Morning in Paradise

Today I will go to work smelling like eau de tomato. I went out and picked tomatoes this morning. It’s official. I’ve been waiting for this moment. I picked more tomatoes than I could eat while standing in the garden. I’m so excited. Mostly cherry and grape tomatoes, but I’ve gotten 2 larger red, ripe tomatoes. Oh man, I’ll be canning tomatoes in a week or two. This paradise thing is WONDERFUL. What a great way to start the day.

Enjoying paradise...finally

Some time ago I was praying for health and the Lord whispered to me “Walk.” I thought, “Walk? Hmmm. Sounds like a lot of work to me isn’t there an easier way?” “Walk” was my answer again. Ok. I don’t walk everyday, which I know I should, but I have been walking down the road and through the orchard and it is not only a cardio workout, but whispers peace to my soul and heart. I always feel better when I get home.

This is the way I am. Not the way I want to be, but the way I am. Pray, get an answer, question, answer is repeated. The Lord is very patient with me. I confess to being a slow learner. Verrrrry slllllllllow sometimes.

Today as I walked out my door I wandered around my yard looking at my garden and lo and behold, I have green beans ready to pick. Downtown they have been picking green beans for weeks, but mine are ready today. How about that. Another miracle in my life. And before I headed down the road I brought in laundry that I hung out yesterday afternoon. My grandma would be very disappointed in me for leaving it on the line all night. I confess I completely forgot about it yesterday. I pulled the heads off a dozen dandelions in my front yard. They are the bane of my existence. Putting out their little puff balls to pollute my yard. So every morning I go out and pull the heads off the latest crop and throw them toward the canyon. I was putting them on the edge of the yard, but some of the tricky things, even without their connection to the earth, transformed into puff balls and scattered their little parachutes around. So into the canyon they go.

Then I walked.

I have been stressed over work or rather over not working and over finances and over transportation and over the health of my family and over…well the list just goes on and on. Needless to say, I have been stressing myself out over a lot of things and if I get a moment when I’m not worried about something I can sit down and think and allow something to come to mind that I can worry about. Do you see a pattern here?

I live in paradise. I am a woman of faith. I have never been homeless or hungry. I have people who love me and care for me and help me when I need it. People I can call at 1:00 in the morning to come take me home after a movie because I’m having car trouble. I am one of the luckiest people I know. Why am I wasting my time and energy worrying over things I have no control over? Well, I do have some control over some things…I can walk. I can submit applications. I can continue to pray and read my scriptures. There is much I do have control over. But why worry when I can do? I walk. I submit applications. I petition my Heavenly Father to help me and my family.

I have been in a gratitude desert for the last few days. Looking at what I don’t have instead of what I do have. And that has not been real satisfying for me. In the orchard this morning I looked at the trees. They work all year to make cherries and in a week or two, the cherries are gone; picked, and shipped out. The trees are still green and beautiful, but soon the leaves will fall and they will be naked trees standing forlornly in rows waiting for the snow so they can all go to sleep for three or four months. Winter is the sad part of the year for me, seeing all those lonely branches against the gray skies, trees young and old standing knee deep in snow. But the trees don’t mind it because it’s an important part of the cycle of their lives. The hope of spring, and the joy of summer, and the excitement of the first ripe cherry, it’s all right here for me to experience. I’m sitting here having a pity party because I don’t have a job which will get me up at dark thirty and I will leave my house in paradise and go to an office somewhere downtown and sit and work for eight hours before I can come home to paradise again. What is wrong with this picture?

I decided that today I will cast my burdens on the Lord (that’s one of my favorite verses by the way: “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” Matthew 11: 28-30). Today I will pick green beans, bake bread, work on my house, submit my resume and cover letter for the job I want, and eat squash (for the rest of the week I'll eat squash--the stuffed squash I baked yesterday is WONDERFUL—I did however opt for chocolate for dessert…what was I thinking, squash for dessert…silly me).

It is a beautiful day. I live in paradise. I have opportunities to work and do and be and enjoy this very moment.

How blessed I am.

