniums are filled with blooms

and red zinnias attract bees who zoom

in for a sip of nectar sweet

for an afternoon tea party treat.

Crisp red apples adorning apple trees

though gold or green ones will also please:

Red Delicious, Fugi, Gala, Honeycrisp, Cortland, Golden Delicious,

Ida Red, Macintosh, Northern Spy – the varieties are endless.

Purple Concord grapes ready for harvest.

Those warmed by the sun do taste the best.

Jelly jars of this deep amethyst color

from nature’s bounty will fill a shelf full this winter.

Chinese lanterns and pumpkins turn orange

as each year autumn's silent clock turns.

The late afternoon sunset displays rosy pinks

often tinged with orange rays, then gone in a wink.

Overnight tree's leaves will turn

from green to gold or red or orange.

Autumn dresses in a vast array

of colors that takes one's breath away.

Daily this kaleidoscope changes

over mountains, hills, and ranges

with every tock

of the clock.

Autumn, the most colorful time of the year.

Not just the leaves but the blue sky so clear.

Have you noticed the sky is the bluest blue in October?

Do schedule a picture-taking day so you'll have photos to remember.

Before you know it, leaves will turn brown

after tumbling, drifting down

making a blanket, a comforter, covering the ground

while other frost-bitten plants are piled in a mound...

to compost into black gold

during the winter season cold,

then one spring heaped in the wheelbarrow before towed

to enrich the soil where vegetables will again grow.

Autumn, each year a season that brings an end to summer

with a colorful celebration before ushering in winter.

Autumn doesn’t last long so take time

to seek out its treasures while the sun shines.

Autumn's palette is wiped clean

when the first snowfall is seen

replacing autumn's rainbow with a blanket of white delights

inviting play, then hot cocoa before day turns into night.

* * * * *

Autumn is a time to reflect 

on God's abundant faithfulness.

Truly we're grateful for yearly harvest

and especially God's watchcare over us.

Everyday God himself has blessed you

with many great things proving to you

that He loves you

through and through.

Not because of what you have done

but because of life through God's Son:

love, mercy, grace, kindness, forgiveness,

salvation, eternal life, righteousness.

Our reason to rejoice and be glad

for these blessings are ironclad,

unchangeable,

always available.

Thank you, Lord, that your love for us

is ever-present, changeless.

May our every word, thought, and deed

showcase your love, becoming our creed.

Surely he has done great things.

Be not afraid, O land;

be glad and rejoice.

Surely the Lord has done great things.

Be glad, O people of Zion,

rejoice in the Lord your God,

for he has given you the autumn rains in righteousness.

He sends you abundant showers,

both autumn and spring rains, as before.

Joel 2:21,23

I the Lord do not change.

Malachi 3:6

Every good and perfect fit is from above,

coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights,

who does not change like shifting shadows.

James 1:17

I saw the Lord always before me.

Because he is at my right hand,

I will not be shaken.

Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices;

my body also will live in hope.

Acts 2:25-26

They were all

amazed

at the greatness of God.

Luke 9:43

Life Is a Garden Party

is available via Amazon.