Category Archives: garden

Jul21

As An Herb Is What An Herb Does

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As An Herb Is What An Herb Does

Gardening takes on various forms, containers, types of plants, and creativity. Our gardening choices are many. For many reasons, in the past few growing seasons my gardening has been limited to container perennials, flowering annuals, and herbs. I hope to include in my gardens some greens once again, especially with the recent findings of the cyclospora parasite in lettuces and greens sold in the grocery stores. I hesitate to buy any lettuces and greens at the store. I will seek out local sources at the farmer’s market these next few weekends of the growing season. A co-worker brought into the workplace her excess cherry tomatoes. They are absolutely scrumptious. Like eating candy! More for me to ravish into with my homegrown basil and fresh mozzarella cheese!

“If you’ve never experienced the joy of accomplishing more than you can imagine, plant a garden.” ~ Robert Brault

This year’s potted herbs are English thyme, Genovese basil, rosemary, oregano, sage, chives, lemon balm, orange mint, and lavender. My basil plant was given to me by a local reading club that I presented to. This pungent plant has been so prolific while on the front porch as well as the potted chive. On our new backyard deck sets our vertical wrought-iron planter with most of the other herbs. The wildly growing thyme plant is situated on an old wooden stool. We have had many soaking rains, and other days this summer the rain clouds have teased us. Getting the garden hose out to water has been more often this July with the very hot, humid days. If you need some inspiration on herb gardening, read this article where I contributed some advice to, How to Start a Balcony Herb Garden | Rent. I am inspired to create, cook, and bake with my herbs. As an herb is what an herb does to the recipes, fresh from my kitchen.

“When the world wearies and society fails to satisfy, there is always the garden.” ~ Minnie Aumonier

In my backyard flower gardens the surprise lilies surprised me again. Popped up overnight, it seems. I see four stems with purplish-pink blooms staring up at me while I am at the kitchen window. There should be many more by tomorrow morning. The July sunlight will surely bring them to fruition. I gaze on these beauties standing from high above in the kitchen. Do I leave such beauty for mundane household chores this Tuesday morning while off from my work at the senior center? I decide to write this morning. My self-sustaining perennials, as I hardly touch the hydrangeas, peonies, and lilies, every year are faithful to show off their lovely blooms. Good thing these flowering plants are so self-reliant. My gardening is limited to containers due to my rheumatoid arthritis and spine issues. My herbs grow wonderfully in terra cotta pots on the front porch and backyard deck. Our indoor wintering tropical plants and ferns spruce up every late April/early May with the outdoor air, sunlight, and natural rainwater. The parlor palm needs some brown fronds trimmed each year as well as the Meyer lemon tree needs a haircut, too. The lush ferns, arrowhead plants, and philodendrons become a tropical oasis in the front yard pebble patio under the dogwood tree with our inviting “nifty turquoise” Adirondack lawn chairs. For lunch today I will join them with some iced blueberry-lavender tea and tuna salad with snippets of homegrown chive and more those cherry tomatoes.

“Humbled or no, gardener was the label imprinted on me when the souls were handed out and so be it. Gardener.” ~ Margaret Roach

Jun9

Happily-Ever-After Dreams, Maybe For 100 Years

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Happily-Ever-After Dreams, Maybe For 100 Years

I still dream, daydream that is. Where queens rule, and men, well, they take good care to love us queens and princesses just as we are. I still have visions of a backyard writing atelier, some would call it a studio or “She Shed”. Afternoon teas and evening dinners savored on the patio well into nightfall. Alongside would be beautiful flower gardens, a prolific kitchen garden, a beautiful rooster and chickens plucking the unwanted bugs, with time enough to put up the herbs, vegetables, and fruits at harvest as provisions through the winter. We aren’t talking acres and acres, just in my own smalltown backyard, allowing every space to be productive. For someone who had a 1300-square foot screenhouse/greenhouse, you would think a backyard plot would be manageable. Other unforeseeable events and the physical limitations of an autoimmune disorder have almost swallowed my dreams. Those dreams are resurfacing as I witness the inflammation go down in my body when I eat 5 or 6 vegetables a day. Happily-ever-after dreams can come true.

