Be Careful What You Ask For

Well, I did ask for it to stop raining. So maybe I should be grateful. But what I THINK I need to be is more specific in my weather requests. It is no longer raining. Now it is alternating between hail, sleet and snow. SHEEH. Will someone please tell the sky that it is spring?

Fickle Idaho Weather

Spring is here, sort of, kind of, well maybe. Heck with what the calendar says. This morning before leaving for work I took a walk around the back yard to see what might be coming up.

Here is what I see so far:

BLOOMING:
Crocus and hellebore

JUST COMING UP:
Bleeding Heart
Columbine
Delphinium
Lamium
Rhubarb
And of course some stuff I don't know what is.

SHOWING SOME BUDS
Rhododendron
Lilac

I was feeling all springy and excited about the coming growing season.

Then throughout the day the weather turned wacky on me. The sun was shining. Then skies got grey. Then it was SNOWING with great big flakes and looked like it was going to stick. By the time I got off work at 5:30, however, it was blue skies again. Welcome to Idaho!

Ever changing weather notwithstanding, I AM excited to get back to my gardens.
We have big plans for the front yard this year...

We are taking out the great big Locust Tree that makes such a mess all year long. Hey, I LOVE my trees, but that particular one has got to go! Then, we will plant a Red Bud tree and a Weeping Cherry along with some whisky barrels of flowers and decorative rock. We are still weighing the pros and cons of whether we will keep the lawn or take it out entirely.

We do plan to put in three raised beds for vegetables.

Before I do anything too drastic we will be going to the upcoming Boise Flower and Garden show (March 25-27) to get some ideas and ask questions about what grows well in this zone.

In the mean time I'm exploring various garden blogs to see what tips I can pick up.
These are some I've been checking out:

Gardens of the Wild West
Natsplants
Our Life in Idaho

One last thing...I scored a half price family membership to the Idaho Botanical Gardens through Groupon, so I'm looking forward to checking that out...perhaps this weekend if the weather is nice. But then, this IS Idaho. So it could be sunny. Or snowing. Or both.

Road Warrior says Thanks Sidney!

Tonight on my commute home I spent two hours sitting in a line of cars on Hwy 11leading out of Walla Walla. Here I was all happy that the snow was finally melting so roads would be SAFE at last (have had some white knuckle drives in white out conditions and done some really scary slipping and sliding on my daily commute in recent days.) But today we started getting high winds (40 mph) and that in combination with some wet and ice left on the roads contributed to a couple semi tip overs. Then there were three or four OTHER accidents from cars pulling into the other lane to get around the traffic backups and running into oncoming traffic. It was pretty awful.

I left work looking forward to getting home at a decent time and actually having time to make a nice dinner for my man. Alas...best laid plans. Yes, it was frustrating just sitting there for two stinking hours. Dinner was grilled ham and cheese instead of enchiladas. But at least I had the patience to sit and WAIT rather than risk pulling out into the other lane like so many others and possibly contributing to the mess. At least I DID get home safe, from the look of some of the wrecks I passed, not everyone did.

This whole commute thing is wearing me out. But such is life when you live out in the middle of no where.

However, it wasn't all bad. As usual I had an audio book with me, so I got to spend some quality time with Mr. Sidney Poitier reading the letters he wrote about his life to his great granddaughter in his book Life Beyond Measure.

It was fascinating to hear about many of his experiences growing up and the way various things influenced him. It makes me wonder what sort of messages I would want to leave for my own grandchildren or posterity beyond.

Wind Storm

Yesterday there was a major wind storm where I live. Gusts were blowing away anything that wasn't nailed down. Neighbors of ours lost BIG trees on both sides of us - one went through the roof of their house, the other fell the other way, taking out a big section of picket fence, both pulling up huge piles of dirt with the tree roots. Then down the side street the other direction from us a tin roof came off - hit the power lines and made a huge FLASH-BOOM about 6 AM that woke up my husband. It then bounced off our garage and landed in our driveway.

Many people have been without power. On the highway semi trucks have tipped over. All around us is havoc. But amazingly we are unscathed. All my lovely trees are still standing bravely. I feel like guardian angels have watched over us through the whole thing.

Ordinarily I enjoy stormy weather. It feels especially cozy to be safe, warm, and well fed in my own secure house while wind and rain howl outside. But not this time. I couldn’t help but be unsettled with worry about those I love who might be in harm’s way in the face of this monster. All day long I was deeply concerned about others who were not coming through the winds as well as I.

As soon as things settled down we started calling around and sending out e-mail queries to check on those we know. We found out who had damage and who needed help. Early this morning will begin a work party of hammers and chain saws. We'll help neighbors and friends clear away broken trees and patch back missing shingles. We'll get the mess cleaned up and reassure everyone that they have allies who care.

As I sat and reflected about this, I thought about the other storms that are raging in the world. Again, rather than just stay cozy in my own comfortable niche, I need to reach out to see who needs a hand to clear away damage of another kind. For some it is an ailing parent, a barren womb, a lost job, a wayward child, mental illness, broken covenants, addiction, the list goes on and on. I can no more fix the underlying problems that beset the people I care about than I could stop the wind. But I can stand strong is support of those who are hurting. I can offer my hand and let them know I care.

God knew what He was doing when he said "it is not good for man to be alone." He created us to be helpers to one another.

It is SO EASY to get wrapped up in my own problems and concerns. That self absorption is one of the devil's favorite tools. Satan knows I am not going to go out and do things that are deliberately mean or callous. But if he can just keep me BUSY enough or too focused on MY little woes to to take time to love my neighbor, then in a way he still wins. So I need to remember that. It is important that I do practice healthy self-care and make sure I keep my own boat well chinked againsts leaks that could threaten staying afloat. It serves no one well if I am so busy running around doing "good works" that I fall over from exhaustion and need help myself. But once my wick in neatly trimmed, then I do have a responsibilitly to share my light with others.

Sometimes the damage is obvious, like when my neighbors have a tree poking through their roof. Other times it will be more subtle. I'll need to stay AWAKE and open to discernment, listening carefully for the still small voice of the spirit to know... who needs help today? Because we all have storms to get through. That connection that holds us together in good times and bad is what makes the journey worth while.

Frozen Winter

My kid sister lives in frozen Colorado. Airport is shut down, roads are closed, things are pretty much at a stand still. It reminded me of the above picture...

Mud Pies and macaroni

I'm in Michigan for several days spending some time with the grandkids. Just as I was ready to go stark raving mad after beeing cooped in the house with several days of rain, the sun finally came out. So we took the kids on a grand adventure hiking through the woods. We found some great trails and were able to talk about amazing fungi and bugs and other things we saw along the way. Looking at the world through a child's eyes is a great way to recapture awe and wonder. Of course, everything was pretty wet still from all the recent rains, so everyone came out looking like mud pies. So it was back to the house for marathon showers and then a feast of macaroni and cheese. It takes so little to keep these little ones happy. Now if I just had a laundry fairy all would be right with the world.

Thunderboomers

It's late at night and here I sit listening to the thunder roll across the sky. Every now and then lightening will flash bright, interrupting the dark. Rain spatters on my roof and against my window panes. It feels good to be safe and cozy inside while I listen to the storm rumbling out there in the night.

I love the smell of the earth and sky after a good rain. I don't like seeing worms all over pavement. But mostly I like the rain.

When I was a little kid my siblings and I used to joke that thunder was the sound of the angels bowling in heaven. From the sound of what's going on right now, somebody is getting strikes.