Spiritual Reading List for

Here is the list of spiritual books I plan on reading during my morning worship time.  I read in one for about fifteen minutes to get me in the 'zone'.  Then I read some in the Psalms and the rest of the Bible, then pray some.  I break it up into fifteen minute segments and try to keep at it from 6:00-7:00 a.m.   
This morning I was up and down like a jack-in-the-box.  But it's more than I would have done in bed!  So here's the list:1.  The Weight of Glory-C.S. Lewis-This one is blowing me away!  More later.2.  From the Library of C.S. Lewis, Selections from writers who influenced his spiritual journey3.  The Peace Maker-Ken Sande4.  Simple Abundance, a Daybook of Comfort and Joy-Sarah Ban Breathnach-I don't know if this author is a Christian or not.  It's one of those books that anyone 'spiritual' can get something out of.  I read it from a Christian viewpoint and like it quite a lot.5.  Thoughts in Solitude-Thomas Merton6.  The Praying Christian, God's Warrior-John M. Otis7.  The Puritans on Prayer-I'm trying to be a better prayer warrior.8.  The Cloud of Unknowing-Author Unknown-I read this several years ago and really liked it.
This list will last all year; maybe longer since I only read in them for fifteen minutes each morning.  

Mastering the Art of Southern Gardening

Have you ever been to a Whole Foods grocery store? If you have, then you know that they have managed to turn a tedious errand into a sensory experience. Everything they have, I want.
They somehow meticulously stack every fruit and vegetable known to man in such a way that even collard greens look cosmopolitan. The fish and shrimp all look like they were pulled from oceans and streams only moments ago. And I can't leave without at least one cookie or another treat from their bakery.
What I'm basically saying is that if they want to offer truth in advertising, they will change their name immediately to Whole Paycheck.
Just to be clear on what happens when I shop here:

• I never go in with a plan or recipe
• I am usually hungry when I go
• I wander up and down each aisle, salivating at all of the choices and putting things in my cart
• I go through a second time and put back half
• I get home and have the most beautiful assortment of fruits, vegetables, meats, cheeses, and assorted treats

And I realize that they make, well.....nothing. And as a result, much of it goes to waste before I figure out what to make with it.
Without a recipe to follow, I'm essentially lost. I am not one of those people that opens the fridge, sees a mix of ingredients and magically whips up a world-class dinner. I am a recipe-follower. I need guidance the first few times I make a dish- and only then am I able to improvise with the ingredients.
So what does this have to do with mastering the art of southern gardening?

When many people go to the garden center, I see a similar scenario unfolding:

• They go in without a plan or design
  
• They are usually hungry when they go (commonly called "Spring Fever")
  
• They wander up and down each aisle, salivating at all of the choices and putting things in their cart
• They go through a second time and put back half
• They get home and have the most beautiful assortment of annuals, perennials, trees, shrubs and other assorted treats
  

And they realize that while each plant is an eye-catcher, they don't make a garden. And the plants don't get planted that day so they stay in their pots. Often, they don't get planted at all and they end up like my poor, unused vegetables.
Think about a seasoned chef like Julia Child. Every dish that Julia made- no matter how improvised- was rooted in a recipe she had done before. She knew which herbs complimented which meats and which cheeses would overpower a dish and the basic ingredient proportions for baking cakes.
When she first tackled French cuisine, she followed the recipes. And even when she had mastered French cooking, she didn't alter the bones of the recipe much.
Gardening is no different. Gardeners talk about the "bones of a garden" all of the time. In the south, our gardens are often anchored and defined by evergreens- A sidewalk lined with Liriope, a hedge of boxwood or a holly at the corner of the house. Walkways, patios and other "hardscapes" are also part of this garden foundation.
GARDEN STUDY: A SIMPLE BOXWOOD HEDGE
The garden pictured below work is effective and it only has one type of plant. The low boxwood hedge and brickwork provide the structure needed (think walls).
The area between the hedge and the building would be the perfect spot for a medley of perennials like Black-Eyed Susan, Salvia, Plumbago and Iris (think artwork on the walls).
What makes this corner good is that even without the "artwork," it is attractive. In other words, it has good bones.
Once we have established the foundation of a landscape, we can change the seasonings with perennials and annuals- those plants that wink at you when you are at the garden center.
Now imagine that same mixture of perennials in the middle of a flower bed with no structure or definition. Would it look like a plant stew?
WHERE TO BEGIN
As you develop your palate (or really palette), you will naturally become more daring with the designs you create. That is when gardening becomes truly fun.
I've been cooking regularly for about a year now and I'm good enough to have a few friends over for some satisfying meals. Mostly, I make simple, effective dishes with 4-5 ingredients. I'm sure as I get more confident, I will expand my repertoire .
The gardening equivalent would be starting with mixed container gardens by the front door- simple, yet wholly satisfying. Then as you succeed, expand.
Before you go to the garden center next time, identify an area you want to plant and the types of plants you'll need for that area.
And please, do as I say and not as I do......and make a list of the ingredients you'll need.

