Garden Update

I'm not going to lie to you: it's not going well. You are looking at a picture of our total yield so far. About 8 green beans.

We started with a variety of seeds, seedlings and full plants - none are doing well (except one - keep reading!). So far: the strawberries, sugar snap-peas and a few other things I can no longer recall never even broke through the surface.

The green beans are up but some animal keeps eating them. Otherwise I think they might be ok. The tomato plants have grown about 3 inches since I put them in the ground. Not one tomato yet.

But we have plenty of cilantro! However, turns out: although I love to eat cilantro...I don't have one recipe with cilantro in it. It sure smells good.

And lastly...the surprise! We actually have 4 stalks of corn growing. I think we may just get some corn! Bill mocked me mercilessly (and countless others told me that I was crazy for even thinking that corn would come up). And: that's the only darn thing I can get to grow.

Here are some things I'm discovering:

• Soil really matters. Our soil isn't great for growing things (becoming evident at this point!)...and we could do things to improve it.
• Fertilizer (or compost) really would help, if I could just get motivated to get some.
• I'm interested in having vegetables but I'm not that interested in gardening. (I knew this already but I really thought it might change)

However: I'm determined this won't be my last year. It's only my first. Next year I need to put much more energy into preparing the soil and then fertilizing what's there. I just wanted to stick it in the dirt below my mulch and water it and then go out and collect my veges. Guess that's not going to work so well.

If this garden mirrors anything about God then I'm starting to understand that the preparation and the actual condition of the soil could be the most important thing we do. I guess you could call that the foundation of the garden. And God is really into foundations...so this shouldn't be a surprise. Foundations foundations foundations. This is where it's at. The no-glory, little seen disciplines that lead to the biggest yield. God loves foundations, so I should have seen that a garden wasn't going anywhere without a good one either. The truth is the truth no matter where we apply it.

In Isaiah 61:11 it says that the Lord = the soil. That seems pretty important. "For as the soil makes the sprout come up and a garden causes seeds to grow, so the Sovereign LORD will make righteousness and praise spring up before all nations."

Friends

I've been doing a lot of friendship-thinkin' lately. Not only did I just speak on this topic at Crossroads 2 weeks ago, but I've also just had a number of reasons to encounter new and old friends lately.
This is a picture of my beautiful friend, Stacy. It was a few weeks ago right before her little baby boy, Liam, was born. Stacy was my bestest (yep I said bestest), dearest high school (and long before that) friend. We were the friends who called each other the night before every school day to see what we were wearing the next day and went home with each other after school just because we didn't want to part-company. We told each other everything and still could. I regret the years in our 20s that we weren't in touch and have just loved getting to be part of her life again. This day was her baby shower. And I wanted to just hang around and talk to her and be near her as long as I could. I cried when I left just out of gratitude for being able to be part of celebrating her first child.

I'm also missing my Amy. I've written about Amy in the past. She lives in South Africa right now. And sometimes I miss her with an ache...the kind of missing when you long for your friend and have no idea when and where you are going to be able to see her again. It's just a hole sittin' there with little hope of getting filled up over Facebook and email.

And lately I know God has been showing me how to be a friend of His...how if I want to be in friendship with Him then I will lay down my life for my own friends. And I'm asking Him for ways to do that. And He's giving them to me. Sometimes not with the people that I thought He might. I'm actually excited to give myself up for my friends because I have a deeper understanding that it's actually GOD that I'm getting closer-to by doing that. Don't hold me to the "excitement" part: it's not always a fun proposition. But I do get, better now than ever, that when I commit to my friends, God takes that very seriously. He's serious about friendship. And the way I honor Stacy, Amy or any other friend is not just a matter between me and them: it's an issue between me and God.

Mind-Numbing

That's what I've felt like this week. Just like my mind was numb. I haven't been interested in reading much, writing much, talking much. I have wanted to keep to myself and recover. I feel like the pile-up of the past few months is now pushing me away from anything structured in study or writing. I've planned a lot of teaching and in every free second away from my kids I've had to engage my brain in something. And I'm pregnant, so I'm just tired. Bottom line: I'm feeling a little numb.
So I'm giving myself a break - this week it's pretty much been a cup of hot chocolate and a nap while the boys are down. And now this. But hot chocolate is next.

"She can laugh at the days to come..."

This is a quote from Proverbs 31. It's about a wife who works hard to love, care-for and make preparations for her family. I think God is pushing me to take this to the next level.

I saw this particular verse differently after the other night. There are 3 women I meet with on a regular basis. And we had a discussion about some of the "warnings" that the Lord seems to be giving his people. Warnings to be prepared, be watchful and do it now while things are ok.

You can call me crazy or call me wise. I guess only time will tell that. But, with Bill's blessing, we've decided to begin to take precautions that we've never taken in the past based upon some of the things people we know are hearing lately from God.

Now, I don't even like it when Bill buys 2 boxes of Wheat Thins at a time...let alone storing food for "some other day or time" we might need it. But - wisdom tells me it's time to change my spots on this one.

I'm developing and purchasing several things for my family: a water supply, an emergency food supply, a basic supplies inventory that would cover staying warm, having lighting, having a cooking source, sanitation w/o water, etc.

And there's no fear here. Just a desire to follow the Lord into whatever will happen in our world to come. I'd like to be able to laugh in the midst of it.

PS - If you're interested, here's the fantastic website I used to learn and prepare my lists:

http://www.family-survival-planning.com/