Happy Leap Day everyone!  It's a chilly start to the day here in the Carondelet Garden on this last day of February.  But the sun is shining, and we should reach the 50s by this afternoon.  Overall, not a bad day at all.

Good old Roman General Julius Caesar gave us this wonderful Leap Day way back in 45 BCE.  Of course, back then leap day was February 24th, and February was the last month of the year.  However, adding a leap day every four years was too often and eventually, in 1582, Pope Gregory XIII introduced the Gregorian Calendar. This calendar, which we still use today, has a more precise formula for calculation of leap years, also known as bissextile years.

I love old traditions and leap day is still associated with age-old customs, folklore, and superstition. One of the most well-known traditions is that women propose to their boyfriends, instead of the other way around.  I don't think that's such a bad way of doing things anyway.  

It's a good day for a good day on this Leap Day 2024.  Enjoy this extra day in February and get out and soak up a bit of that sunshine.  That's all the news from here in the Carondelet Garden.

It is sunny outside in the Carondelet Garden on a cold February morning.  What a difference a day makes.  Yesterday at this very time it was 62-degrees, this morning it is 27-degrees.  Welcome to South Saint Louis in Winter.  

The horrible below zero weather in January did a number on my garden to be sure but these beautiful Lenten Roses survived.  Hellebores are the grandest plants of February, and you cannot fail to be charmed by them modestly holding their astonishing faces up to the sun.

To be honest the past few days have taken a bit of a toll on this old gardener's hips and knees.  Today will be an inside day with a bit less kneeling and bending.  The cold weather is no friend to my arthritis.  That's just the way it is.  To be honest, I'm good with that.  I'm enjoying this chapter of my life.

It is a good day for a bit of reading and relaxing.  A few chores will be accomplished but it is hump day and I'm going to hump it over to my chair with a cup of coffee, the New York Times, and classical music playing on the old smart speaker.  Not a bad way to start the day.

Be good and be kind to yourself on this last Wednesday of February.  It's Leap Year so we get one more February day before this shortest month of the year finally ends.  That's all the news from here in the Carondelet Garden.

An absolutely beautiful morning here in the Carondelet Garden in South Saint Louis.  The highs should reach the lower 80s this afternoon with a drastic cool front coming through late this evening into tomorrow.  For now, we will enjoy the sunshine and the balmy temperatures!

After that horrible freeze we had back in January I was afraid my garlic was a goner.  My faith was week but my garlic was strong.  Everything is looking really nice right now.  Very excited for the harvest this summer.  Is there anything better than fresh garlic?

I began the transformation of the Boulevard Garden yesterday and it has been slow work.  The Zoysia has put up a bit of a fight as I try to get things ready for our new Wildflower Pollinator Garden in the Boulevard.  It is a bit of a test for the old gardener this year.  I have but two relatively small strips between the sidewalk and street.  I'm taking one out this year (the other has over 100 crocus bulbs) and hoping in faith for a great result.  

It's a beautiful day today.  A good day for a good day to be sure.  I will get in a bit of gardening early, but this afternoon is Tax Day stuff.  Not fun, but necessary.  I hope you can enjoy some of the beautiful sunshine this Tuesday in Lent.  That's all the news from here in the Carondelet Garden.

A bit chilly out in the Carondelet Garden this Monday morning.  The temperatures should climb rather dramatically later this morning with highs in the upper 70s. A few afternoon clouds may swing through.  We have the opportunity to set a new record high for this date.  It is has been a weirdly warm winter..

As we watch February wind down, we see the small but powerful things that come during this time of year.  February releases the valves for Spring.  The days are beginning to reach out, stretch and limber up for the marathon to come.  We hear the chattering of birds just before dawn now which itself comes earlier and earlier.

A busy week ahead as we continue to prepare for the coming growing season.  I've come to discover at this point in my simple, ordinary life that it is all about finding the things that are important to me and then creating the simplest pathway to have that in my life.  That's it.  Simple? Yes. Easy? No!

The day marches on.  There is work to do.  Prayers to be offered.  Life to live.  Enjoy the sunshine on this Monday in Lent.  It's Saint Louis so you know things will be changing soon.  Be good to yourself and kind as you travel about.  That's all the news from here in the Carondelet Garden.

A partly cloudy beginning of the day here in the Carondelet Garden.  A few sprinkles were around very early this morning.  The clouds seem to be breaking up a bit and the sun is beginning to peak its head out.  The high today should reach the mid 60s.  Not a bad day for South Saint Louis in February.

A busy day yesterday for the old gardener.  The raised beds are being moved into their permanent position and I'm pretty happy with the result.  One more to go and then we can fill with good soil and begin the real push of planting vegetables come Spring.  It's exciting and a pleasure to get out and dig in the dirt once again in a real way.  