Spring, sprung.

It's bloodroot time!
Tempus est Sanguinaria canadensis.
Babelfish doesn't work for ancient languages, so that is possibly not correct latin.
But anyway, bloodroots are up!

Deep Quackers

Preview of Things to Come...
It's fur - fur now hehe - but feathers will fly soon...
And there sits "Feathers" right in front of the R-E-F who just might toss an orange flag on the play for intrusion of space.
Nope - no flag. Just a huge warning to a surprised Sierra Rose!
Ma - strange creature over there, but I did manage to capture this ducky duck.
Look what I found? I can get behind a duck like this!
Oh Sierra, you picked my favorite squeaky! Come chase me - maybe (yeah, sure!) you can get it back from me hehe!
What a valiant attempt!!!! At this point, just to tease (next time, ma, get the movie camera fixed so you can hear an ode to my brilliance here) and entice little Sierra Rose to madness, I rapidly shake my teeth against each other, making the duck quack incessantly and in quick succession. I swear that the ducks from our nearby Civic Center pond were making low passes to see if one of their own were crying for help.
Quackquackquack.... ad nauseam, but as long as it was still making her crazy, I kept it up.
"Wackaquackwackaquack... quackwack..."
Well the Ref finally stepped in, charging me with illegal bullying hissing: "Okay - time to close up shop - I'd like to hold onto my hearing for the duration of my lifetime - game over." (ya nutty blonds...)
Hey Sierra - next Tuesday at four?

Progress and Pressies...

Hi...
I feel so blessed.
I wanted my mom to make a quickie post to say humongous thanks again for all the well-wishing from so many doggies and other furry creatures (as well as your parents, too, of course). It means so much to me and I’m going to make an attempt at directing Mom to visit some of your blogs today to see what you’ve all been up to. Then I’ll dictate some commentary to Ma.

Doorbell does not ring, but Mom finds this and beautiful flowers on the mat. Thank you Honey!



I love this card too! What a happy Boston Terrier!



I had a pretty good night, but my stitches bothered me a little. Still, I actually ate two little jars of turkey baby food off of Ma’s index finger and kept it down. This is really good news. I’ve had lots of water and meds too and have also kept these down.
Golden Honey stopped by last evening, but never rang the doorbell. Imagine my surprise when we found the above on the mat. How gorgeous! Thank you so, so much Honey – I love tulips – especially “golden” ones and they are cheering me up! How sweet. And my pals at Pet Express sent a doggie carrot cookie home with Mom yesterday. I’ll love digging into that in a couple of weeks! Thank you, kind ladies at P.E. so much! I’ll keep you updated, but for now, I’m finally getting to visit some of your blogs.

Huge Hugs and So Many Thanks xo

Sammie

Cow Parsley in the Owl Wood

I love the month of May - it is normally the month when the hedgerows burst into life and there is so much hawthorn blossom that it looks as though the hedges have been sprinkled with snow.



In Owl Wood there is a different magic.

Ivy marches across the pathways and up the trees, if left unchecked.



The bluebells are past their best, still beautiful...but fading.

A beautiful white froth of cow parsley seems to spring up overnight, to compete with the marching ivy.





Most of it grows to about four feet high, in places it grows to almost six feet...so you can imagine what fun that makes walking with Harry. He scurries away and is hidden from sight.

