IN Carmel

 The night report...lots of short little naps with a hole from 2 to 3:30 with a little TV and a crossword I forgot to do earlier in the day.  Then back to bed with two Tylenol for pain. I would say it was a relatively easy night.   Today was a day of sleeping and musical chairs with me the only one playing the game.  Woo...it was a slow-down day just happy to be at home and able to comply with orders from the doctor.  I walked the garden this morning finding more tiny swamp milkweed starts.  This is a great spring for that.  Now to keep them going.  A call from the doctor's office assured the nurse that I was following all the suggestions given.  I can take a shower tomorrow and get rid of the tight binder.  The doctor stitched up the inside of me and glued the outside.  I'll hang together well.  This afternoon Doug found the rabbit.  A deer ran across the yard with her tiny almost newborn fawn following behind and st...

 First on the list.  The text messages were numerous early this morning.  Thank you so much.  It makes such a difference to me.  Thank you, Thank you. And once again the jitters never showed up.  My mind was in a good place for the work ahead. And there was work.  Up early again and I readied myself for the work ahead.  Nothing but a house coat and sandals became the dress of the morning. I needed to make this easy for me and anything else involved.  We arrived at 7:40 along with a host of others ready for the IU North surgery crew.  I was number three for my surgeon and the real thing actually started around 10 AM.  There always will be work for her no matter what.  Cancer just is!  And true to promises I was home by early afternoon, let's say around 1.  I had my usual lunch and shared how much better to recuperate at home.  What did I do?  Sleep, walk around a little, Sleep, and walk around a little. Ate a...

 This morning started early.  Not even bright with the early but dark with the early.  I suspect there is something on my mind.  So I just went with it.  My first-morning job happened when deciding to repot the Christmas Cactus.  It hasn't looked right for some time and with new soil and a major trim it looks better already.  I suspect the pot might be a little small.  But I'll wait to see if the new soil helps a bit. I also potted the one geranium with roots.  That's a look-see as well.  I'm hoping to look and see some more roots.  The plan is to plant them all in the same pot. I moved another plant in the garden.  I can't remember the name but every year I have lost it with it being overgrown with other stuff.  Now it has space.   I love it when the good birds come by.  The bluebird, the woodpeckers and the finch I've put in that group.  The Starlings and their families can destroy a cake of suet in n...

 Yes...My favorite Sunday of the church year.  I'm still trying to figure out why but one thing I do know.  It feels like a Sunday of new beginnings.  When choosing the surgery date, it had to be after Pentecost.  I was close to tears at the end of the service when I realized that once again I could celebrate the event.  I had made it another year.  The first flower from the perennial Sweet pea plant.  There will be many flowers in the next few weeks. Surges...this morning I tackled a job I hate.  That's cleaning the refrigerator.  There are always tubs of leftovers that I thought I would use and then having no idea what was in the tub when I find it.  And it usually stinks! So I did the deed! Then I moved on to scrubbing the kitchen floor.  Woo...I told Doug I'm ready for surgery.  There is nothing like a clean house that makes coming home on Tuesday even better.  Tomorrow I'll run the sweeper and get in some groceri...

 A great sleep last night with a wake-up ready for the day.  It was off to church for a Bread and Bowl morning.  We had a good number of workers sharing tasks that needed to be ready by 11.  We were ready by 10:15.  Woo.  So we had a morning of visiting with each other and conversations that were most interesting.  The doors opened at 11 with a line of folks ready for a noon-time meal.  By 11:20 most of the food was gone and the interesting happening was that no one came after 11:20.  Another God moment of which there have been many.  We had 6 carry-out meals ready for any late comers so we waited till 12 to close.   I took a few pictures of the sanctuary and placed beautiful flowers at the altar a gift from Heidi and James Horton.  In case you've forgotten, it's Pentecost!  The birthday of the church.  The disciples received the message, spread the good news.  About 40 yards of red voile are used in the san...

 A few years ago my neighbor Judy gave me a start of a plant called Bears Breeches.  It has the most unusual flower I've ever seen and she generously shared.  Bears breeches can be temperamental, blooming some years and not blooming some years.  So when it happens I feel very fortunate to experience this fantastic flower.  This first plant started a new plant two years ago and now there are two flowers on the news plant and none on the first one. I found three more little plants that need to find a new home since they are hiding under their mother plant.  But where to put them?  This morning I walked all the gardens that are in the sun or part sun since that is the recommendation for their happy place. I found the solution...MORE WORK.             A fresh clean place waiting along with a tired body and something new to think about. Susan got yanked.  On the post is the bluebird house full of pine needles....

