It is still dark outside in the Carondelet Garden, but it feels cloudy.  The weather gurus tell me we will have clouds early, then sunshine for the afternoon.  Highs near 50 degrees with light winds.  Sounds like a bit of heaven right now.  

Just like that and January is almost in the books.  It's a good time to remind myself to savor the moments.  Enjoy these precious days in such a way that the ordinary truly becomes extraordinary.  

One thing I've learned is that ingratitude prevents us from seeing deeply.  Our world becomes smaller, darker and filled with less wonder.  I'm reminding myself, almost daily now, to recognize the simple gifts given to us every single day.  Trying to be more grateful because grateful people are usually happier people.  

Another month is almost gone.  February begins tomorrow with the promise that Spring is one month closer.  The buds have started arriving on bushes and trees around the garden.  It's a good day!  Be good and be kind to yourself this last day of January.  That's all the news from here in the Carondelet Garden.
 

Where did my sunshine go?  Another cloudy day here in the Carondelet Garden with the clouds returning and a slight chance for a bit of rain later today.  We miss you Mr. Sun!

We added a small Fairy Garden to the backyard in a little area surrounded by fencing and, if I am being honest, was pretty neglected and used to store things most of the time.  Dr. B has done an amazing job of bringing in some Alpine plantings and the cutest little Hedgehogs and this Celtic door.  The wee ones love to look around when they visit and, truth be told, I check on them most days.  A bit of whimsy here in the Garden.

Truly, gardens are magical places.  They are other worlds that open possibilities for our mind and thoughts.  They do this while making this old gardener take a minute to peer inward.  

My garden is my sacred space.  A blessing of peace, harmony and spirituality.  I believe that is what all gardens should be.  I aspire to create a place of calm introspection.  This aspiration is an unwritten, often unconscious goal for most gardeners, I think.

I'm heading out this afternoon to do a bit of puttering and praying on this cloudy Tuesday.  A lot of changes are coming here in our little world in Carondelet this year.  We are excited and, maybe, a bit apprehensive but all things work together for good if you truly believe.  

Be good to yourself and kind to others as you embark on your day.  We all need more goodness and kindness in our lives.  That's all the news from here in the Carondelet Garden.

It is cold outside in the Carondelet Garden on this last Monday of January.  A few days ago, there was a frozen frost on the Stachys.  There is a bit of a mist in the air.  We are being told that it will warm into the lower 50s by this afternoon and we might even see that rarest of things this time of year, the sun!  Wouldn't a bright sunny day be a bit of grace right now?

It is very close to the time we turn another page on the calendar and begin a new month.  One page turns closer to Spring.  Every day is now stretching little by little giving me enough motivation to keep the faith.  Moment-by-moment the days are getting longer and hope creeps back into my world.

A new week, almost a new month, we continue to move forward in faith, hope and love.  It's the only way to truly move forward.  Be good and be kind to yourself and others as you travel about on this Ordinary Monday.  That's all the news from here in the Carondelet Garden.

The clouds have really moved into the Carondelet Garden this morning.  The rains should begin soon and continue through the afternoon hours.  The fog is also expected to stick around in patchy areas.  Pretty much a yucky weather day here in South Saint Louis.

We headed out yesterday to grab some lunch and stopped by @flowersandweeds on Cherokee Street to pick up this Baby Rubber Plant (Peperomia obtusifolia).  The perfect little plant to brighten up a cloudy day.  A long time ago we lived in an apartment on Miami Street and would walk down to an older version of a nursery on the same plot of land as Flowers and Weeds.  Let me simply say the new version is a marked improvement!  An outstanding selection of indoor plants and flowers, gardening supplies, pots and vases.  They also have a flower bar with absolutely stunningly gorgeous cut flowers.  Once Spring arrives, they will have a full assortment of annuals and perennials for sale as well.  The nicest people helped us as we wandered around the shop.  What a fun day!

Another misty wet day in the garden on this Ordinary Thursday.  Gardening will once again be limited to indoor activities.  Seeds have been ordered and I'm planning to add a new Cold Frame.  Exciting things are planned so bring on Spring!

It is truly a good day for a good day.  Be good and be kind to yourself and others as you journey about the rain-slickened paths in Saint Louis.  Be patient with yourself and others.  Keep the faith.  That's all the news from here in the Carondelet Garden.

It's still dark outside in the Carondelet Garden on this Ordinary Wednesday in late January.  We should see highs in the low 50s again today.  We have a dense fog advisory this morning and clouds will continue to fill the skies this afternoon.

It felt downright balmy yesterday as we returned to the garden and restarted working in the old Red Clover ground cover.   As I turned my face up to the sky, I could almost feel the earth trembling into new possibilities.  The garden is reminding me that this is what it does best.  Renewal of life.  The new life that will come from the dying back of the old.  The nutrients of the rotting Red Clover will provide nourishment for the coming Spring vegetables.  The greenness that rises out of the decay.  

All endings are also beginning.  This is something I have to remind myself over and over again.  The garden is here to remind me that beauty and nature will always take my breath away.  

As Mary Oliver said so well, "To pay attention, this is our endless and proper work."  That's all the news from here in the Carondelet Garden.

