I have been giving my porch a good cleaning this morning since it is sunny and very warm. I moved a set of metal shelves from the front porch (where it has been for many years) to the deck yesterday and finished the porch tweaking today. It needed less... stuff.
I already have a garden bench, a wicker rocking chair (rescued from the neighbor's trash), a wicker side table (Goodwill purchase), and a small black wooden table (Goodwill purchase)... and since the metal shelves can exist on the deck just fine... they were the obvious choice for relocating.
Enough cleaning has been accomplished that my guests tomorrow will not have to view all the dirt and grime of Winter but I'm sure will understand why there is more to be accomplished. Later. A little at a time.
When I finish here, I need to do about a half an hour of work near the fence line and then start the Easter dessert, my favorite easy cheesecake recipe. It is best made the day before serving it and that works great for my planning. I bought all the cream cheese weeks ago when it was on sale for a dollar each, making for a very reasonable cost for a dessert that takes five (5) 8 oz. blocks of cream cheese.
As everything is budding and blooming around the place, I became more convinced something had to go. I mean, my To Do list was more than I can handle as I haven't fully recovered lost energy from that illness (and it wasn't that great to begin with). So I made the decision to not plant a garden this year. I know. I may regret it come late July but it seems the best course of action now.
It helps that my husband is in total agreement with where I want to prioritize limited budget and energy. He worked a lot on the "out of control" landscape last year but there are more areas near the house and deck that the forest has been slowly taking back. (Note to self: before you move anywhere in and around a forest, remember it has not given up the land completely!)
We need to concentrate on those areas before they get even more out of control. We are talking trees trying to come up! I'll still have a container garden with flowers and herbs on the deck. I'm hoping to be able to buy more at the Farmer's Market this year since we have two excellent markets available. (I think there is a third market on or near campus.)
It seems there is a constant need to adapt as circumstances change. Normally with all the unsettling factions in the world today, I would think of doubling my garden space. However, it just doesn't work this year. So what God provides energy to do, that will get done... and trust Him for the rest.
Happy Easter! I hope to write a Sunday Post tomorrow while the ham is in the oven.
Links from this Post
My favorite cheesecake recipe... here.
13 comments:
If you don't plant your garden this year, I hope you will cover it with something (papers, black plastic) so that the weeds don't take over! Be well, Brenda! I wish you and all your family a very blessed Easter!
Just popping in to wish you and yours a very Happy Easter! God Bless! Bess
You know what? Tim and I decided to not plant a garden this year, too. We have seeds, we have space but we are not doing it. We don't have your energy issues or health issues, but we have time issues. The kids are busy, we are busy with our business. So I'm keeping the flower beds and I might do some potted herbs, but Lindsay has a garden and we have a produce stand just down the road, so we are going to support their business more this year. We are trusting God in this like we do everything. We feel peace about it, and not fear.
I support you in this choice and considering your circumstances, I think its wise. God is your provider and He knows! Rest in that, friend!
Love you!
Firstly, your red shelf and glass containers are such a joy to look at! Especially those with the red lids - makes me smile :-).
Also decided not to do a garden this year, but for different reasons. A possible job change for my husband means a possible move out of state in the next month! I have lived in the county I was born all of my 49 years - this is a BIG thing. But also, was contemplating the biblical "seven year sabbatical", and my garden plots have had heavy use the 11 years we've lived here, and last year it did not produce very well. I think they need a break! I planted garlic last fall, so we'll see what that does, otherwise, it's going to rest this year.
Wishing you and yours a very Blessed Easter! He has risen, indeed!
LynneinMN
Sounds like I (and you) are in good company!
I like the way you and Deanna said it (above).
We will only be putting in a tomato plant and a little row of leaf lettuce to enjoy during the summer months.
We still have (too many) flower beds.
I wish you and your family a blessed Easter and better be hopping on my way as well to prepare a couple of the overnight casseroles I will serve at our small after-church brunch here at the house tomorrow. ♥
And I am not planting a garden this year either. I will plant marigolds instead. When I bought that bushel of tomatoes last summer for a mere $7, I realized that I could eat very healthfully and inexpensively without raising the garden myself. Besided, I am being taken over by groundhogs and it will be less aggravation all around. I will have to keep them out of my flower beds, though! Your cheesecake sounds heavenly. (I have not found wonderful sales like that so I have two packages for my recipes at $2.29 each. 🌷Blessed preparations for your Easter dinner...
