From the Watery Weeds

The garden is still, sadly, beyond my reach.  I waded out there on Friday evening (it's now Monday) and saw that the beans, cukes, and peas were trying to sprout in their muddy plant pots.  The lemon basil hadn't attempted to put in an appearance yet but it's possible that those tiny seeds just washed away in the heavy rain.  Someone told me that we had 9 inches of rain last Thursday.  It's been pelting down every day since--this is springtime in South Mississippi; rain is just gonna happen. 

Poor little garden.  The seedlings will either make it or they won't.  If they do, I'll plant more stuff as soon as I can.  If they don't, I'll start over yet again. 

Life is kinda like that.  You do your best.  And you work with whatever comes your way.  Good stuff happens every day but we might not see it if we fail to look for it.

My indoor "garden" is surely trying to put on a good show.  These are just little African violets that I've bought at the local grocery over the past couple of years, and they're blooming again.

Last year someone asked me if it wasn't very difficult to make African violets bloom again.  Well, the truth is that I'm not "making" those plants do anything.  They do what they want but I can help them along a little because I know a few things that they like.

African violets like sunshine.....but not too much of it because they sunburn easily.

African violets like water.....but they don't like to have their feet wet all the time because it makes them ill.

African violets like a little plant food.....because they need a little extra help; that soil in the pot isn't eternally good.

African violets need a little gentle dusting now and then.....because they need clean leaves so they can breathe.

African violets love to be close to their buddies.....because they bloom better and they stay healthier in groups.

That's it.  That's all I know.  But do you know what I think?  I think they're kinda like people:  we need to have both sunshine and shadow in our lives; we need food and water but not to excess; we need to feel clean and we need to be able to breathe; and we need to be close to our friends.  All living things deserve these simple kindnesses.

It's gonna be a good day.....even though it's about to rain yet again.