The sun has arrived here in the Carondelet Garden.  The temperatures are already in the low 40s and the gloom of yesterday has left us for a bit.  Unfortunately, the clouds and rain will probably return this afternoon.  Until then, we shall enjoy this lovely little Viola who is still hanging in there after the brutal weather of the past few weeks.  A bit of grace on this Tuesday morning.

The Roman God Janus after whom this month is named had two heads.  One pointing backwards with fondness and relief at the year that passed.  The other looking ahead with a bit of fear and yet a sense of anticipation awaiting the challenges and inspirations of the future year.  That's exactly how I am feeling right now.  A bit of fear mixed with a sense of anticipation buoyed by a little faith and hope.  

It is hard to believe we are already well into the second half of January.  The new year is not so new anymore.  I feel the throb of time more acutely in Winter.  The throb is more intense as I get a bit older.  Yet I continue to, as my IG friend @littlegardeninthebigwoods says 'lean into the "cloud of unknowing."  She is so right.  It is never easy, no matter one's age or faith.

A bit of mystery as we enter into the end of January.  Yet, with a bit of faith, hope and love we continue onward.  Spring is coming with the joys and hope that accompany it.  Today is the day I take a bit of time to give thanks for the incredible bounty I have around me.  Good friends, family and community.  It's a good day for a good day!  That's all the news from here in the Carondelet Garden.

It's dark and icy outside in the Carondelet Garden.  I had to find a picture that brightened things up a bit because it is rather gloomy this morning.  The freezing rain will be sticking around until late morning when everything will change over to all rain as the temperatures rise throughout the day.  Good news for later.  Stay put for now!

It was a restless night for the old gardener in Carondelet.  Have you had one of those nights where you couldn't get the old brain to settle, and darkness made its way into your thoughts?  The early church fathers talk of a Dark Night of the Soul.  Not quite that dramatic, to be sure!  Yet, certain restlessness and anxiousness.  As I tried to regain my sense of strength and reality, I began to think of some of the things I am planning for the garden and about nature in general.  It seems that nature's perfect indifference has become the best cure for my own anxieties.  I'm looking forward to getting out there more regularly!

These days my faith waivers and sometimes fades away, but that is when I find that I have so little to offer other than my faith and hope and whatever love I can muster.  It seems as though faith and hope are the last things I can offer.  It seems to me that this old world needs us now more than ever, but I can't be of much use in a perpetual state of exhaustion and fear.  I continue in hope!

Be good and be kind to yourself this Ordinary Monday.  Hang on to your faith, keep on hoping and love with all you have.  We need all the faith, hope and love we can muster right now.  That's all the news from here in the Carondelet Garden.

It's a bit cloudy and cold in the Carondelet Garden this morning.  Truthfully, it's much warmer than it has been, but it is still cold.  The clouds are going to be sticking around throughout the afternoon as we reach a high in the upper 30s.  Tonight, the temperatures will be dropping again.  The cold is returning for the weekend with the return of single digits.  We may even see some snow showers this evening.  A mixed bag of weather to be sure!

I fear the extreme cold of the past week has really taken its toll on some of my garlic.  I covered with a very thick layer of straw, but it is not looking very good right now.  A few other plants are looking a bit worse for the wear.  I'm still hopeful and we will wait and see.  You never know for sure until the warmup of Spring begins.  

Until then, I am still puttering about with my plants in the grow area.  Dreaming of the next set of seedlings to plant.  Seeds are being ordered.  I am certainly ready and counting the days!

Be good and be kind to yourself this Thursday in Ordinal Time.  We all could use a little patience and kindness right now.  That's all the news from here in the Carondelet Garden.

It almost feels balmy outside this morning in the Carondelet Garden.  The sun is shining and the high should climb into upper 30s by this afternoon.  A beautiful day to say the very least!

My gardening tasks are once again limited to the basement grow area, but the succulents are looking pretty good.  My investment in grow lights and timers seems to be paying off.  Very happy with the results so far.

I can't believe we are already in the second half of January already.  Time is truly speeding up in that way it does when you reach a certain age.  Do you remember those days when you were younger and you thought time stretched out endlessly and the day would never, ever end?  Those days are gone for this old gardener.  It is what it is.  We are where we are, and the New Year is upon usand it istime to roll up our sleeves, put on the heavy coats and boots and get on with it.  The garden awaits!

It's a good day for a good day.  Be kind to yourself and others.  That's all the news from here in the Carondelet Garden.

The sun is shining but it is really cold outside in the Carondelet Garden.  We had a bit of snow last night.  Just a about half an inch maybe but it makes everything sparkle like white diamond dust across the back garden.  Simply beautiful!

It's been bitterly cold here in south Saint Louis recently.  Not exactly great gardening weather but it did get me in the mood to begin some of my seedlings for the Spring.  We've been wanting to try Sweet Peas flowers for years.  This year is the year.  The vining flowers are perfect for cut flowers and have an amazing scent that permeates the garden.  

Fiddling with the grow lights and organizing seeds was just part of my plan to jolly up my January a bit.  We are returning to a more normal schedule after putting away the holiday adornments.  The house is back to a bit normalcy.  There is a bit of excitement when the new gardening magazines and seed catalogs make their way to us.  Spring may not be in the air, but it is in our hearts and minds on this frigid January day.

It's a good day for a good day.  That's all the news from here in the Carondelet Garden.