“Though the darkness close, even the night will blossom as the rose.” ~ John Masefield, “Growing Old” poem

In April of this year Roo was reunited with Kanga. Queen Camilla brought to the United States a Roo made especially for Winnie the Pooh’s 100-year anniversary to be reunited with Kanga. As the Smithsonian Museum story goes “During the British royal family’s state visit to the United States this week, Queen Camilla made a detour from the political events and state dinners to visit the New York Public Library, where she attended a literary celebration and quietly accomplished something that has been waiting to happen for nearly 90 years: she reunited Winnie-the-Pooh with a dear friend. The original stuffed animals that inspired A.A. Milne’s beloved books, including Pooh, Piglet, Eeyore, Tigger, and Kanga, have lived in a display case at the library since 1987, after spending decades on a tour of the United States beginning in the 1940s, having originally been given to Milne’s son Christopher Robin as gifts between 1921 and the late 1920s. But one member of the group had been missing since the 1930s: little Roo, Kanga’s baby, lost in an apple orchard and never recovered. Camilla’s gift was a lovingly recreated replica of Roo, crafted by Merrythought, England’s oldest surviving teddy bear manufacturer, using an original Kanga and Roo found in the company’s own archives as a reference.” Fictional characters reunite in happily-ever-after fashion. This isn’t just limited to storybook fables.

Another 100-year old anniversary is the famous Route 66. So many celebrations are taking place along the highway for its centennial year. My husband and I recently viewed the Route 66 display at the Missouri History Museum located in Forest Park. Outside were parked vintage classic cars we loved viewing. In my book Strewn Words in The Stew Volume 1, I wrote a short story called “Two Hungry Hearts And Soup For All”, where the setting of the story is along Route 66 while two college undergrads embark on an adventurous summer social experiment. Parts of the story are based on my true experiences. Much like the characters in the old fable “Stone Soup”, these two main characters are looking for the good in people. Are there still people with heart? You will have to read my story to know what the main characters find out. I see these other happily-ever-after dreams happen around me. Watch out world. More are coming.

May10

Motherly Blessings

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Motherly Blessings

Motherly. Many of us carry motherly traits. We express them by baking cookies or berry crisp, making chocolate rose strawberries, brewing a cup of coffee, or steeping tea for those we love. We wipe the brow of a feverish head or kiss the bandaged knee after a fall on the sidewalk. We tuck in the child laying to rest for a nap or a favorite teddy bear situated on a bed. We sing a lullaby or write a poem. Comfort is conveyed. Those motherlike instincts come out in multiple ways. It is not just the women who are mothers, but also aunties, grandmothers, neighbors, men who are fathers, uncles, grandpas, or simply a kind soul that express this special care and love. It is the toddler mimicking their parent or grandparent in cradling their dolly, doggy, or kitten with a warm embrace. The birds, rabbits, and possums we share the earth with, they show their concern for their offspring and orphaned animals. I marvel at the care we have for other souls, humans and critters. Let us remember the downtrodden, forgotten souls within our reach. You don’t have to look far. Today, gift the mother figures in your life with your prayers, telephone calls, flowers, and trinkets that say “I love you”. Mother Mary, pray for us! Happy Mother’s Day!

Aug7

Beauty in Early August Blooms

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Beauty in Early August Blooms

How lovely this August started out. Mild 80-degree temperatures for the high! Unreal for the St. Louis area. Later this week it has heated up into the low 90’s with some humidity, but unlike the soupy July days or more like weeks we had. The afternoon scattered showers are welcomed. I hear the katydids and bugs sing their rhythmic tunes late afternoon into the evenings now. Maybe giving a holler about cooler weather coming? I am relishing the remaining summer days this season. And more walks in the upcoming days and weeks.

“Where flowers bloom, so does hope.” ~ Lady Bird Johnson 

Loving all the garden art along with the blooms found in our yard, the neighborhood, and online by fellow gardeners. Our surprise lilies were slow coming up this growing season. But during the milder August weather, they sprouted up in our backyard amidst the wild violet and garlic foliage. Be blessed this August Thursday. Thankful it is Friday tomorrow, and looking forward to a three-day weekend for Dean and I.

