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  • Kitchen
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  • Fruits
  • Houseplants
  • Book Reviews
  • Videos
  • A Year in the Garden
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02.28.2025  |  Ordinary Friday

2/28/2025

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It's a sunshine-filled morning here in the Carondelet Garden.  It's a bit of a chilly start to the day but temperatures should reach into the mid-70s by this afternoon.  We may even see a new record high temperature for this date.  The winds will be picking up as well so hold on to your hats this afternoon.

February flew past in the blink of an eye.  I can't believe tomorrow will be March 1st.  Time is a fickle thing to be sure.  Today is a day marked for an economic boycott of big business and large corporations.  Today we are encouraged to shop local and use cash.  It's something we try to do always.  I avoid Lowe's and Home Depot and instead shop at Southside Hardware.  They may not have what I want on the shelf, but they can order almost anything, and it will arrive in a few days.  Sometimes I pay more for the item there, but you know what I get in return?  I get great service, good advice, helpful hints, and a friendly smile.  They recognize me when I walk in the door and are happy to see me.  You can't put a price tag on that!  And it is true of so many other small, neighborhood shops that we frequent.  

The idea of an Economic Boycott is good and noble.  Let's try to support local every day.  Let's buy the things we need from our neighbors and support their economic health.  Shop your local farmer's markets, local wine shop, local grocery store (LeGrand's anyone?)  Shop Local.  Stay Local.  Love Local.  We are neighbors, family, and friends.  Let's support each other.  Now more than ever!  That's all the news from here in the Carondelet Garden.
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02.26.2025  |  Ordinary Wednesday

2/26/2025

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It's a bit overcast here in the Carondelet Garden on this last Wednesday in February.  The clouds should thicken up a bit this afternoon with a slight chance of a rain shower.  We may even see 70-degrees!  What a difference a week makes!

The warmer temperatures have been so welcome here in the Garden.  The sanctuary that is a garden is not lost on this old man.  I am often reminded of why Jesus went alone to the garden to pray.  It is a gift of getting older when you come to the realization that prayer happens where you are.  Praying in a church is not better than praying in the garden, or on the street, or in your bedroom.  It is simply about being present with the Creator and the knowledge that our Creator is with us wherever we are, whatever we are doing!

Thomas Merton, the American mystic once said, "Pure love and prayer are learned in the hour when prayer has become impossible, and your heart has turned to stone."  In these troubled times it is easy to feel as if prayer has become impossible.  It is even easier to allow our hearts to turn to stone.  Yet, even then, prayer is possible.  Prayer is necessary.  Prayer still works.  Even if it is in anger or frustration.  The Psalmist often railed in anger and pain.  Sometimes that's all we have.  

St. Julian of Norwich teaches us to "Pray inwardly, even if you do not enjoy it.  It does good, though you feel nothing.  Yes, even though you think you are doing nothing."  Sometimes we just need to pray.  A simple prayer is enough.  Anne Lamott says she believes in three simple prayers:  Help!  Thanks!  and Wow!  I can't disagree.  

I keep holding on to faith.  I am still holding out hope.  I am wrapping my arms around love.  Be good and be kind to yourself this week.  Hold on to all the faith, hope and love you can.  That's all the news from here in the Carondelet Garden.
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02.24.2025  |  Ordinary Monday

2/24/2025

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Who knew that 35-degrees could feel downright warm?  Welcome to a new week in south Saint Louis and a whole new weather world.  We should see a mix of clouds and sun today with a high in the mid-60s!  The warmer weather should stick around most of the week if the weather folks are correct.  Winter clean-up time!

Most of the snow from our most recent storm has melted but there is a bit still hanging around in the shade garden.  My hellebores are poking their lovely blooms out for all to see.  It won't be long now before we see the beauty that Lenten Roses bring to the garden.  Just in time for Lent to begin!

I think we are all ready for some warmer temperatures.  The cold and snow have worn thin.  Spring is just around the corner.  I feel the Spring Fever rising in my bones.

It's a busy day for the #supercoololdpeople.  We are hitting the road early for doctor's appointments, chores, and picking up supplies.  A good day for a good day to be sure.  That's all the news fromhere in the Carondelet Garden.
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02.21.2025  |  Ordinary Friday

2/21/2025

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The sun is shining outside in the Carondelet Garden on the frost, frigid Friday morning in February.  The good news is the forecast is calling for a warming trend over the next few days.  We should reach the upper 20s later this afternoon and 60s by Monday.  A welcome respite from these past few days.

There are a lot of things still to clean up around the garden.  The dead plants do serve a purpose as places for the critters to gather, shelter and sometimes still feed.  They will be cleaned up soon enough but for now there is a certain kind of beauty still within.

