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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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. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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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February 2025
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