Jun19

This June’s Bipolar Nature

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This June’s Bipolar Nature

What magnificent spring weather we have relished in these past three months in Missouri. In my recollection it has been many years since we have experienced three full months of spring. Typically, in these parts of Missouri, it is a long winter with a rushed four weeks of spring, then right into the heat of summer. According to the weather forecasters, that heat of the summer comes this weekend. With this true spring has come thunderstorms and tornadoes. The weather has a bipolar nature. The damaging winds wreaked havoc in the St. Louis area more than once. The city has not seen such devastation in over 50 years. Recovery is day by day.

Dean and I have a huge, 50 – 60-year-old tulip poplar tree in our backyard which became victim to a pop-up thunderstorm a couple of evenings ago. It lost three medium to big-sized branches which landed between our house and the neighbor church building. Believe me, there are plenty of other branches for its survival. Today, I spent about an hour picking up small branches in the backyard and found a few in the front yard. My injured back only allows so much bending over, and it starts talking to me. I stopped before it started screaming at me. Dean has his various sized saws in use, binding up the large branches cut to 5-foot length as required by our trash company, and the smaller branches going in our lawn refuse totes and lawn bags.

A June respite comes with the mild temperature days. Some resting, meditating, reading, and writing this month. I have to thank God we are safe after each storm. Damaging gutters and roofs can be fixed and clean-up long, but Dean and I are safe and are generally in good health. I facilitated a writers’ workshop in Clarksville, Tennessee earlier this month. The six ladies gleaned much from this workshop where my co-facilitator and I emphasized the importance of observing with all seven senses. Yes, there are seven senses identified now. The traditional five are sight, smell, taste, hearing, touch. The two others are vestibular, associated with movement and balance, and proprioception allows a person to associate one’s own body with space. These last two are related to touch. I will mention there is a spiritual sense, which would make eight senses total for those who are believers.

“A comfortable breezy June morning … The clover is now in its glory. Whole fields are rosed with it, mixed with sorrel, and looking deeper than it is. It makes fields look luxuriant which are really thinly clad. The air is full of its sweet fragrance… These are the clover days.” Henry Thoreau

Thoreau wrote several lines in his journal on June 19, 1852, mentioning many other types of vegetation such as the crops of corn and potatoes, berries on the vines with anticipation of their ripening, even mildew and fungus he writes about. Several birds are included in his journal. He doesn’t miss any of the details and uses all his senses in his writings. Midway in this journal entry Thoreau mentions clover in three sentences and concludes with “the clover days” of June.  I have seen clover growing prolifically this month. The honeybees love clover, which makes for healthy gardens. The bees will come if the chemicals are not used. Folks, keep it organic like in Thoreau’s time. Keep all those senses stimulated. And journal your experiences.

Oct13

Crispy October’s Preparations

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Crispy October’s Preparations

We have had several mornings with crisp air which means the first frost is soon. Today’s shifting air is the telltale sign. This evening’s weather forecast is predicting frost for Wednesday morning. While there is daylight, this afternoon Dean and our 14-year old grandson, Eli brought our perennials inside the basement. Wrangled are the two granddogs and grandcat to keep them inside while the yard gates and basement door swing open every few minutes for each ceramic pot brought in. We have 15 pots of greenery living in the basement for the next 5 months. One pot fell over and broke on the basement floor. Dean bought a plastic replacement pot as this arrowhead plant is ginormous. The plant light has a timer placed on it for daytime light. A garden hose is attached downstairs for watering. Unfortunately, we have no space for our green friends upstairs in our cottage home except for my small pots of kitchen herbs. This week I will snip branches off of the thyme, basil, mint, and sage plants, dry the leaves, and store in glass jars.