Soon I will be heading out the door to begins some chores.  Here's to a wonderful weekend.  Be good to yourself and kind.  Spring is coming!  That's all the news from here in the Carondelet Garden.
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02.19.2025  |  Ordinary Wednesday

2/19/2025

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The skies are partly cloudy, and the ground is covered in a blanket of fluffy, white snow.  It is ridiculously cold on this mid-February, mid-week morning.  The good news is our friends at Degenhardt Heating and Cooling have fixed the furnace, and we are warm and toasty inside.  Good weather on the horizon as each day for the next week or so we are going to warm up.  Next Monday we may see 60-degrees!  

We are gifted with the joy of this sweet girl in our lives.  Sweet Phoebe is a delight with her ever-present smile, her giggles and her sheer joy in living.  Phoebe's momma was my first, ever niece.  She, too, was and is a beautiful person inside and out.  Together they fill my heart with joy and wonder every time we get together.  We have developed a bit of a Tuesday Night Supper Club over the past year, and it is always the highlight of our week.  Unfortunately, the weather proved more than we could handle yesterday but these pictures from this weekend remind me to always appreciate every moment.  They grow up so fast!  It was just yesterday that her momma was this age!

What a blessing it is to finally realize that life does not have to be perfect, to be perfect.  It simply needs to be lived, loved and forgiven.  Aging has given this old gardener a bit of a revival in spirit.  Getting older has allowed me the gift of time and the gift of playing once again.  Playing with ideas, with projects, with friends, playing with life!  

Gratitude is the theme of the day here in the Carondelet Cottage.  In can be difficult for some of us to overcome the grief and horrors of the world right now.  Sometimes we have to pull inward, circle the wagons a bit and be grateful for the good things we have right next to us.  That's all the news from here in the Carondelet Garden.
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02.17.2025  |  Ordinary Monday

2/17/2025

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It is a cloudy, cold and snowy Monday morning here in the Carondelet Garden.  We should see highs in the mid-20s by this afternoon.  A few snow showers around this morning and very cold temperatures.  Unfortunately, it looks like it's only going to get worse.  We have a Winter Storm Warning out with snow over the next day or so.  Then again, this is Saint Louis so stick around as it all may change!

The #supercoololdpeople in the Carondelet Cottage had a great weekend.  We visited @mobotgarden with our beautiful niece and great-niece to witness the incredible annual orchid show.  Every year I am blown away at the diversity and beauty of this show.  What a fun way to spend a Saturday morning!

Yesterday, we celebrated the Garden Doodle's first birthday.  It has truly been a year of chaos and love but I wouldn't trade it for the world and all its gold.  Our sweet Boony Doon has been a fun and loving addition to our little family.

We are off on an adventure with our goddaughter this afternoon to the bookstore.  She is a voracious reader, and we are thrilled to be her supplier today!  We get the added benefit of taking her to dinner and spending some quality time with our sweet girl.  

It is shaping up to be a pretty eventful week.  Our friends at Degenhardt Heating and Cooling are here to fix the furnace just in time for the really cold temperatures over the next few days.  Not fun, but necessary.  Thank goodness for quality neighborhood services!  It's a good day for a good day.  Be kind to yourself and others as you travel about.  That's all the news from here in the Carondelet Garden.
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02.14.2025  |  Ordinary Friday

2/14/2025

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The sun is out this morning here in the Carondelet Garden, but we are expecting cloudy skies by this afternoon.  The highs should reach way up into the upper 30s by later today.  We are still in the teens right now.  These frosty days and the snow have taken its toll on the garden but Spring is coming!

It's a day of celebration for many folks.  Today is Valentine's Day for those who celebrate just one day a year dedicated to love.  It is also the 261st birthday of our fair City.  Saint Louis, Missouri was born on this day.  We have a lot to celebrate about our beautiful City.  Yes, we have more than our fair share of problems and issues.  We have an election soon so hopefully everyone will head to the polls and have their voices heard.  

It's Orchid Show time at our Missouri Botanical Garden.  It will always be "Shaw's Gardens" to me. We are heading over tomorrow to see this annual festival of beauty!  

It's a good day to share a bit of love as you travel about.  Be good to yourself and kind to others.  That's all the news from here in the Carondelet Garden.
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02.12.2025  |  Ordinary Wednesday

2/12/2025

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It's cloudy and cold here in the Carondelet Garden on this Wednesday morning.  We have a winter Weather Advisory for the Saint Louis area with 3 to 5 inches of snow expected over the next 12 hours or so.  It feels colder than the 32-degrees the old thermometer is showing.  

It looks the Doodle is taking over the raised bed in the back as her new perch to survey the lands.  She is a bit of rebel lately.  She will be a big one-year-old on Sunday.  Where did the time go?  She has brought a whole lot of joy and more than a little chaos to the Carondelet Cottage, but we wouldn't trade her for the world and all its gold!

