IN Carmel

                                     This beauty is in the garden again holding forth.  I think it's stunning.   April 2025 is over.  Woo... This morning started a little usual and the unusual became apparent. The drill consists of getting my yogart, blueberries, almonds going and then I take out the suet and black sunflower seed feeder.  We deprive the racoons by bringing those inside every night.  But when I went to hang the feeder the tree seemed to have moved.  Now that's unusual for a tree of at least 60 years of age to move but it did.  The limb was hanging close to the ground with a huge branch on the roof.  Neither in the right place.  Yes, what we thought might happen at some point happened.  The old maple tree will be no more we're thinking after tomorrow.  What a way to wake up.  It's dripping with mone...

 The morning after breakfast started in the garden.  I planted the Mexican Sunflowers from seeds I saved last fall.  Now we'll wait to see how good I did.  There is always the store-bought kind.  I did some watering, pulled some weeds and checked on other things.  Where I dug out sick plants yesterday,       Pretty, pretty.  I thought there were 6 in the pack but really only 3.  They are big and well developed. I planted another dianthus and transplanted another plant from another spot in the garden. The transplant looks pretty tired this afternoon after spending time in the sun, but I think I'll see some recovery by tomorrow morning.                      There is shock that goes with moving some plants.  It is showing improvement already.  Then it was on the chair for a little TV which turned into sleeping for the rest of the morning with a break f...

                                                                        Some of tomorrow's assignments.   Another first of the week working day for many.  So here we go again.  And that means another morning at North putting away things and resetting the space for Youth Sunday and Communion Sunday.  And I think we are finished with Monday morning work for a while.  Not for ever for sure but for a while.  This was a relative short workday, so it was good to be on the road home again by 11:00.   This picture shows a little squater activity happening.  The wren has taken over the blue bird house.  How do I know it's a wren?  For one, I've watched the in and out of this little bird.  Wren's use sticks.  B Birds...

 It's been sort of another good day but sometimes with the good comes some unpleasantness.  That's the case today.  There was the early morning cool walk and the allergy season descended asap along with a little asthma.  So it was a day of hard tough sneezing with eyes that were full of tears with itching with some breathing problems.  And the medicine I had just didn't seem to be enough.  Some days are like that. I didn't push a whole lot of things as the day got longer.. So, there was church with all that goes with making it good church.  Music with words reminding us of Gods creation.  A wonderful message given by Jill and the visuals enjoyed by so many.  It was a good morning regardless of all the other unpleasantries that come for some from the spring environment.   The afternoon was filled with B Ball as you might have guessed.  There were surprises and disappointments that come when teams either win or lose.  And so...

 I was up early.  I have always been an early to rise from as long as I can remember.  I watched a bit of the Pope's funeral.  And then it was off to church again for the every other Saturday Soup Kitchen.  Others were at church for the annual clean up the neighborhood event.  It was an unexpectedly cold morning, so the numbers were smaller than usual.   I usually have at least 30 minutes by myself before more soup kitchen workers arrive giving me time to have a good look at what needs to happen or can happen to get the morning going for others.  The main dish was wonderful, mashed potatoes, chicken and a great green bean with carrots vegetable.  It was a yummy eat in meal along with two take home meals.  The food lasted to the end in both categories.   Heidi, James and I finished up visuals for tomorrow's service.  More banners were hung in the west entrance.  And the butterflies found a new place to hang. The t...

 The day started early for Doug.  PT 8 :45 am.  Now early for me is 5 which happens more than I wish.  Poor Doug.                                                                   There they are.  Just as great as ever.    It was filling the pill box day and that gets me through another 2 weeks.  Done, finished, over!  Then it was outside of course.  And the herb garden was calling.  I moved a volunteer hyssop plant to where there are now three hyssop plants. Two of them volunteers.  They are yummy, iced tea makers producing additionally beautiful blue flowers.  Then I made some changes making it easier to get to where I'll transplant Basel plants.  Steppingstones is the answer.  The dark gray pot if filled with teen...

                         Beautiful dog wood in the back yard but NOTHING like those old dogwood in Atlanta.                                                         Now those are true eye candy that I'll never forget.  Today was a little bit different.  One of these every few years is quite enough.  The morning started with another early trip out.  This time it was a five minute drive which was quite all right with me, the driver.  Doug would say no way.  But his colonoscopy went just fine according to me. When having a 6:30 am check in that brings about a 9:00 check out.  And during the in between time I chose to come home.                      ...

Today was my day.  I planned it.  I did it and it was mine, all day.  Woo.  And I realized that all day.  That doesn't happen often or maybe it does, but I don't recognize it.  So, what did I do with my day.   Well, if you guessed being outside all day, you scored a ringer.  My hands were washed many times.  My fingernails were filled with dirt many times and I just messed with thinking about plants and all things gardening.   Bleeding hearts and Blue Bells.  The perfect combination for this time of year for the bumble bees.  They move way to fast for me to get a picture, but they particularly love the B Bells.  Some things got a second move like bergamot.  I didn't give it enough room in its first new home, so it got a second new home.  Well, some of it at least.  In a few months I see if it's happy in its expanded spot.  It should be.   So far so good.  None the worst for the ...

 The: day started in the car.  Well, maybe not but the car thing came at 7:50.  For someone else living in this house the day doesn't start till around 9.  So, I let him sleep and I drove myself, once again downtown Indy to the Simon Cancer Center.  I can do it! At this visit I saw Dr. Langer who directed my radiation treatments on my head the spring of 2021.  He always wants to do a yearly check, and it was time.  BUT he graduated me out of his program.  Thank God.  An early morning trip to downtown isn't very easy and today proved that to be true again.  So, I said goodby to another great guy who walked me through a difficult mental radiation treatment.  I am grateful. Why did I choose an early morning visit.  I didn't choose.  I was told so I complied.   While I was having radiation at I U North, I always stopped at Rosies garden shop after treatments. That always seemed to help with getting my mind in the rig...