We have had a few family members with us this week. Canine and feline included. This morning while listening to a fellow writer group member’s TEDx talk on water footprint, she said the word “water” many times.  Not sure how many times, but it was enough to catch the attention of our visiting diabetic granddog beagle, Beatrice, who has an unquenchable thirst for water. She perked up every time she heard “water’.  We use the Spanish word, “agua” or “H2O” around this aging pet.  My daughter said it was karma for every time Beatrice barked for more water. Then this evening I started my colonoscopy prep, drinking 8 ounces of this stuff every 15 minutes until gone, 64 ounces! Beatrice is mooching for it! If this dog would only know what would be in her near future if she drank this water-based solution! I know, and I am dreading the next 8 hours! All a part of getting older! Crap, literally! Prayers, please, for these preparations and the procedure on Monday morning. There is that fall margarita I’d rather be drinking right now.

Sep2

Blue Vignettes

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Blue Vignettes

September came beautifully this past weekend. A granddaughter eager to have time with her Papa; the Japanese Festival at the Missouri Botanical Gardens with blooms, dragons, dragonflies, butterflies, and friends; a donut, tea, and coffee breakfast at the park with our son, daughter-in-law, grandsons and granddaughter loving time with her cousins; a drive through the countryside and country porches with vessels of late summer blooms along with a stop at our state capital with a sky so blue. Shades of blue vignettes provide a calm for this Labor Day weekend. Engraved words, “labor is the great producer of wealth” at our state capital remind me that wealth is not just money, but also the bountiful nature, family, and friends in our lives. We are a blessed people. Take care of what God has provided.

“You will enjoy the fruit of your labor. How joyful and prosperous you will be!”

~ Psalms 128:2

Jul28

What The Heart Knows As The Summer Blooms

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What The Heart Knows As The Summer Blooms

Summer can bring a frenzy of activity like the hummingbirds with their multiple flights to the sugar-water feeders. Dean is filling those feeders with his homemade recipe every 7 – 8 days. The finches and sparrows are the same with the suet blocks we put out. Fattening up, those birds of song. Summer blooms and songs all around. I read about blackberries, bees, and honey. I sit, observing from our cottage’s windows, taking it all in this week while recovering from COVID. This morning, I am feeling well enough to walk outside in the midst of the sights and sounds. Sunday’s sermon will be given courtesy of Mother’s Nature. The biscuit & gravy chef made a plate for me this morning. My last day of quarantine will be a beautiful one. How blessed I am.

While the rains water and the sun warm the earth, this is what the heart knows as the summer blooms: it is good to sit awhile to reflect and pray. I pray for my children and grandchildren. My disabled daughter who lost their house in a fire 1-1/2 years ago is living in a huge travel trailer on her husband’s family farm. Not quite the 3-bedroom house they were accustomed to. A final insurance settlement is almost completed. “Please God not another day of delay for them and give them wisdom on the best ways to spend these provisions.” My other daughter who fought and beat breast cancer in her early 30’s still struggles with brain fog after treatments. “Please God, clear her thoughts to see the next steps to take and the fortitude to walk those steps.” My son, who struggles with mental health challenges, like so many of us do. “Please God bring clarity and assurance of Your love for him. and each of us”

Take a walk in your neighborhood gardens and snap some green beans with your grandma today. I guarantee you will feel better.

Sweet Berry Kisses

Off to the blueberry bushes and blackberry brambles I am sent,

into the strawberry patch squishing overripe berries between my toes.

A painter’s palette smeared like rouge onto my cheeks

and all phalanges match my berry-stained face, lips, and tongue.

These delicious delectables satisfy my tummy’s rumbles

while the morning’s sun seals the sweet berry kisses to my lips.

Picking berries, berries, and more berries is my morning chore,

so, most make their way into Auntie’s heavy handled shiny bucket.

Pies, crisps, cobblers, buckles, and biscuits smothered with berry jams,

these Auntie anticipations as she twiddles her thumbs awaiting.

Down the garden path Auntie comes with a rabbit behind and bees a buzzing,

to lend a hand at picking plump berries into her long-handled metal pan.

Before noon into her kitchen baking oozing, finger-licking berry hand pies;

Oh, these juicy jewels create the sweetest berry kisses to my lips.

