It is dark and dreary outside in the Carondelet Garden on this last day of January 2025.  I must admit, I am very happy to see this month behind us.  We should see overcast skies throughout the day with fog this morning.  A slight chance of a rain shower here and there.  The good news is we will see highs in the mid-50s again.  The snow and ice are finally melting away.  

For the past few years January has been the month of C... Coughs, colds, COVID, creeping crud, croup, you name it.  This year was no different.  The good news is we are starting to feel better.  Looking forward to the shortest month of the year as it gets us one step closer to Spring!

It is training day for Miss Bonny Doon the Garden Doodle. We are heading out soon.  Here's to a relaxing weekend.  That's all the news from here in the Carondelet Garden.

It's a beautiful, sunny day here in the Carondelet Garden in south Saint Louis.  The sun will be around all day with highs near 60-degrees by this afternoon.  Can you believe it?  Almost 60!  Yes!  Such a welcome grace after this frigid month.

I remembered a phrase I read somewhere:  "Jolly up your January!"  Oh, boy does that ring true right now.  The #supercoololdpeople here in the Carondelet Cottage have shared a month of upper respiratory illness and ear infections since the end of December.  We are finally seeing the light at the end of the tunnel but we surely need to Jolly Up what's left of this January.  

You can almost feel the year picking up speed in that accelerating way that time does when you reach a certain age.  When I was a wee one time seemed to stretch out endlessly.  Yet, this is the life we have and with February looming large it is time to roll up our sleeves, gird our loins a bit, and make whatever changes we need to make to get stuck in and get to it!

​After lazing about for the past month I have to admit I'm reading to get stuck in.  Here's to a healthful February and getting some things done!  That's all the news from here in the Carondelet Garden.

It is dark and chilly on this last Monday in January.  The skies are dark, but we should see sunshine by this afternoon with highs in the mid to upper 40s.  The thaw is beginning in earnest and is more than welcome here in Saint Louis.  

Over the weekend the little Doodle Dog and I finally ventured out on our first walk about in 2025.  That just seems so weird, but the weather and illness have combined in such a wild mess that this was the first opportunity to do it safely.  Out the door we went on our sojourn around the neighborhood.  As we were walking, I realized I was a struggling a little.  I didn't realize how a month of being only in our garden or, mostly, inside had slowed me down.  We pushed on and each block became a little easier.  The Doodle was loving the sniffs and the excitement of being back in her world. 

I am realizing that one of the gifts of getting older is that I am becoming more comfortable in this old body.  Becoming more comfortable with who I am now rather than mourning what I used to be or really never was. If all I do is complain and worry about the things I can no longer do or do as easily, then I am missing out on all of the amazing opportunities I now have to do the things I truly love.  Yes, it may take me a bit longer to get them done, but that "ain't so bad!"  

It is going to be beautiful outside these next few days.  I can actually do a few chores outside and get a few things cleaned up.  Spring is coming!  That's all the news from here in the Carondelet Garden.

We should see abundant sunshine on this Friday in late January.  The highs will reach into the mid-30s with a bit of a warm-up coming tomorrow.  We welcome the sun and the warmer temperatures!  

A busy day filled with chores and obligations.  A busy weekend ahead with fun and family.  It's time to get to work and get things going.  Here's to a warmup and hopefully a wonderful weekend.  That's all the news from here in the Carondelet Garden.

It was nice to see the sunshine yesterday but baby it is cold outside still!  It always surprises me when I wake up and it is warmer outside than it was when I went to be the night before.  Yet, it is 14-degrees this morning and only in the single digits last night.  We should see a mix of clouds and sunshine this afternoon with highs in the mid-30s.  Let the warmup begin!

There is, simply put, a lot of uncertainty right now.  In the world, our country, our city, and in my heart.  The truth is that I am praying for the strength to do what I am meant to do.  I am praying for the courage to meet the challenges of today.  I am praying for the endurance it will take to go on, even if nothing changes.  I am praying.  

The warmup begins.  The days are getting just a little bit longer.  The promise of Spring is still a ways off but we continue forward in hope.  In hope we pray.  That's all the news from here in the Carondelet Garden.

It's a sunny morning here in the Carondelet Garden on this Ordinary Friday in January.  It almost feels mild and balmy outside with the 30-degree temperatures right now.  We should see mid-50s by this afternoon.  A few showers may develop later on the day.  A welcome respite and hopefully more melting.

