Where the Poppy Blooms

I sowed a seed in doubtthat it could ever bloom---can a California poppy weatheran Arkansas high noon? I tended it with the resteach morning during spring,telling my hands in faith to worktoward a beauty I could not see. Midsummer came in jewels,the myrtles finely dressed,just as they were a summer beforewhen we laid our baby … Continue reading Where the Poppy Blooms

Catmint, Coneflowers, Strawberries & Cream

"Those who seek the LORD lack no good thing." ~ Psalm 34:10 Good things in May: The hot, still weather finally breaking and receiving so much rain in May Planting a little pollinator garden of catmint, tickseed, and coneflowers Discovering a new instrumental artist, The Folks Helping Bonnie hang the new curtains she made for … Continue reading Catmint, Coneflowers, Strawberries & Cream

Spring Cleaning, a Screen Door & Psalm 23

โ€œThere was onlyโ€”spring itself; the throb of it, the light restlessness, the vital essence of it everywhere: in the sky, in the swift clouds, in the pale sunshine, and in the warm, high windโ€”rising suddenly, sinking suddenly, impulsive and playful like a big puppy that pawed you and then lay down to be petted.โ€ ~ … Continue reading Spring Cleaning, a Screen Door & Psalm 23

My Flesh Will Dwell in Hope

This piece was written for the April issue of the Lee Creek Baptist Church newsletter. Across from the church where I grew up, there was a cemetery on the corner. I remember passing it one Easter Sunday on our way to service--on one of those sharp, spring mornings when the light is strong. The tombstones … Continue reading My Flesh Will Dwell in Hope

Seedlings, Siegfried, & Spring Mountain

"I say to the Lord, 'You are my Lord;I have no good apart from you...'The Lord is my chosen portion and my cup;you hold my lot.The lines have fallen for me in pleasant places;indeed, I have a beautiful inheritance." ~ Psalm 16:2, 5-6 March goodness (and a little Madness): Sweet Sunday mornings at church Jared's grandmother's roommate at the nursing home who always announces him as "the preacher" A gentle rain and finishing Hannah Coulter Jared's new bird book Planting a line of potatoes and onions in the big garden Jared's parents out … Continue reading Seedlings, Siegfried, & Spring Mountain

The First Year

Our wedding came just two days after spring began, when the trees were still a tangle of bones against the butter-gold forsythia down by Papa's pond. So Jared and I came into the gardening season as stragglers. By the time we returned from our honeymoon, the daffodils were already blooming along our fence, and the … Continue reading The First Year

Seeds in the Mail

A month or so before we started dating, Jared offered to send me seeds in the mail. This surprised me, because I didnโ€™t know many guys who planted gardens. I knew fewer who had an abundance of heirloom seeds on hand. When I thought about it, Jared was the only guy Iโ€™d ever talked to … Continue reading Seeds in the Mail