11.13.2023 | Ordinary Monday

A bright, sunshiny morning here in the Carondelet Garden.  Winds are light and variable, and it is going to be gorgeous.  Highs in the upper 60s this afternoon means that it is going to be a gardening kind of day.

Today marks two weeks since our first hard frost of the season.  It is now time to pull out the Dahlia tubers to store over winter.  I've debated about whether to leave them in the ground and take a chance as our Calla Lillies are doing quite well that way.  We have enjoyed fairly mild winters these past few years.  I've grown quite fond of my Dahlias and I'm afraid to take a chance so out they come.

So much of any success I have as a gardener is a blend of confidence and intuition, in equal measure.  I try not to get into a wrestling match with the changes in season.  I don't fight so much anymore.  I've lost my way too many times.  I've learned, the hard way many times, to be a more flexible and to simply watch and learn and then do.  It seems to be working a bit better in this old gardener's world.

These mid-Autumn days filled with sunshine and milder temperatures are a healing balm for me.  The garden is truly a place of healing.  When I'm sad, the garden offers comfort.  When I feel a bit defeated, the garden gives me blessed consolation.  When I'm feeling alone, it offers companionship.  When I'm feeling down and out, weary from life's travails, the garden offers a bit of refreshment.  

It is a beautiful beginning to this Monday in mid-November.  I will be heading back into the garden soon to get my hands into the soil.  It's a good day to garden. A good day to share a bit of faith, to keep holding on to hope, and spread a bit of love around.  Be good and be kind to yourself this simple, ordinary day.  That's all the news from here in the Carondelet Garden.