Acres of Lupines

Whenever Papa Larry tells of the lavender farm he and Nanny visited up in Maine, I stop to listen, because I can almost smell the sweetness of flowers and sea. And then he'll reminisce to when they met the Lupine Lady herself--- Mrs. Barabara Cooney, who wrote the book Miss Rumphius. This past Christmas, Joel … Continue reading Acres of Lupines

Resurrection & Sweet Alyssum Sprouts

"There is, and there continues to be, a resurrection." ~ Francis Schaeffer, True Spirituality Things that made me happy in April: Purple clover Freshly stacked wood and a yellow wheelbarrow Orange juice in a jar How Andrew Peterson puts words to spring, like: "The hills remember green again" My Tuesday morning routine: coffee, write, check … Continue reading Resurrection & Sweet Alyssum Sprouts

Grave Flowers

We stood at my grandma Karenโ€™s grave on Palm Sunday, the wind matting the grass and making all the fake grave flowers tremble. Dad brought a bundle of daffodils from Papa Larryโ€™s garden, and as he tucked them in the granite vase, I said I hoped they wouldnโ€™t blow away. But itโ€™s early April and … Continue reading Grave Flowers

Burnt Grass ~ A Good Friday Reflection

It was April, and a thousand daffodils were blooming down the hillsides, along the pond banks, and up near the old Bascom House. Helen met Papa Larry and I in the parking lot of Shaw Nature Reserve. It had been more than a year since weโ€™d seen her, and Iโ€™d forgotten how her laugh sounded … Continue reading Burnt Grass ~ A Good Friday Reflection

Summer Is Near

โ€œThere was no trace of the fog now. The sky became bluer and bluer, and now there were white clouds hurrying across it from time to time. In the wide glades there were primroses. A light breeze sprang up which scattered drops of moisture from the swaying branches and carried cool, delicious scents against the … Continue reading Summer Is Near

Gardening Shame

I wrote a letter to my friend, Sarah, last week and told her Iโ€™m suffering from Gardening Shame. There are weeds in every box, and I havenโ€™t re-mulched the paths, so black tarp shows through like the gardenโ€™s underwear. My tomato plants won't take to the soil and stand limp. Zoysia grass creeps in and … Continue reading Gardening Shame