Hodgepodging the Lawn and Grub Show

Pond garden, May 30, 2013
See how late spring comes to Wisconsin?

1. April is Lawn and Garden Month. On a scale of 1-10 what's the current state of your lawn and/or garden. (10=a showpiece, 1=send in the professionals). Tell us about any lawn or garden plans you have for this month.

At this point, I'd say it's about a minus five. I've not been able to do any gardening for a few years and rather than calling in the professionals, I'd probably rather call in the tractor and disc and start over. The photo of the pond garden in May of 2013 (above) is how I would like it to look again this year. We've had an infestation of ground moles, which make the backyard bumpy and horrid, and as long as we had dogs living with us, I wouldn't let Mr. C. put out poison for the grubs, which is what the moles eat. So, it got pretty bad. Now that we no longer have dogs (sadly), we can put out grub poison and start the lawn project again.

 Strawberry Boy

July 4, 2015

2. "Many things grow in the garden that were never sown there."~Thomas Fuller  What does this quote mean to you?

It means there are weeds among my strawberries and raspberries. It's that simple.

I looked up Thomas Fuller and found a few more quotes:

All things are difficult before they are easy.

If it were not for hopes, the heart would break.

Health is not valued till sickness comes.

(These don't strike me as particularly profound.)

Choose a wife rather by your ear than your eye.

That one reminds me of the song,

If you wanna be happy for the rest of your life

Never make a pretty woman your wife,

So from my personal point of view, 

Get an ugly girl to marry you.

I think Thomas probably meant exactly what he said.

 April in Dallas, 2013

3. What's the first thing that comes to mind when you think about God?

Jesus of Nazareth, God in the flesh, who loved us so much that he took the sin and pain of the world on himself at the Cross, who defeated the powers of evil and death, who ushered in his Kingdom, who is Lord of the Universe, who works in this world by his Spirit and through those who follow him, who will come again at the final consummation and renew all things. That's the first thing.

 And then there's beauty, joy, peace, love...

4. If we were chatting in person, how would I know if you were nervous?

I would be trying to rip open the bag of chocolate chips with my teeth.

 Daffodils and Crab Apple Blossoms
May

5. Do you like the color yellow? Would I find any in your home or wardrobe? Daffodils, tulips, roses, sunflowers, day lily, black eyed susan...which yellow bloom on this list is your favorite?

I love yellow, as long as it's the soft, pale yellow that looks good on so many people but me. I have a baby-duck yellow fleece jacket that I wear even though yellow isn't my best color, just because it's such a great baby-duck color. Daffodils are my very favorite, because they're the first to appear in my garden. As a result, I feel a kind of loyalty to them.

 Misty (R.I.P.) liked sensible shoes too.

And she always loved lying next to my shoes.

In her last months, I didn't brush her because she acted like it was torture.

6. Flip flops or bare feet?

Neither. I'm a sensible shoes kind of person. I  could probably go barefoot outdoors on nice grass, but not indoors. I can't stand to step onto a drop of water or sand or goo or anything else that might have been spilled on the floor. Definitely not flip flops. They would drive my toes crazy.

 From Easter, 2016

7. Tell us about any Easter plans, celebrations, or traditions you'll carry out this month.

As much as I would love to attend York Minster on Easter morning, I will be celebrating the Resurrection at our own church and afterwards, will come home to family who will join us for Easter dinner. We'll provide the dinner and dessert; they have to bring candy for the kids. I hope they remember. And if it's nice out, we'll take a walk along Fifth Avenue - or maybe to the woods.

 York Minster

8.  Insert your own random thought here.

Over the weekend, we were in Wausau, helping a certain little 3 year old girl celebrate her birthday.  The bottom right photo was taken shortly after her birthday party began.

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