IT'S FLAT AND IT'S FLAT, TOO

Last night I took the grandkids to the drive in movies--it was fun and Sweetie, who said Skippy would fall asleep did and he didn't. But alas, on the way out of the drive-in, thump, thump, thump--flat tire. I was going to try and make it to a gas station to pump it up, but no such luck. It's 1 a.m. and I'm out there parked in the Humane Society parking lot (the light was good) trying to get to the spare, figure out equipment I've never used, couldn't find part of the jack and two sleeping darlings in the back seat. So I did what any respectable grandma would do in this case, I called my brother to come help. But then I found the jack parts, called him back, changed the dang tire, and viola, the spare was flat. So I called my brother again, he came and got us, we got the kids in his car and went home. 3 a.m. or so. He's going to take us down to get the car to Les Schwab.

We laughed and talked and ATE during the show (we packed enough food for a week end--and these kids aren't even teen agers yet), watched a little lightening storm pass by, and really enjoyed the shows (Indiana Jones and Ironman). The tire thing was just a blip in our good time. Besides, I don't think the kids even noticed we came home in another car. We transferred them sleep walking from car to car and from the car into the house. No stress at all for them.

This morning we had a great breakfast--the two of them made pear muffins, they are such good kids, and we'll head out in a few minutes to do the car repair thing.

So in spite of a flat tire flat tire, life is still good here in paradise.

WELCOME TO ME

Ok so I haven't put colored borders or sparkly fireworks or fancy fonts here (who can tell me how to do that stuff?) but I thought I'd try this blogging thing. I enjoy reading your blogs. I'm not sure anyone will enjoy reading mine, and I'm not sure I'm real concerned about it right now.

I live in paradise, those who visit even say so. A cherry orchard in the back yard. The canyon in front complete with a river, some lakes, mountains. Who could ask for more. Oh yes, and there's my little garden. You know when you plant tomato plants they are ...what ... 6 inches tall. So I planted 10 of them. Some of them are now taller than me. We've had such a cold winter and spring that they are just starting to turn red. I ate my first day before yesterday. My second yesterday. I'm going out and pick another this evening. I love eating them while they are warm and their little tomato hearts are still beating. Several are turning ripe. In another couple weeks I should be up to my eyeballs in tomatoes. I can hardly wait. I have peppers, a bunch, with two ready to pick. My pumpkins look like they are making happy little pumpkin babies, the squash too. Beets and carrots are coming along. I can't remember why I planted chives. What on earth do you do with chives? Oh, I remember, I went in at the end of the potted plant season and they were massively on sale. So I said to myself-self, why not try em. Anyone know what one does with garlic chives? I'm so happy when I go out and water my little garden. I planted some flowers. Some are blossoming, some are just green piles of leaves or something, but they look pretty. Note to self: study which plants make flowers and which are ground huggers before next year. (Again, the lot of them were on sale...nuff said).

My children and grandchildren have come to visit over the last week or two. That was WONDERFUL!! I sent five home Monday and picked two more up today. Before that, four spent the week with me. I just love rocking a little one to sleep, singing to her and having her sing back. Makes me smile just to think about it. And each one of them, they are getting so big and so smart and they are all so beautiful. What a lucky grandma I am, that's for sure. I look at my children living their lives and wrestling with reality and sometimes I ache for them. At this moment about all I can do to help them is pray for them. But they too are all very smart, beautiful, compassionate people. See how lucky I am. It is a challenging time for all of us right now. And the rest of my family. What a blessing they all are to me. And my friends. How they put up with my silliness. We have two family members who are in the military. How I appreciate their sacrifice, the sacrifice of one's wife and children to have husband and daddy gone, oh my, but it is hard to see it. God Bless America and all our troops where ever they are.

So that's what's up with me. Tomorrow I'm taking my two eight-year-olds to town. We'll play in the park, do some grocery shopping, come home and make goodies and popcorn to take to the drive in movies tomorrow night. We'll glean cherries in the morning. Many are in the process of becoming raisins around their pits, but we may find a good one or two. And at some point, we need to make a batch of bread. Probably tonight when it cools off. That way we can have sandwiches tomorrow.

That's it from paradise for now.