Toby and the cats get swallowed up by it only to reappear unexpectedly. Little Red Hen disappears into it for hours at a time.

The trees are surrounded by white foamy flowers. The effect is quite wonderful. I keep making excuses to walk Toby and Harry in the Owl Wood; wicked woman that I am it is mainly for the pleasure of walking through the cow parsley.



It changes the quality of the light and looking across the woodland things are viewed as though through gauze. It is quite magical.

Cow parsley is easily confused with several other similar looking, but poisonous plants - Hemlock being one of them.

I need to get my plant identification book out and study it closely!

Bike Bash 09

Last evening was Nebraska Cycling Association's annual awards banquet. Awards were presented for road racing and mountain bike racing.
The function was held in Mallet Lodge at Platte River State Park. The evening stated with a spaghetti feed. Soda and a keg of Fat Tire quenched the thirst.
The evening's entertainment was capped off by a slide show with the Year in Review for the Psycowpath season.
My photos of Bike Bash are at: http://www.photoreflect.com/pr3/store.aspx?p=220828

Duddington - Tixover - Wakerley and back

Just over 6 miles. Straight through Duddington to Tixover and along the path (Rutland Round mainly). I turned back when it met the road from Wakerley. Very windy, but mostly sunny.





I didn't visit Tixover church on this occasion.

Duddington church

This also marks the boundary between Northants and Rutland - in the middle of the bridge over the Welland

Looking down at the river Welland, just after walking through Welland Spinney

The view of Wakerley church and the house that was once Wakerley station

Tixover Church

Sheep's wool caught on barbed wire





A family of swans paddling in the Welland

Duddington bridge and water mill house from the Jurassic Way footpath.

Cedar Breaks

Well, I sure CANNOT recommend staying in Hurricane, UT. Last night I found Ted & Allen's Sport Grill. Looking for a good beer after the day I had and they had Slickrock Amber Ale in the menu. But they no longer have it, looking for a new amber ale supplier. I prefer to eat at local restaurants when on the road - not a chain restaurant. More on food and beverages later.

Slept in a bit this morning. Breakfast (waffle) and coffee. Planned to head to Cedar Breaks National Monument. Desk cleark there had been some problem on the roads in the Cedar Breaks area. I pulled out my map to ask where the problem was. All she could do was give me hand directions to the area. Said she did not read maps. Duh?

I went anyway and found NO problems getting to the Monument. Was a bit cooler up there - snow in the sheltered areas! Had a good time shooting photos. Construction at the Visitor's Center so passed it by.

Stopped in Cedar City - wanted to check out the Sports Authority and restroom. Was a small store and did not see any sale/clearance racks. Did not find the rest room. Took care of that problem at the rest area on I-15.

Figured I might as well check out St, George while I was out and about. Did a little shopping at Dick's Sporting Goods.

Put today's photos on the spare drive for the laptop and processed today's photos. After that, I was time to look for dinner. Wanted to eat local, with a good beer (amber ale). The afternoon desk clerk could not help me (new to the area). The younger clerk from yesterday was in the back office. Tried to explain what i was looking for - not easy since he speaks with India/Pakistan accent.

Bottom line - the only place with draft beer with dinner was the place I are last nigh. URGH Had to drive back down to St. George for chain restaurant food.

Had been a while since I are at Chili's, so went there. Wrong decision. The hostess started talking about where to sit, and turned her head away from me - I hate it when people do that. I cannot hear/understand when the turn away from me. Sat at the bar. Waited for service. A different server came up beside me and asked it I had been served yet. I said "No". Instead of letting me tell her what I was looking for, she started trying to make suggestions. I stopped her and said I was looking for a draft beer, preferred Amber Ale or IPA. Guess she had no idea what they were, so turned to waiter. He made two suggestions - I opted for the Sam Adams. She opened at BOTTLE of Sam Adams. At that point, I had enough of it. Left and went to Applebee's.

Much better luck at Applebee's. The bar gal stood in front of me where we could converse. Ordered am Amber Ale and Chicken-fried steak. That almost did not go well as their "seasonal vegetable" was a mixture which included broccoli and zucchini - NOT. I could substitute with corn or cole slaw. That was better. The food was great - large steak with garlic mashed potatoes.