Purpose

Now that I am fully vaccinated, I have started back to volunteering at the Greater Des Moines Botanical Garden. I do a couple different things there. On Tuesday and Thursday mornings I do maintenance in the Gardener’s Showhouse. That really means I am the cleaning lady. I sweep, clean up dropped blossoms, prune dead leaves from plants, and this morning I started feeding and watering the African Violets. It may not sound that exciting, but I love it! The first thing I do when I get there is walk through the Showhouse to see what has changed and what needs my attention. There is always something new blooming or some new arrangement that the horticulturist has added. I can’t think of a more beautiful work environment.

What really occurred to me this morning, is how much stronger and healthier I am feeling now that I am back to working outside of my home. Having a purpose is so important to both my mental and physical health. I know that I have been blessed during this pandemic. I have stayed healthy. I have a comfortable home. I have food and clothing. I was grateful that I didn’t have to put myself in a dangerous situation by possibly exposing myself to Covid. The isolation, however, was very hard. On March 13, 2020, I left school for spring break. Because of the pandemic, I never went back, other than to pack up my things. After 30 years of teaching and being part of the Phillips Community, everything was changed. At the same time that I was thankful that I was not under the pressure my friends were, I felt lost. It affirmed for me how important it is to have a purpose in life.

I am so grateful to have that back through my work at the Greater Des Moines Botanical Garden and the Enabling Garden in Altoona. Having a purpose means that I am helping others, but I am the one who is really rewarded by being able to contribute to these beautiful places.

Finding My Way

Like everyone else, I am trying to find my way during this unprecedented time of an international pandemic.  Here in Des Moines we have been out of school for three weeks now.  We learned last week that we will not be going back to school during this school year.  We will be moving to distance learning, though we don't yet know what that means.

I am retired from the classroom, but I still work at the same school where I taught.  I am now in my thirtieth year.  I work as an AmeriCorps reading tutor.  This was my fourth year on an AmeriCorps contract.   I knew this would be my last year in this position, so I had already been thinking a lot about what I wanted to do with my time in the future.  This wasn't quite the way I had expected this year to unfold. But it definitely is an opportunity to practice and explore a more relaxed version of retirement.

I also volunteer at the Greater Des Moines Botanical Garden.  The Garden is closed as well.  However it is spring and I have been taking time to start seeds, plan my garden, and begin clearing flower beds.  Instead of trying to fit that in with working at two places, I can work at it a little each day, at least when the weather cooperates.

Strawberry plants I ordered arrived, and I planted them in a raised bed.  Unfortunately we went from 60 degrees to 26 in a matter of 2 days, so I covered them with tarps and screens.  Today we are back up to 63 degrees, and hopefully they will flourish.  I have never grown strawberries before.  A lot of my seeds are beginning to sprout and grow, and it does make me happy to see them. I have started tomato, peppers, and zinnia seeds so far.

Usually I live alone with my two little dogs.  My mother and her dog, Abbey, are staying with me right now.  That definitely helps to alleviate the feelings of isolation.  It also cuts down on the worrying I would be doing if she was staying at her own place.  Along with companionship, I am cooking more and eating healthier than I might be doing if I was here alone, 

Yesterday my church streamed the church service online. It was Palm Sunday, so we even had communion.  That is cranberry/cherry juice in that cup, not wine. My son, who lives in Madrid, Spain, watched the service with me.  I just loved seeing the notification that he was watching too.  Afterwards, we used Facebook Messenger Video streaming, so we could talk to and see each other.  It was such an amazing way to start my week, and it is something we had not done before.

I do feel there is good that can come from this time.  I am learning a lot about what makes me happy as I spend time here at home. As I watch the news, I am so grateful that I have a comfortable home, and that I have food and the things I need.

Staying at home, demands that we be creative with solving problems.  I am shopping on line, using things I already have, and being more creative with materials on hand, instead of running to the store to buy more.  This afternoon I picked up my grocery order.  I never thought I would be so excited to get groceries.

Gratitude for Today

• I love my home and my neighborhood.
• I am enjoying spending more time with my dogs.
• I love walks with the dogs, and they sure love it too.
• I am getting excited about growing things in the garden.
• I am communicating more with friends and family.
• I am using things I have instead of buying new.
• Mom and Abbey are here and I do not have to worry about them.
• Technology makes it possible to keep touch with my kids.
• I love the creative music videos that people are creating and posting on line.  

Hope

School is closed for the next 14 days.  We won't go back until March 30th. We were supposed to be out of school for spring break all of this next week.  Even that week feels a whole lot different than what I had anticipated.  Now instead of being out and about, I will either be home or at my Mom's place.