We are beginning our hunkering down and are ready to watch the snow fall.  A good book and jigsaw puzzle at the ready.  Coffee is made.  WQXR is playing on the old smart speaker.  A good way to spend a snowy day.  Be good to yourself and safe as you journey about.  That's all the news from here in the Carondelet Garden.
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02.10.2025  |  Ordinary Monday

2/10/2025

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It's a sunny, cold Monday morning here in the Carondelet Garden.  We should see a mix of clouds and sun early with cloudy skies rolling in for the afternoon.  The high should reach about 40 degrees.  Not a bad way to start the week!

C.S. Lewis once said, "You can't go back and change the beginning, but you can start where you are and change the ending."  What hope and grace is that? We can change the ending, no matter how much time we may or may not have.  

I've always been told that God never changes.  God may not change, but I sure have over the entire life I've had these many years.  From an extremely fundamentalist youth to my searching years and my Celtic spirituality quest in my later years I have come to find a gentler, more loving Creator who cares for me and for the world more than we will ever know.  I can't change the beginning, but I have changed my present and I am finally, as an old man, beginning to understand and accept the creation I am. 

There is a grace in acceptance and hope in being willing to continually grow and change, even as you get older.  Especially as you age.  The old saying that you can't teach an old dog new tricks is ridiculous.  This old dog is constantly learning, changing, growing, and adapting.  Unfortunately, I still have a long way to go!  But that is okay, too. 

It's a new week.  I'm going to, once again, start where I am and continue to try to change the ending.  That's all the news from here in the Carondelet Garden. 
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02.07.2025  |  Ordinary Friday

2/7/2025

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It's cold and dark out in the Carondelet Garden on this frosty Friday in February.  We will have partly cloudy skies as we begin the day, but things will turn overcast as the afternoon arrives.  We should see highs in the lower 40s.  

I have a simple prayer for myself this morning.  I am praying for the grace to be quiet and listen.  Simply listen.  Listen.  Amen.
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02.05.2025  |  Ordinary Wednesday

2/5/2025

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It is dark and cloudy here in the Carondelet Garden.  We should see some rain showers moving in later this morning becoming a steady light rain this afternoon.  The Doodle Dog and I had a very early walk this morning.

We leave the seed heads on the Allium through winter for the birds and other critters to enjoy and feast upon.  The time is quickly approaching for winter cleanup.  It is quickly approaching!  We placed our seed order yesterday.  Can't wait for fresh veggies from the garden once again.

February is certainly one of those months that divide people.  You either love it or loathe it.  I feel like the garden is starting to come alive again in February even with the unpredictable weather.  The days are still short, but you can feel something happening.

February is that month filled with small but powerful things.  I simply adore the way it opens out and releases the onslaught that is springtime.  I love the ways the days stretch out, reaching upward and limbering up.  Here comes the sun!  

I'm obviously getting excited to start the process of gardening and growing again.  It's still much too early but the plans are being made.  That's all the news from here in the Carondelet Garden.
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02.03.2025  |  Ordinary Monday

2/3/2025

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It is sunny and stunning out in the Carondelet Garden on this first Monday in February.  The skies are clear and bluer than blue.  We should see highs in the lower 70s by this afternoon.  What little snow and ice is left should be finished.  Good riddance!

We went to a birthday celebration for a 90-year-old this past weekend.  It was such a great event.  The birthday gal is still active and healthy.  A huge room with close to 100 guests.  Many of them her high school friends.  What a joyous sight to behold.  It reminded me to be grateful for every day.  

I am reminded of the old saying that nobody on their deathbed regrets that extra scoop of ice cream.  I used to take my mother-in-law for a ride every week so that she could get a break from the nursing home.  She was usually very quiet and didn't really know a whole lot of what was going on, but she knew she liked to ride around.  We would always stop at Starbucks for a Caramel Frappuccino with extra caramel.  As we rode around and looked at the sights around St. Louis, every once in a while, she sat up and started to reminisce.  Her favorite memories were always such simple things.  Not the big trips or adventures.  Usually it was a picnic, or a wonderful meal at a restaurant, or a Ted Drewes Frozen Custard.  Simple pleasures and fond memories.  

As I get older, I am appreciating the ordinariness of life a lot more.  Walking the Doodle every morning.  A cup of coffee and a real newspaper.  A simple donut every once in a while.  The little things that bring incredible joy.  The ability to change one word in a sentence:  I have to walk the dog today changes to I get to walk the dog today.  One word makes all the difference.  Gratitude.  Appreciation.  Love.  Hope.  Faith.  

It's a new month and a new week and another opportunity to say thank you a little more often.  Smile a little bit more.  Experience a little more joy.  That's all the news from here in the Carondelet Garden.
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