A Bouquet from the Garden

Refreshing strawberry lemonade and a bouquet from my garden. I'm still trying to create beauty in the midst chaos.

My dad is in his third week of chemo and radiation treatments and started bleeding. He had a surgical procedure today to try and find the source of this trouble. The nursing home called this morning and my mother-in-law was not doing well. Her blood pressure, oxygen levels and heart rate were low. By the time I got there she had improved and surprisingly she ate every bite of her pureed lunch for me. Sometimes it is a roller coaster of emotions. I try to enjoy the moments of calm.

Not much energy or time to garden right now, but I'm enjoying the fruits of my past labor. Hopefully things will settle down and I can spend my days again in the garden...I miss it.

Lilac Bouquet and George

I went outside this morning, before the rain, to gather some lilac blossoms for my first ever lilac bouquet. The lovely fragrance just fills the room. I can't wait until my small shrubs grow and I have more of these delightful blooms.

On my way back to the house, I noticed that something had been digging in one of my winter sowing containers,(#22 Hollyhock), I bent down for a closer look and jumped back when I saw the dirt move. I slowly moved the container around with my foot...


and this toad poked his head out of the dirt.

The first few springs and summers in our new neighborhood we had a lot of frogs. So many, that when I would walk in the evenings I would have to really watch my step because they were constantly jumping across the sidewalk. As our neighborhood grew and people began to use chemicals on the lawns causing runoff into our neighborhood ponds I saw fewer frogs, (at least that is what I believe has caused the decline). In fact for the last two or three years I haven't seen a single one. So, I am very glad to see this fellow here today. When my children were young and I would find a frog I'd call them all George. I'd use a funny voice and for some reason George just sounded like the frog name that fit with the silly voice. I hope "George" sticks around Robin's Nesting Place for a while.

Flower's Boost Morning Moods

The headline in Sunday's paper read, "Flowers Boost Morning Moods". Apparently there was a mood research project that was conducted by Harvard University and Massachusetts General Hospital. The result of this mood study showed that the majority of people are least positive in the morning. The article, by NewsUSA in Sunday's Indianapolis Star, goes on to say that those in the mood study "reported being happier and more energetic after looking at flowers first thing in the morning".

Dr. Nancy Etcoff, who was the lead researcher, reported that when even a small bouquet of flowers was introduced into the morning routine of those in the study, it caused them to perk up, giving them an emotional boost that lasted throughout their day.

In the book, the Hidden Art of Homemaking by Edith Schaeffer, she addresses the importance of having fresh flowers in the home. She said, "In Holland fresh cut flowers were generally considered a necessity." She said that even the poor people put aside a guilder or two for fresh flowers every week. She also recalls that her high school principal always started the daily assembly by reciting, "If you have two loaves of bread, sell one and by a lily!" She said that the kids would often giggle and scoff at the statement, but later she came to appreciate it because she realized, "the bread becomes a different thing when eaten at a table with a lily in the center.

Yolanda Elizabet at Bliss, is a wonderful example of someone who attempts to have flowers in her home year round. I loved the post she did on flower arranging. The best thing about her flower arrangements is that they come from her own wonderful garden.


I know for me, even looking at pictures of beautiful, colorful flowers on gardening blogs is a mood lifter. So, I hope these beautiful bouquets perk you up and give you an emotional boost today.