Around the Corner

Time is speeding by, whether this is due to my age and me moving somewhat slower or whether everyone else has sped up, but regardless the days are not marching but racing toward . . . something! Goodness, it seems only yesterday we were celebrating the beginning of a new year and now we are in the middle of the month.

We are just a couple of weeks away from starting our indoor seed beds for those plants yearning to be given a chance to flourish and produce. As I have stated before February is my month of depression. Not yet the end of the cold, wet and windy weather that keeps me inside and not yet the beginning of the warm spring temperatures that so heal my mind.

I have tried in the last few years to save some of my more interesting projects for the month of February to keep me busy and my mind stimulated. Planning my garden is probably foremost on my mind. I actually have two gardens - one for vegetables and one for herbs.

As I have aged, I have searched and researched methods to reduce the physical labor needed for a productive garden. As much as I enjoy neat and clean rows, mulching reduces much of the labor and results in happier and healthier plants and saves my back from much bending and pulling.

March is my month of renewal. The later part of the month always brings the first warm days as we start our turn toward the sun. I watch the temperatures change as we slowly make our turn back to the sun and the warmth motivates me once again. I probably should just hibernate from December through March! Spring cleaning come early here as the outside starts calling to me around the end of March when everything must be prepared for the spring days. My anticipation grows as I wait for my hummingbirds to return so I can watch their antics. I scour the garden for the first peek of green shoots hoping that I haven't lost too many plants over the harsh winter that has been so rough on humans and animals alike.

April arrives awakening all living things and I smile from inside. The month of showers doesn't bother me as I know God is watering his plants and bringing joy to my heart. The ground has warmed and the air is refreshing.


And then right around the corner . . .


Happy reading!

Belle

A Bird Seed Shut Me Down

Are you familiar with bird seed bags? They are the absolutely greatest thought that anyone has come up with - except for maybe electricity, cars, central heat, microwaves, cell phone - well, anyway they are great! A small piece of flannel or wool sewn into a small bag then filled with bird seed. Throw these little bags in the microwave for a minute or two and you have the best heating pad ever. No up and down hot then warm, just warm flannel to ease those aches and pains. They are flexible so they bend to your body and oh the relief they bring.

Well, I was stitching up a few bird seed bags and the needle popped into three pieces - a bird seed had wiggled its way right into my top stitching line and broke. How in the world do those little tiny birds digest something so hard? As you may have read, I have just gotten my sewing machine up and running again after a 6 year dry spell, so I had no idea if there were spare needles hiding in those cabinet drawers.

The ensuing search took me down memory lane. Black lace from my daughter's prom dress, buttons from a jacket for said daughter, snaps from sunsuits, and on and on. Memories take a long time to go through, so I probably spent an hour or so going through these memories. No, it wasn't wasted time. It brought me much joy and in the process I found one needle. Not packaged as it should have been, but stuck in a piece of paper in the bottom of the drawer.

On with my project! I was relieved and anxious to finish up my project. The first problem I noticed was the thread was bunching on the backside on my material. A bad needle - no wonder it was stuck back in the drawer! Off I went in search of sewing machine needles. You would have thought I asked for the moon. No needles within 10 miles!

Today the search is on! I will find needles if I have to go to Atlanta to get them. Does anyone sew these days?