My son lives in Madrid, Spain which has been hard hit by the Coronavirus.  Thousands are sick, schools and businesses are closed, people are confined to their homes.  This is a very serious situation.  I will follow the guidance of others and use social distancing and stay home. By doing so, hopefully we can avoid having this virus spread in the way it has in other countries.

We have certainly never experienced a situation such as this pandemic.  While  I take it seriously, I don't want to be controlled by fear.  I'm trying to view it as an opportunity to practice being more retired.  I enjoy being home, and God knows, I have plenty that needs to be done around here, but between being an AmeriCorps tutor and volunteering at the Greater Des Moines Botanical Garden, I am often on the run.  During this next few weeks I'm going to use this as a time to work on my 20 Goals for 2020, which I wrote about in January.

One of the projects I am working on today is planning for my garden.  I used my little pot maker and paper that my sister gave me, to make more seed starting pots.  Last weekend I planted some coleus seeds and Big Girl Tomatoes. Today I started Jelly Bean Tomatoes, hot peppers, and sweet peppers.

I have nestled my little paper pots inside cups and mugs.  I have a massive collection of cups and mugs I have acquired over the years.  It is one of my favorite souvenirs to buy when I visit new places.  They bring back wonderful memories, but I just have certain ones I really like to drink out of.  Instead of using gardening trays, I went to Goodwill and found some plastic tea trays to hold my cups.  It may not be research based gardening strategies, but I'm having a lot of fun with it.

We are all hearing about all the toilet paper and hand sanitizer that people have been hoarding.  Well, we all have our priorities.  I stocked up on the things that are most important to me.  Earlier this week, I made sure I had a good tea supply, and yesterday I stocked up on dog food.  Now we can stay in as long as we need to.

Planting a seed is full of hope, and that's what we need right now.  Hope, growth, and a sense of humor.  That and kindness will help us get through this difficult time.

Gratitude for Today

• 1. I am thankful for friends who are sharing hopeful and positive information and thoughts.
• 2. Laughter!  
• 3. I am thankful for my son and daughter.  Stay safe and healthy.

One of my other goals for 2020 is to blog more.  I am going to try to do that during this next few weeks.  It is a way to reach out and connect with others, at the same time I am spending time in my own space.  This is a chance to use social networking in a positive way.

Take care of yourselves, friends.  Stay safe and healthy and don't forget to reach out to others.

Mystery Cairns in the Garden

Working at the Greater Des Moines Botanical Garden is such a nice escape from the doldrums of an Iowa winter.  I was there on Saturday morning doing maintenance in the Gardener's Show House.  As I was wiping down tables, removing dead leaves from plants, and sweeping up, I discovered these cairns that had been built among the succulents.

A cairn is a man-made pile of stones. They are built as a landmark, a memorial, or a trail marker, and they have been used since prehistoric times. The word cairn, comes from Scottish Gaelic:  carn. Cairns are often placed on a hilltop or at the skyline. These cairns were placed on larger rocks placed among the potted plants. I wouldn't even know what a cairn is, if not for my cousins, Rich and Susan Cairn, who adopted that name when they married.  Seeing these cairns definitely made me think of them.

These are actually mini-cairns, because they are made of pebbles and just an inch or two high.  I don't know if they were built by someone who works in the garden, or a visitor who was passing through, but I hope they remain undisturbed for a while. I always discover something new when I spend time in the Gardener's Show House, and that is such a treat. It really makes me smile.

The seed magazines are starting to arrive in my mailbox, and the gardening programs are showing up on QVC, which I watch a lot.  I am getting the urge to set up my greenhouse shelves and start some seeds, though I know I should probably wait another week or two.  I did dig out some of my Iowa gardening books.  It's not too early to start planning.

I like the ideas suggested in Gardening In Iowa and Surrounding Areas by Veronica Lorson Fowler. She says to set up a three ring notebook.  Draw a plan for the yard and garden.  Take photos of your garden.  Use folders to keep empty seed packets, so you know what to order the next year.  This is right up my alley!  Last year I used a website called, Plangarden.com.  I may do that again, but I kind of like the more hands on approach, drawing my plan and taking photos of my garden.  I may do a combination of the two.  It is just so much fun, to know that it is time to start planning and thinking about my garden.

Gratitude for Today

1. I am grateful for the horticulturists at the Botanical Garden, who work so hard to create and maintain this beautiful place. They are so kind and welcoming, and I am learning from them.
2. I am grateful for the courage to try new things.
3. I am thankful for time at home.

The Greenhouse

Gratitude Day #9

On Sunday I drove up to the Earl May in Ankeny, just to look at what they had.  I am in the planning and hoping stage for my garden.  The minute I walk into a greenhouse in spring, a smile spreads across my face.  The same thing happened today when I checked out the gardening section at Lowe's.  This time of year, before the heat, bugs, weeds, and hot weather set in, gardening is full of hope of what you may be able to grow and accomplish.