It has been a wild and wooly beginning to this new year.  Crazy weather extremes, a world at rage and war, a city with more than its share of problems that need fixing.  Yet, with all the turmoil there is hope.  My prayer now is that we all come to realize that the only thing that is good for any of us is what is good for all of us.  I pray for wisdom.  Wisdom is not insisting on the old ways of doing things.  It is the ability to make the ancient truth the enduring memory of today.  

If I want to be alive.  Truly... fully alive, then I must open myself to that ancient truth, to life's eternal dream.  I must dream to be a better person tomorrow than I am today.  I must hang on to my faith, my hope and especially my love for myself and my love for others.  A simply, ordinary life filled with faith, hope and love.  If it were only that easy.

The weekend is almost here.  A three-year-old's birthday party, a CFP Championship with my beloved Notre Dame and the Lions are on primetime this Saturday.  Let's go Irish!  That's all the news from here in the Carondelet Garden.

It is sunny and frigid on this mid-month Ordinary Wednesday in south Saint Louis.  We should hit 30-degrees by this afternoon.  The good news is we will be seeing a bit of a warmup over the next couple of days.  A welcome relief from the snow, ice and cold!  Maybe we can get the Doodle Dog a walk or two.  

I have been suffering from an upper respiratory infection for the past few weeks, and I must admit it is starting to wear on me a bit.  I heard my neighbor's dog outside barking at the moon.  My sweet neighbor says he's just an old man yelling at nothing.  I laughed because I feel that way myself.  An old man just wanting to walk outside and scream a bit.  Some days I feel as if I am one headline away from becoming King Lear, raging into the storm!

The world seems to be in so much trouble.  The patterns of daily life are constantly changing in ways I don't really welcome or even understand.  Yet, there is light and goodness bursting forth in the darkest places, in the tiniest nooks and crannies.  I keep looking every day until I find them.  It is what gives me hope and what keeps me sane.  

All endings are also beginnings.  This is what I keep telling myself over and over and over again.  The sun will set tonight, but it will rise again in the morning.  Spring will come.  Keep the faith, look for the goodness and share the hope.  Keep loving even when we don't feel very lovable.  That's all the news from here in the Carondelet Garden.

It is sunny and cold here in the Carondelet Garden on this Monday in Ordinary Time.  After a bit of a break in the freeze over the weekend, the frigid temperatures have returned for the next few days.  The good news is there is sunshine!  A bit of grace for our frozen world.

Gardeners are the eternal optimists.  We always believe that this year will be better than the last.  The good news for January is that I can guarantee that I will stay ahead of the weeds for this month at least!  Right now, I can' t even see the ground for the snow!

We are definitely in "hunker down" mode here in the Carondelet Cottage.  A welcome respite from the hustle and bustle of the holidays and all that goes with it.  The decorations are put away and we are enjoying a bit of a break.  That's all the news from here in the Carondelet Garden.

It's a snowy Friday here in the Carondelet Garden in south Saint Louis.  A Winter Weather Advisory is in effect until 6:00 p.m. with 3 or 4 more inches of snow expected.  The little Doodle Dog is loving it.  The old gardener, not quite as much.  Yet, you have to admit it is beautiful to behold.  Especially if you are nestled all warm in your cozy cottage.

A blessing of this snow has been the world shutting down a bit.  It offers us an opportunity to sit and simply be for a moment.  We are gifted with the grace to be still.  To wait.  To listen for that wee small voice.  To pay attention.  As Mary Oliver said, "To pay attention, this is our endless and proper work."

Be still.  Wait.  Listen.  Pay attention.  Not a bad way to spend the second Friday in Christmastide.  That's all the news from here in the Carondelet Garden.

It is still quite dark here in the Carondelet Garden on this second Wednesday of Christmastide. The day is cold and cloudy, and it seems the weather intends to maintain its solemnity. By this afternoon, the highs should reach into the mid-20s.

I must admit, I find joy in the quiet that blankets the city after a snowfall. The reduction in traffic noise creates an ethereal silence, an unexpected quiet that seems to magically descend upon the urban landscape. The snow absorbs so much sound that you can truly hear the stillness. We've been delighting in the sights and sounds of birds feeding in the back garden—a rare treat, as we usually cannot hear them. This added grace enhances our appreciation of the fleeting silence.
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In the early morning darkness, as I sit with my coffee and my thoughts, I revel in this moment of tranquility. Soon, the newspapers will arrive, I will begin to stir, and the bustle of the day will break the spell. But, for now, the silence is a welcome guest. That's all the news from here in the Carondelet Garden.