Category Archives: attitude & action

Today & Every Morning

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I work in the county seat of Clayton, Missouri, the  hub for many financial institutions, businesses, and the government offices for St. Louis County.  Every morning when I arrive next to the Police Headquarters building, a peregrine falcon calls from the Commerce Bank building, which is at least 20 stories high.  It is a destinct call, and it echos between the other tall skyscrapers.  Today was no exception.  Although I appreciate the photo of the week challenge, to take  a photo of this peregrine falcon would show up as a speck in the photo as I do not have  a  zoom lens.   I cannot enter the rooftop of the bank building.  I am sharing an online photo of a peregrine falcon found on the city hall and courthouse in Minneapolis.   I have yet to see this falcon and his companion up close other than through binoculars.  I see remnants of where they have been, torn feathered wings of pigeons along the sidewalks and on top of my 5-story building.  Someday I may witness an attack in flight.  Until then, I enjoy the echos of their calls to each other.   They seem to need each other. 

 

How Many Hands?

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How many hands does it take to tear down and haul the parts for the Deanna Greens and Garden Art 1300 square foot greenhouse?  Well, it was Dean and I plus 10 family members and 4 friends, so that makes 16 able bodies, 16 smart brains, 32 sure feet, and 32 working hands.  The temperatures hit a hot & humid 95 degrees on the tear down day, typical summertime weather in St. Louis, Missouri.  Iced water, soda, and beer waited in coolers, and our lovely landlady brought us iced wet cloths for our necks and heads to keep us cooled down.   Freshly made sandwiches for lunch and home-cooked BBQ pulled pork with coleslaw for dinner.  More than anything, it was the attitudes that got us through.  I never heard a word of complaint, and no injuries were occurred at this Memorial Day holiday weekend project.   Tear down on Saturday, clean up on Sunday, and Monday hauling the greenhouse parts to Defiance, Missouri.  I am proud of this team!  Dean & I have the rebuild the next 3 or 4 weekends, and more help promised.  God is good!  And so are His people!  We are thankful!

God’s Hands On Earth

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I ponder the Photo Challenge of the Week: Hands.  I keep coming back to the famous art work by Michelangelo’s “Hands of God And Adam”.  Adam literally means “earth” in Hebrew, what God called His first man.  This Hebrew word is derived from a word which means “to be red”, ruddy color like man’s skin or the Akkadian word “adamu” meaning “to make”.  According to Genesis, Adam was made from the earth “adamah”.   

With gardening, I feel the presence of God in all my senses.  I touch the dirt, the living earth.  I smell the basil as I plant it in the terra cotta pot, and hear the raindrops fall on its leaves.  My eyes and heart see the delicate pink hibuscus blossom opened wide to the sunlight peaking above the green tree tops.  And I taste the goodness of God when I indulge in my salad greens.  God is good!

Home Is Simple

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Being home today brought a sense of belonging.  I am rarely home, and it was wonderful to be here.  “Home is where the heart is” as the saying goes.  I took a stroll around the yard checking the greenhouse plants that now make home here.  They like it here!  They nestle between trees and shrubs and in our lime green screen house.  The beautiful Japanese maple and dogwood trees in the photo below provide shelter so filtered sunlight peeks between the lush leaves, perfect for the red leaf philodenrons and ferns.After my morning stroll I ate my tuna sandwich and sipped on iced gingerale with the windows open, fresh air gently blowing in, and sunshine beaming through the tree branches.  This lovely May day brought another mild evening with a cooling breeze.  Ah, it is quiet at home as I am here by myself.  Only the sounds of birds tweeting while I prepare dinner.  Dean is visiting with family at his son’s out-of-town graduation.  Simple.  No conversation, no TV, no need for music as I sing my own tunes today. Life is good.

