Happy last day of April.  Happy Heavenly birthday Mom!  

It was our tradition to refresh Mom's garden every year for her birthday.  We would purchase her favorite annuals and new mulch and any other plants she may need or want and spruce up the gardens around her house.  She loved flowers and a pretty garden, but she was definitely not a gardener.  She was not one to get her hands dirty.  She loved to see it pretty but didn't want to know how it got that way.  

It's funny, neither of my parents were into gardening at all.  Now, Dr. B's mom and dad and her grandparents as well, had a lovely garden.  They were much more landscape artists with flowers and bushes and trees.  Not much into vegetables and edibles.  I remember their gardens well.  We have a whole Hosta garden next to home which is filled with starts from their gardens.  We smile and remember every time we walk past.

Happy Sunday in Paschaltime.  A beautiful, sunny morning to enjoy a cup of coffee, listen to some music and enjoy the New York Times.  We might even tackle the crossword puzzle today.  I hope you get the chance to relax, renew and refresh this day of rest.  Take the time for your own simple, ordinary Sabath this gorgeous Sunday in South Saint Louis.  That's all the news from here in the Carondelet Garden.

It's a cloudy morning here in the Carondelet Garden on this last Saturday in April.  We may see some clearing, but then again, we may see some sunshine.  It's Saint Louis so you never really know!  It's just part of our charm.

Things are just bursting out of the ground here in the Garden.  I'm absolutely thrilled with the recovery of the Hostas.  They are looking lovely this Spring.  Just a simple joy for this old gardener in South Saint Louis.  

Birthday celebration for our middle wee one who is not so wee anymore.  Heading to High School next year.  Where did the time go?  We are going to get to meet our newest great-niece next week as well.  The times they are a changing.  Loving every minute of it!  Grateful to be included in the journey.

Here's to a lovely weekend of relaxation and refreshment.  Take a minute to appreciate the beauty around you.  Sometimes we have to search a bit, but it is there if we really try.  Be good to yourself this weekend, you deserve it!  That's all the news from here in the Carondelet Garden.

Happy last Friday of April, 2023!  It was a bit cloudy when I first went out to the Garden but now the sun is beginning to break through and it looks to be a glorious day in South Saint Louis.  We planted our tomatoes earlier and now the Marigolds are placed between the beds.  They seem to be a great companion planting to the tomatoes and they do make a lovely show.  I love the look, the smell, everything about Marigolds!

Today is a celebration of the birth of our middle wee one.  She's not so wee anymore but she is such a firecracker and brings the joy and creativity to life.  We are so lucky to have her in our lives.  Celebration!  

It's a good day for a good day as they say.  Be good to yourself and kind.  Enjoy this day filled with sunshine and love.  That's all the news from here in the Carondelet Garden.

We were awakened yesterday morning by a loud thud on the north facing window in our bedroom.  Jumping out of bed, or the closest thing I can still do like that, I ran to the check out the back and this little Dove was sitting on the steps leading to the Garden.  I assumed he was pretty stunned and thought it best to let him gather his thoughts and then, hopefully, he could fly away.  I checked on him an hour later and thought that had happened as he wasn't there.

We were planning to visit a few Garden Shops.  As were leaving we noticed our little Dove friend had moved into the window well next to the steps.  Obviously, something was not right.  I'm an okay gardener but know next to nothing about birds other than they are lovely and we enjoy feeding them.  Luckily, I am married to a brilliant person who immediately pulled out her phone and started "googling" things and found @wildbirdrehab  

The young woman on the phone was so helpful and kind and talked us through everything.  We took pictures and messaged them to her.  Found out he was a Dove and was probably being chased by a predator and was not really watching where he was going.  Flight or Fight syndrome so to speak.   Needless to say, our trip to the garden shop was postponed as we searched for a shoe box and small towels.  I scooped our little friend up and off we went to Overland.  Our friends @wildbirdrehab promised to keep us up to date on his progress.  That's all the excitement from here in the Carondelet Garden.

It's a beautiful, if a bit chilly, morning here in the Carondelet Garden in sunny South Saint Louis on this last Wednesday in April.  Yesterday was a day of weeding and contemplation.  What better way to contemplate than weeding a garden?  

As I kneeled in prayer and work, I was struck that I was created with this desire for and a bit of knowledge of the sacred.  Yet, my knowledge and comprehension are incomplete.  The garden and nature challenges me to see beyond what is right in front of me calling me higher up and deeper into the very nature of God.  It is true of most creative or artistic endeavors as well.  How often does a song or piece of music touch our hearts or even bring a tear to our eye?  I know it does it to me all the time.  As I've gotten older it seems my tear ducts are much closer to the surface than they have ever been.  