That is odd because I too decided not to plant a garden this year also. I think there are so many bad things going on in the world right now I just do not have the heart. I have a few geraniums and roses that come back each year. I wish you and yours a Happy Easter and continued good days. Please give the Kitty a smile from me. Cecile
Brenda....you're brilliant! I've been looking at an old antique coffee table thing in the living room for a few days....it just isn't quite right. Too low and, because of that, the lamp doesn't give off good light for me. Reading along your post, I remembered a patio table of sorts with wood slates and a folding base. Ugly, but the right height and you'll never know with a table cloth!!! Woot!
I'm making a chocolate eclair dessert from vanilla pudding, cool whip and graham crackers. I wish I had thought that out sooner. I finished my grocery shopping in the town over rather than Walmart or Aldi. Graham crackers....$3.49. Ouch. I opted for using the powdered milk in the pantry rather than fresh because a smaller amount I need is almost the cost of a gallon. Although, I suppose I could have used what I needed and took the rest over the neighbors with four kids.
I'm transplanting rhubarb right now...I hope I don't kill it. Its going next to the asparagus I planted last year AND the raspberry and strawberry plants that will be here in a few weeks. I'll rake the area down and plant a few peas.....although I'm late for Good Friday. And some Egyptian onions too.
Check out Larry Hall on youtube. He does this grow bag system. I tried this last year and used just a small kiddie pool and 4 walmart bags. Worked surprisingly well. Not a lot of fuss either. No weeds and self waters.
Brenda, Concentrating on getting the over growth taken care of and not over loading yourself with a garden too this summer is a wise decision. You will feel like you accomplished more with the time and energy you have to use. We are having our usual garden, but I won't plant as much as we normally do. Last year we found a wonderful garden market so when it comes to tomatoes for canning we will buy them and help out the farmers.
Your cheesecake became our annual Easter dinner family dessert several years ago. Its hands down the best I've ever made, very easy, and if you can get the cream cheese on sale very reasonable. My family loves it! I'd probably be in trouble if it was not on the table! I have fresh strawberries to serve over the pieces this year, but we also like to use pie filling, or hot fudge, caramel sauce and chopped nuts. It also gets made at other times of the year, but its a must for Easter.
Blessed Easter to you and your family. I hope you have a wonderful relaxing day with your company tomorrow. Marsha
Have a blessed Easter, Brenda. We are scaling back some things here, too. It just struck me this year that there's no point in doing something just because we've always done it. With the family growing, through marriage and the birth of grand babies, it's time for some of our traditions to change, too. We enjoyed visiting with my Marine Corps son and his wife last week and had a BIG get together with all the kids and grands while they were here. Tomorrow, after church, the three of us still living here are going out to eat.
I am with you. Last year I planted only a minimum garden and this year I will only plant one or two tomatoes and 3 peppers and have the herbs that are already here. I had to take a break! There are other projects that need my limited time and energy and I thought I would get them taken care of last year but couldn't complete much. This year I will keep working on things and be happy I can do that. The goal is to get things a easy as possible since we are not getting any younger. I like some flowers so have put in bulbs here and there through the last years....no replanting. I am content and less stressed keeping it this way. Next year who knows but for now this is it. :-) Sarah
My husband has been studying permaculture and says that the kinds of weeds that want to grow in your garden indicate what the soil is lacking, and may actually help to amend the deficiencies. The Biblical sabbatical year instructions for the Jews were to leave the ground alone and let whatever wanted to grow come up. So maybe it would be beneficial to let the weeds take over for a year.
I didn't have a garden this year due to ill health (I'm in Australia) and boy did I miss it. I missed the time outside, I missed the ever changing view from the kitchen window and I missed the produce. My sons are helping me with a smaller version of our usual winter garden and already I feel more secure and at peace knowing that we'll have some fresh veggies over winter when prices here can go ridiculously high. And I'll get to have that pretty picture from the kitchen window again.
Post a Comment