I am especially excited for this summer, because I will not be teaching summer school.  Hopefully I will do better at keeping up on my garden work, especially the weeding.  Every year, I try to expand a little.  I just ordered two more raised beds.  This year I am hoping to try my hand at strawberries.

I always refer to my garden as a science experiment, because I really don't know what I'm doing.  Every year I learn a little more, and this year I will be volunteering at the Greater Des Moines Botanical Garden, so I'm sure I will learn a lot more.  As it is, I grow and can tomatoes, cucumbers, and peppers that last me all year.  I feel really proud when I eat something that I grew.

1. I am grateful for the hope and beauty of my garden.
2. I am grateful for having space to grow food and flowers.
3. I am thankful that I learn new things about gardening every year.

Spring

This is little Abbie.  We went for a walk today.  Don't tell Chloe and Lola!

Gratitude Day #5

Spring brings warmer temperatures, freedom, hope, and growth.  It is so wonderful to feel the sunshine on  my face, and to be able to spend time comfortably outside.  It means I can go out and walk.  It is a time to begin planning my garden. Right now I even have the windows open, so I can feel the breeze gently blowing into the house.

It also means my mom and her dog, Abbie come home from Arizona. My sister, Jacci, flew to Arizona and drove Mom and Abbie home last week.  I am so grateful for my sister and her kindness.

The seeds that I planted under the grow lights are already sprouting.  They will be ready to move outside five or six weeks from now.  That's where the hope comes in. Hope for more beautiful weather, fertile ground, plants growing, and flowers blooming.  I love spring!

1. I am grateful for sunshine and spring breezes.
2. I am grateful to have Mom and Abbie back home.
3. I am so grateful for my sister, Jacci.

Garden Dreams

It is spring break!  We had temperatures in the sixties and seventies during February and early March.  Naively, I had imagined working in the garden sometime this week.  I have been reading about raised bed gardening, and have been collecting five hole brick to build my first bed.  It is piled by the backyard fence, just waiting.  The ground is covered with snow, so it won't be this week.

I had expected to have tomato and pepper seeds started by now.  I usually get them going by this time of year.  Other years I have just picked up seeds at Lowe's or Menards.  This year, however, I decided to order seeds from Henry Fields.  I placed the order on February 2nd.  I have contacted them twice, and still no seeds.

The best I can do is my Aerogarden.  I started two pods of cherry tomatoes a few weeks ago, and there are some little baby tomatoes on there.  In the meantime, I guess I will just keep reading gardening books, and dreaming of the time of year when I can get the garden going.  Those garden dreams are part of the fun of gardening.

If you are interested in reading about raised bed gardening, I recommend Raised Bed Revolution by Tara Nolan.  You can find it here.

Garden's Bounty

I have really enjoyed my garden this year, even though it was a lot of plants crammed into a very small space.  The squash pretty much took over everything.

The result was some very delicious tomatoes and acorn squash.

Container Garden

I need more mulch, but here is my big accomplishment for today.  I cleared the mass of weeds, laid down landscape fabric, mulched, and planted the pots with tomatoes, peppers, including a few jalapenos, and herbs.  There are also a few flowers mixed in.  It took me all morning, but I am proud of the result.  A few of my turtles got to come out of the garage too.  

I made the collage at www.picmonkey.com.

Photo #120/365: Hanging Baskets

There were lots of baskets with colorful flowers at the Hy-Vee Garden Center. Today's trip was just to look, but these would look great hanging on my porch.

Photo #119/365: The Garden Center

It was a beautiful day today with temperatures in the mid sixties, and lots of sunshine. I spent some time cleaning out one of my flowerbeds, and then stopped by the Hy-Vee Garden Center. I was looking at the annuals, but I never put any in until after May 10th. My grandma gave me this advice years ago, and I always follow it.

Unfortunately tragedy befell me while I was in the garden center. I dropped my camera and broke it. I ended up taking this picture with my phone.

Photo #257: Garden Gear

I liked this collection of antique garden gear. It was displayed on Sunday by one of the vendors at the East Village Bazaar..

Photo #121: The Turtles Are Out!

It was a really beautiful day. After I got off work, I spent time working in the yard. I finally got around to cleaning out the front flower bed. I always struggle with this in the spring, particularly when we have rainy weekends. I end up so tired during the week, that it's very diffiult to consider mowing and gardening after a long day at school. Once I got the flower bed cleared out, it was time to take my turtle collection out of the garage. Every year I like to add a turtle or two to my garden collection. Sadly, there are some years that the turtles never make it out of the garaage all summer, depending on my interest or lack there of in gardening that year. When they are in the yard, they just make me smile.