 A week from today our oldest grandson Jacob is graduating from High School.  It's one of those mile-marker events.  A graduation party with friends happens near the middle of June. Then in August a move to Michigan State at Lansing Mi. for the beginning of four years of living on campus, ending with a degree in music performance and music education. Congratulations Jacob.  Love in a Mist flower also known as Nigella.  These little gems seed themselves and are in many places on purpose.  By mid-summer, the plant will be gone but their seeds for next year are either in the ground or saved for planting next spring.  Both ways work. I think there are blue and pink ones as well.  Such a delicate pretty flower that has a beautiful seed ball, just as pretty as the flower.   Today was another interesting day.  The morning was filled with friends at church preparing the sanctuary for Pentecost this Sunday.  I will say it's my favorite ...

 Another interesting day with a lot of variety.  I left home around 8:30 heading for church.  I needed to measure the width of the sanctuary.  That was easy to do.  The floor tile is a foot square so just count the tile and divide by three.  Heidi was waiting on the porch for her ride and off we went east to Marvins.  We learned a whole lot about 38th Street.  Woo...they have it all dug up, doing a repave which has been needed for years.  Cars can go east but not west. We turned south at some point to 30th Street and then again east to Marvin's Wholesale Florist Supplies.  I wanted Heidi to see this place that supplies some things we use.  We had a great time looking at spools of ribbons for Gay Pride month and florist paper used to cover pots at Easter and Christmas.  We also bought light weight wire. Then back to church the whole way on 30th street.  Another detour at Meridian Street reminded us that it is summer in...

 I'm thinking about Mendelssohn and his Elijah where the chorus sings...Thanks be to God, He waters the thirsty land.  My song is Thanks be to God, the day is almost over.  As you could tell, I was not looking forward to this day full of tests and questions and statements and just way too much stuff reminding me that the second attempt at riding the body of what doctors say is another cancer that is not like the first. But I must admit those at I U North made today's experience as easy as they could.  I am grateful.  It all started at 9:30 and ended at 2:30 with three different departments doing what needed to be done.  I am ready for surgery..  No phone calls concerning blood work indicating otherwise help me to believe brings on May 30th.   This is a super example of bluebird neatness.  Last fall my neighbor bagged his pine needles and gave them to us.  I covered the paths in the garden with needles.  Now some are in their ho...

 Morning crossword but Wordle is yet to even be thought of.  I'll get to it.  I did some fluffing.  If you wonder why the answer I believe is fewer weeds taking over and over the years I think it makes a huge difference in eradicating weeds permanently.  I did a little watering but not much.  And everything stayed where they were put with one exception.  Some of the peppers have an identification tag and some little creature thought it should be moved.  Moving tags is fine.  Tags can go anywhere.  Plants need to stay anchored.  My last trip around the garden shows that the plants love the water.  They are looking better. The bluebird watch continues but the Mrs. is out doing the Mister when it comes to nest stuffing with pine needles. He does stand guard which is filling a necessary job.  He's quite good at that They have figured out the new way of entering the box Since I'm not feeding black sunflower seeds currently most...

 And what a special day it was in so many ways.   No words can do justice to the morning of worship through music.  My, my.  what an experience that I will keep with me in the coming weeks.  Starting with the Ukrainian Alleluia as the introit. Then  Hydans Mass in Times of War to the closing prayer for Ukraine sung in the language used by the Ukrainians.  So appropriate, so simple in so many ways, and sung so beautifully with so much meaning.  It found its way to my very core.  It was a blessed morning.                                                My hope is that these little gifts stay glued into the ground.                                               ...

 A really busy day which is just what I want and like and enjoy and everything else.   Early in the day, it was off to church to do some last-minute things in the sanctuary.  A fresh banner for the pulpit was one thing.  A wreath celebrating Ukraine was hung on the balcony. Blue and yellow celebrate the colors of the Ukranine flag and Sunflowers are the flower of Ukranine.  Peace doves covered with mirrors hang on both sides of the wreath.   . Sunflowers will be our Altar flowers. It's a big Sunday with choir and orchestra singing Hyden's Mass in Time of War and two other pieces, Cortney's Ukrainian Alleluia and Rutter's A Ukranian Prayer. On the way home I stopped at the flower tent again and got another flat of small zinnias.  The dryness of the last few days really created havoc with the zinnias with most of them dying from the absence of water. It just wasn't my lucky last few days.  There were only 4 zinnia flats left at the te...

 Back home again in Indiana.  It all happened today.  We saw the kids off to school.  Talked a bit and by 9 we were headed south stopping for gas soon after we left and then it was again one of those none stop trips until the car entered the garage.  We can always figure the trip to be three two hour hops along.  Starting at Indy to Fort Wayne with the next hop to Lancing and then the last on to Hope Michigan.  We just did it backward today.  The trip is relatively easy in my book of trips.   The wegilia buch is loaded with flowers.  The older it gets the better it looks.  I'll add that Doug looks after this bush every year trimming and snipping to keep it's best side front and center.   Upon arriving home one of the first things to do even before the car is unpacked is to wee what is happening in the garden.  Consenses said that it was a dry three days that happened.  So...car unpacked allowed the watering ...