THOUGHTS OF SPRING...

Snow on the ground, birds in the air

Face to the sun

No worries, no cares

Soon we'll have flowers and warm afternoons

Spring's on her way! Not a moment too soon!

I'm getting so antsy for spring! The temps are warming up and all I can think about is getting down and dirty in my gardens. I have 5 gardens that I put in every year. The one closest to the house is my "salad" garden because I love going out and picking fresh veggies for lunch and dinner salads. I grow anything and everything for a nice hearty, healthy salad, although I must admit I do give in to my weakness for some fried green tomatoes from time to time. For those I use my big beefsteak tomatoes. Delicious fried and the perfect size (when ripe) to be sliced and put on a big 'ol juicy burger hot off the bbq grill! - I'm making myself hungry here!

I have a garden for nothing but squash, another for nothing but melons, another for my beans and cucumbers, and another for my strawberries. Lots of strawberries! Oh! And I have a pumpkin patch!

I've always been fortunate to have an abundant harvest that more than fills our fridge and freezer and I'm always so thankful. I also can and make jams and jellies, sauces and relishes, so the pantry has been well stocked too, but really, when I say we have an abundant harvest, I mean a-bun-dant! Every year we end up giving so much away, two of our neighbors have stopped putting in their own gardens! They just wait for us to come by or ring us up and ask if they can come over and do a little pickin'! I love it!

Can you tell I'm a little excited for spring?? Well aren't you too?? Do you garden?? What fruits n' veggies do you grow??

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FEELIN' GROOVY FRIDAY

I love days when everything comes together and falls into place per.fect.ly. I have a smile on my face from ear to ear and I look around and think, "Wow. This is groovy man." Yep. I'm a throwback kid. I didn't grow up in the 60's but I wish I had. I love everything about the 60's and I will live the rest of my life totally bummed that I missed out on 'Woodstock.' When I watch the documentaries on 'Woodstock' I love to watch the people swaying to the music so gracefully, free spirits embracing the moment, granted, higher than kites and stoned off their asses but still, to me, beautiful. I love their clothes and their hair adorned with flowers, their love beads and their body art and I wonder where all of them are today. How many survived the 60's and how many are still free spirits roaming about spreading words of peace,love, and flower power. How many of them are still embracing "the moment."

Embracing the moment is a way of life for me. It started as a thought and as they say, "thoughts become actions" and so it began for me. A way of "being" rather than just a way of thinking. Simply put, it is a habit and as with any habit, the more you engage the stronger it becomes. That's not to say that I don't have my "down" days, I wouldn't be human if I didn't but over time those "down" days come fewer and farther in between and it has become much easier to pull myself up by those proverbial boot straps and bring my mind back into "the moment." How do I do it? Taking a moment to be thankful for all that I have and all that is coming my way, counting my blessings as it were. Listening to music from the 60's, creating a piece of "groovy" art work, going for walks, gardening.. There's just something soothing and somewhat meditative about putting your hands into deep, rich soil. Feeling the warmth and dampness, planting seeds of beauty and nourishment, trusting that Mother Nature will receive our gifts and in turn, bestow upon us her gifts of flowers in the spring and fresh fruits and vegetables in the fall. Melding into my surroundings and feeling at peace, I embrace "the moment" and before I know it, once again I'm "feelin' groovy."

I hope wherever you are you're embracing "the moment" and "feelin' groovy."

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