Rainy Day Ramblings

It's the kind of day when hot tea and writing is in order. Scattered thunderstorms all week, and yet it has been a productive week. My husband, David, got the garden weeds knocked down yesterday. He had a random day off in the middle of the week, and took advantage of it. He helped a buddy on a side job for most of the day, and then they came back to our house and teamed up to take out the immense weed habitation that had choked out all life in what used to be a garden; Spearmint being the only remainder of what used to be.

Spearmint scented the air as they took out everything else. The sounds of Weed Wackers filled the air, and pollen was flying. By the time they had finished, both men were smeared with dirt, noses inoperable, and eyes puffed and streaming. Thankfully dinner had just finished cooking and, despite his buddy politely declining the meal, my husband was more than happy to dig in to rice and roast pork.

Last Sunday, we were supposed to have a family day. However, when our eldest daughter got home from a sleep-over with her Auntie, within a half hour she got sick. So instead, we stayed home. I put her to bed, took her temperature (no fever), and set her up with the works. She had the Humidifier, a space heater, a bucket, fluids, and her favorite book.

As the day wore on, my husband found himself growing tired and losing his momentum for the day, so he decided to go for a drive. After about two hours, I just started to ponder ideas of what was taking him so long, when he pulled into our driveway. He hopped out of the front seat and told me to pop open the back hatch of "Ruby," our red Isuzu Rodeo. When I got it open, a wide smile stretched across my face! The entire back was filled with three large bags of good soil, and PLANTS! Purple tomatoes, striped tomatoes, giant jalapenos, purple bell peppers, orange bell peppers, yellow bell peppers, and baby corn shoots! He invested $100 into our garden, which is big for us, having always had to pinch pennies for years.

We moved the baby plants onto our outside table, under the big umbrella. There they have been protected from the rain and they still have been able to receive as much sun as possible. Our oldest daughter Willow has been helping to keep them watered. Both girls have been outside with me, whenever possible, this week and helping to pull the last of the weeds from the strawberry patch!

Ever since I was a little girl, the season changes have excited me. I don't have ONE favorite season either; my TWO favorite seasons are Spring and Fall, but I do throughly enjoy Summer and Winter as well. I love the spring because of rebirth, new life, the sweet smells and sounds. I enjoy the fall for similar reasons, the rich colors, the rich smells, watching the animals gear up for the coming cold. Spending the winters indoors, cooking warm and fattening food, drinking hot drinks, cozying up with the couch with my girls and watching movies. Enjoying the summers outdoors; always in the sun, my ebony and pink complexion turning to a beautiful golden brown tan, hidden highlights in my brownish-red hair making radiant appearances, spending as much time as possible at the lakes and rivers, planning as many camping trips as possible, barbecues and firepits 'til ten o'clock at night.

As I've grown, I have found myself very eager for planting and harvesting during the seasons. Being a part of the rebirth, the new life in Springtime; Mothering the life as it grows to maturity during the warm days of Summer; determining the proper time to harvest, and reaping the benefits of hard work. Life flies by so swiftly, that I am constantly reminded it's the little things, the things you thoroughly enjoy, the hard work, and the late nights that make life fulfilling. As long as I get up every day, find a reason to smile, and go forward full steam ahead; taking on all that life has to offer, good and bad alike, as gracefully as possible. Allowing the fire to scorch me, the stones to refine my rough edges, the love to keep me grounded, and keeping the flow of give and take in balance... I will be ok. I will be more than ok actually, I will be living and loving life!

Never forget the importance of happiness, of love, of friendship, of pursuing your dreams and doing what makes YOU happy. May you live with integrity, may you wake full of hope every day, may you love and enjoy being loved. May you be happy most, if not all, the days of your life :)

Until Next Time...

~Tanya~

Getting My Hands Dirty

There once lived a girl, a very pretty girl, who moved into a little house in the woods one summer. There was a strawberry patch, pear trees, and a quaint garden. She and her husband spent the winter planning out what they were going to plant and grow come season, and were very enthuiastic. Before even beginning to pull weeds, they began to purchase seeds for planting. As the weather warmed, and Springtime emerged, she excitedly got to work clearing the the masses amounts of weeds that had taken root.

As she started to pull the weeds, she discovered there were plenty of prickly and nasty weeds that wanted to bite at her hands. There were young and strong tree saplings that gave no way as her hands painfully slipped on their bark, pulling off leaves accidentally. Then she remembered, a dear friend had given her a pair of gardening gloves the year before, when she was helping said friend with cleaning her yard before winter. She eagerly slipped the gloves on, and the tough weeds became weak under her capable hands.

The girl spent at least one hour in the late afternoon every day, tirelessly clearing the weeds. The strawberries began to grow bigger and stronger, receiving more light from the sun and having more room to spread their roots. But the garden was quickly becoming wildly overgrown as the spring rains persisted, and she felt as if she couldn't work fast or hard enough to get it all done on her own. She had many other responsibilities to take care of as well; she had two young daughters to attend to, one who was potty training; she had a house to keep up on, meals to be prepared, and a husband who came home every evening from a tiresome day of work.

As the weeks passed, flowers began to blossom from the seemingly dead bulbs her husband and she had planted in early spring, with no hopes of them actually sprouting. The weather continued to warm up, with intermittent bouts of rain, sometimes forcing her inside in the late evenings. She stared out her windows wishing she could be out there, but knowing it would cause her to become sick from the congestion of allergies in combination with the chill wet weather. So she contented herself with making sure the house was in tip-top order, reading, and writing.

Today she finds herself once again forced inside due to rainy weather. She felt like telling you a small tale to make you smile if, you too, are experiencing a dampening on your sunny time. She eagerly awaits this storm to blow over, permitting her back outside into her happy spot in the garden.

May you always find a reason to smile, and may you always find your happy spot :)

Until Next Time...

~Tanya~