Restlessness

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I have been everywhere and back this past 10 days.  Yes, it has been that long since I posted on my blog.  Besides my full-time job and everywhere it sends me any given day, I have spent time with family, and of course at the greenhouse.  The greenhouse is not so crowded these days.  Yeh!  We have been selling many botanicals, perennials, and herbs, mostly at the Saturday farmers’ market.  Our wild-looking tomato plants have not been a hot selling item.  Not because of their looks we do not suppose, but because the township where we sell does not allow its residents to plant vegetable gardens!  Yes, you read that correctly.   I could not believe what I heard residents saying.  So our healthy, long-stemmed tomato plants have made new homes in organic farm fields as well as in family and friends’ yards where they are wanted.  Our farmers’ market clients have swooped up bedding plants and hanging planters.  Our greens are loved by others besides ourselves!  With my restless personality, we have started moving some other plants out of the greenhouse to our yard in preparation of our move Memorial Day weekend. Our “momma” plants, a huge arrowhead, rabbit’s fern, and red-leaf  philodendron are sheltered under the Japanese maple near our front porch.  The beautiful geraniums made their way to the wagon in our front yard.  And the Kingston ferns are loving the filtered sunlight under the big sugar maple.   My husband put up the screen house in the backyard ready to put the little plants on tables inside after this busy Mother’s Day weekend.  It the midst of all this activity, one evening I found an immature robin bird sleeping in the “momma” red-leaf.   It was awaken by my watering.  He scurried away from me in short flight, but hung around the front yard.  I think this robin bird became as restless as I feel.  He was not around the next morning.  So happy our plants made  a home for him while he was learning to fly.  Just hope the neighbor tom cat did not come around. 

Together

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Together means 2 folks working for a common purpose, friends gathering to break bread, or  a family just being … I have a few photos to share about what I said “family just being.”  No plans, you know, just simply being in the same room or tent, drinking from the same cup,  cooking a meal in the kitchen or campfire, discovering baby chicks … featuring my 5 grandchildren, Hannah, Libby, Ella, Brendan, & Eli.

A Love Affair

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The first electronic introduction … that first date … the fireworks shooting with the first kiss … discovering antiques, books, photos, music, food, church, and children together … long distance testing of the relationship … the “what-ifs” if we marry … sharing hearts … love … the proposal … wedding plans developed …wedding vows shared … marriage for our lifetime … sharing a home … sharing our families and friends … making life together … ebbs and flows like a lake shoreline … likes and dislikes … all a part of the journey.   So happy I am on this journey with my husband, Dean Gall.

Mocha Love

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This spring morning was crisp, you know a hot cup of coffee, mocha, or tea morning!  We had not had one of those mornings for a few days as we have been experiencing early summer weather instead of early spring weather.  Not that I am complaining!  Someone on FB captured an unusal shape in their cup of mocha this morning.  “Mocha Love ” I call it … Gratitude and love filled my first thoughts this morning.  I am so thankful for a loving husband and family.  I spent last evening with my elderly grandfather.  He lay on the hospital bed after having his middle right toe removed that morning due to a chronic infection as well as a stint put in his leg to aid with circulation.  Yet he talked and laughed hour after hour of childhood memories, my father’s and uncle’s childhood stories, and the present day events.   I have missed out on so much, busy about my own life, parenthood, grandparenthood, working, and now the greenhouse adventures.  Yet I left late in the evening from the hospital with such a warm heart … “Mocha love”, I call it.  It carried to my morning and throughout this day.

Contrasting Weather

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I watch the weather like a farmer.  I grew up with this ritual, and continue.   Spring seems to bring the storm fronts, but its started early this year.  Above normal warm one day, and then comes that front bringing clouds and rain followed by cooler air.  This cycle continues.  St. Louis’ record high for today is 84 degrees set in 1990, and record low is 1 degree in 1948.  The norms are 54 and 35, yet today we are currently at a sunny, clear sky 71 degrees.  It is gorgeous!  I took a stroll around the block during my lunch break.  The crab apple and bradford pear blossoms are busting out today!   A walk to the indoor pool after work will be refreshing, though still too cool for an outdoor pool!  The next front is due in on Wednesday.  This contrasting weather creates a beautiful palette for us to behold.  Clouds, storms, rains, sunshine, and rainbows …  Is not this a picture of life?

Thoughts

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The brain can distort your thoughts if you have an acute infection, fever, tumor, Alzheimer’s, lacking certain vitamins and minerals, or severely dehydrated. Non-prescription and prescription drugs and anesthesia can distort things in the brain as well.  I have a colorful picture of the brain I found on Photobucket, a bit of art if you will in hopes for brighter days to come.   Yet life is not too colorful these days, a gray palette.  My father has a brain tumor, and underwent surgery this past Friday.  His thoughts are distorted right now.  Words come out wrong or no words at all. Previously, we know his distortion has been caused by the tumor, but now we are not sure if it is post-surgerical swelling that is causing the distortions, or other things now.  Prayers are requested for my father’s full recovery, and strength for my mother and family.