Anna Gall

May 4, 2024

Jun19

Before The Summer Solstice

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Before The Summer Solstice

The travels this late spring have been beautiful. We took several trips back to the Kansas City side of the state to get Dean’s parent’s house emptied before putting the house on the real estate market. The sunrises on Lake Wood as well as the sunsets were magnificent while on the road. The barns’ silhouettes and contrasting green landscapes vivid. Walks in our hometown of St. Charles and also while in the state of Tennessee for a partial week gave Dean and I admiring glimpses of gardens and art. A creative world we live in, cause to ponder a bit between the busy activities. Author Julie Cameron calls these types of walks “artist dates”. According to her, we should take these once a week for at least an hour or two. What sort of artist dates do you take?

May flew by, and June is proving similar. Cleaning and yard projects at the cottage as well as at Dean’s parents’ home took all of May. In June a sales contract written with a closing date before the end of the month, attending the Clarksville Writers’ Conference in Tennessee where I made a handmade book, an afternoon of Nashville music at the Ryman, the airshow at Spirit of St. Louis Airport with some excitable grandsons, the engagement party of my oldest granddaughter Hannah and her fiancé Jay, a week with my sister and visiting other family members and friends while she is in town, all this before the summer solstice. Wonder what the summer season will bring? I know a few more projects, but maybe some rest, relaxation, and healing for my body while we stay home for a few weeks. Home. I love the sound of that word.

On top of the busy activities, I have had medical appointments, tests, and now physical therapy. My world has literally been spinning since April. I woke up the morning of April 30 with a case of vertigo. Dizziness, nausea, migraines, and confusion comes and goes since then. Last week’s MRI shows a benign cyst on my right maxillary sinus, probably what caused those sinus infections from February through April, and the migraines since May. Vestibular physical therapy started yesterday. No fun, but hopeful this PT will help. Waiting to hear from the doctor about treatment for the sinus cyst. Hanging my worries out to dry. Please come Lord Jesus and take care of all of them.

May2

The Herbs, Flowers, and Birds Amongst Us

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The Herbs, Flowers, and Birds Amongst Us

This past weekend Dean and I brought out our perennials from their winter shelter and into the wilds of Missouri springtime. The air has been warm, but the wind brutal these past few days. The young sprouts on our 6-year-old lantana plant were wind whipped, so I trimmed that back hoping it comes to bloom beautifully like it does each year. My herbs from last year did not make it through the winter in their basement home. Therefore, we made a trip to purchase fresh herb plants from the neighborhood greenhouse. Tai and Genovese basils, lemon thyme, broad leaf and pineapple sages, oregano, chives, and mojito mint now grace the porch pots this growing season.

“If you look the right way, you can see that the whole world is a garden.” ~ Frances Hodgson Burnett, The Secret Garden

The pineapple sage has a vivid red bloom, is a salvia family member. The flowers attract hummingbirds, butterflies, and bees. More will be purchased to add to the huge backyard planter with the Mexican sage plant. I trust last year’s Mexican sage plant wintered okay. I love being good to the earth and attracting the pollinators. The pineapple sage leaves can be eaten in salads, chopped and added to make flavorful bread, and muddled into a delightful summertime tea sweetened with golden honey. Cannot wait.

“Flowers always make people better, happier, and more helpful; they are sunshine, food and medicine to the mind.” ~ Luther Burbank

Yesterday I saw our first hummingbird on our dogwood bush. We have two sugar water-filled feeders hanging now to keep these tiny, feathered wonders well fed. They entertain us, so let the territorial dances begin. The three backyard birdhouses are homes to wrens and Eurasian tree sparrows. Nesting twigs and leaves peek out of the entry holes like the little birdies will soon. Eggs have been laid and one fledging has been spotted already. Our backyard flowers are growing wildly in the sunlight and rains. Several varieties of irises, peonies, columbines, and tiny wildflowers add color to the gardens. Today’s blooms are tomorrow’s teas, tinctures, vignettes, filled vessels, and creative arts n’ crafts of natural beauty. The herbs, flowers, and birds amongst us have my full attention.

“Flowers don’t tell, they show.” ~ Stephanie Skeem