The stuff we grow ourselves appeals to the very best in us.  The person inside who want to give a chance.  Get up off the couch and give it a go.  When I started really getting into gardening it was all about maybe a raised bed or two.  Plant some tomatoes.  I like tomatoes.  See what happens.  What's the downside?  A BLT?

There has been no downside for this old gardener.  It's a good day for getting a few more chores finished.  Another raised bed will be placed into position.  More work to do but so much future benefit to come.  

It's a good day for a good day.  Time to head outside and muck about.  I hope you get the chance to smell a newly emerged daffodil or crocus as you get out and about on this Thursday in Lent.  It gives you a bit of hope!  That's all the news from here in the Carondelet Garden.

It is a sunshiny day here in the Carondelet Garden on this Wednesday in Lent.  The sun should stick around all morning with a few clouds moving in by this afternoon.  The highs will be near 70 degrees!  The perfect day to work in the Garden.

Work is exactly what I'm getting ready to do.  There are still a lot of chores to finish and I'm heading to get started.  I hope you have the opportunity to enjoy a bit of this amazing late-Winter weather.

It's a good day for a good day.  Be good to yourself this fine February day.  That's all the news from here in the Carondelet Garden.

Another sunny day here in the Carondelet Garden.  The high should reach the lower 60s this afternoon.  What a lovely Tuesday in South Saint Louis!

Getting ready for a busy day here in the Garden.  Lots of prep work and a bit of study this morning.  It's an exciting time as February begins to draw to a close.  One month closer to Spring!

I have been on a journey these past few years to simplify the life I lead.  My goal for the past few years is to live this simple, ordinary life extraordinarily well.  Some days are easier than others, but the goal remains the same.  A bit slower, fewer things to worry about, more time to putter and ponder, and a bit more faith, and hope, and as much love as possible!

It's a good day for a good day! Hopefully, you can get outside and soak up some of this sunshine.  That's all the news from here in the Carondelet Garden.

The sun is shining, and skies are clear.  There is a slight chill in the air, but the temperatures should easily hit the 50s by this afternoon.  That beautiful snow from Friday will finally be all gone soon.  It was lovely while it lasted.

It's going to be a busy week here in the Carondelet Garden as I prepare to place my new raised bed into their permanent place in the garden.  What a gift it is to be a gardener with the ability to create anew.  The work of the Creator was to begin creation but left it for us to complete.  Isn't that an amazing gift?

In this life I have come to the conclusion that what I pay attention to in this life determines my commitment and my ultimate happiness.  Time is the main indicator.  One of the most important questions in this life is where do you spend your time and what are you doing there?  Where do you spend your time?  

You'll be sure to find me spending time in the garden this week.  Toiling, praying, resting and creating in the garden as we prepare for the coming Spring.  It's a good day for a good day.  Have a bit of faith, share a little hope and spread a little love this first full week of Lent.  That's all the news from here in the Carondelet Garden.

It is a partly cloudy morning here in the Carondelet Garden.  The temperatures are quite lovely, and the sun is shining but the clouds seem to be moving in.  After the incredible few days of balmy February temps it seems Winter will stick her head up yet again with lower temperatures and snow in the forecast for tomorrow.  Of course, this is Saint Louis so who knows?

I finally have the second of my two new raised beds built.  We will begin work on figuring out their exact location soon.  Very excited for the taller beds and more options.  My seedlings are coming along very well down in the grow station in the basement.  Things are moving here in the garden.  

From the very beginning our Creator has invited us to be his helper in the garden.  We are the caretakers, charged by the Creator, with this creative act.  What a wonderful creation it is.  

It's a good day for a good day.  Enjoy the sunshine and the lovely temperatures today.  Be good to yourself and others as you travel about.  That's all the news from here in the Carondelet Garden.

"Remember you are dust, and to dust you shall return."  
It is a bit chilly on the sunny morning in the Carondelet Garden.  The sun will shine all day and we should see the mid 60s by this afternoon.  An absolutely perfect weather day.  Happy Valentine's Day as well!

Today is Ash Wednesday, the first day of Lent for many Christians. For more than fifteen hundred years, Christians have used these words to mark the day as they dip their fingers into ash, and smudge bowed foreheads with the sign of the cross. The words allude to when God admonished Adam and Eve as they left paradise in the Book of Genesis.

My prayer for us today comes from a poem by Jan Richardson called “Ash Wednesday: Blessing the Dust.”
So let us be marked
not for sorrow.
And let us be marked
not for shame.
Let us be marked
not for false humility
or for thinking
we are less
than we are
but for claiming
what God can do
within the dust,
within the dirt,
within the stuff
of which the world
is made,
and the stars that blaze
in our bones,
and the galaxies that spiral
inside the smudge
we bear.
Amen.