God is here, now in our work and our play.  God in all things.  Sometimes it's hard for me to wrap my head around it but in my heart I believe it to be true.  God in all things.  I know I feel the presence when I take the time to contemplate the weeds.  I guess the good news is that the job of weeding never ends so there will be a multitude of opportunities.  God in all things.  I am connected to that which is truly transcendent: the Creator of all that is good and beautiful.  Amen.

Happy Tuesday in Paschaltide from this old gardener in South Saint Louis.  The Garden is in full swing on this cloudy morning in late April.  My Roma and San Marzano tomatoes are in their little beds happy and healthy after their hardening off period.  The Snap Peas that were direct planted about two weeks ago have poked their little heads up.  The lettuce is looking good.  The onions and garlic and really coming along.  My one fear is that my Asparagus may not have survived the winter.  It's only year two and I'm a bit worried. 

Gardening is not just a hobby but a passion here in the Carondelet Garden.  It's a total mess of excitement and mania combined with urgency and deep desire.  We gardeners are an odd mix of botanists, evangelists, theologians, midwives and sometimes saboteurs.  We kill, we bleed, we birth, we pray.  It's all part of the process and the goal is always the same:  the perfect harvest.  It all becomes worthwhile when that first Roma tomato comes into full ripeness, and I pluck and eat it standing right there.  I may even rinse it off this year.

When I'm gardening, it is my time of meditation and prayer.  A time of paying attention and taking notice of what God has to say in God's way.  I'm learning that I don't get to determine how God will speak to me.  I get what I get, and I need to paying attention, or I will miss it.  I'm trying to be more mindful and open and to lean into the beauty that surrounds me.  I'm trying to submit to the transforming power of a creative God with the hope and faith that my transformation can, in turn, help transform this broken creation.  My prayer for this Tuesday in Paschaltide. Amen.

Happy Third Monday in Paschaltide.  We survived the possible frost these past few days with no damage!  So excited to finally finish the plantings this week and see the growth and changes that spring forth as summer approaches.  

Somewhere I read that the secret to graceful aging is have the capacity to grieve and take risks and, of course, good genes.  Teeth problems seem to run in my family and I'm headed back to the dentist today for some emergency care.  The toothache from the weekend is worse than ever. Good news is the dentist is kind and supremely qualified.  I can't complain as I have insurance, such as it is, and I can have it taken care of.  So many folks suffer because they cannot.  

Graceful aging here in the Carondelet Garden on this Third Monday of Paschaltide.  Be good and 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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Happy Third Sunday in Paschaltide.  It's a chilly start to the day here in the Carondelet Garden in South Saint Louis.  We avoided any frost this morning.  One more day of Frost Warning overnight tonight and then we should be in the clear for the rest of this Springtime planting season. 

It's a day to relax, refresh, and renew.  Here's a prayer of Faith, Hope and Love for this third week of Easter.  That's all the news from here in the Carondelet Garden. 

Happy Earth Day Gardeners of Saint Louis and the world!  It's a great day to celebrate all of the bounty this great Earth provides for us and to take stock of the things we can do to protect our precious planet.  We start local because that is where we are but the impact can be felt across the country and the world. 

​Happy Earth Day from the #supercoololdpeople here in the Carondelet Garden!

It's a cloudy, chilly Second Friday in Paschaltide here in the Carondelet Garden this morning.  It should warm up a bit this afternoon, but we are in for a bit of a cooler weekend weatherwise.  I sure hope the frost stays away.  My Hostas are looking lovely right now.  

As I sit in meditation this morning, quietly becoming aware of what is in my heart I am immediately struck by how often Jesus "withdrew."  "He withdrew again to the mountain by himself."  John writes in Chapter 6 of his Good News.  I am struck by the word "again."  This wasn't something unusual.  Jesus withdrew often to be by himself to renew, to pray, to relax and be alone.  

As an introvert, I understand the need to withdraw.  It can be exhausting for me to be in a crowd or even a small party can be difficult.  I have worked hard over the years to overcome some of the anxiety yet when it is all over, I need my alone time.  Jesus needed to be alone to renew his energy.  So many times, we read of the crowds gathering and everyone wanting his attention all the time.  Here we recognize the human Jesus. The Jesus who gets tired and needs refreshment.  We often forget that Jesus was also human.  He felt the same emotions.  He had the same needs.  We need to remember that part of the story as well.  Jesus was real and walking around feeling, needing, moving just like me.  Yet, he was able to do the will of his father without question. I, on the other hand, question everything sometimes.

As I take a moment in prayer, in blessing to share these thoughts. I am not alone. My questions are okay to ask.  I am loved and cared for in dramatic fashion. Don't stop searching and praying.  Don't give up. The feast is more than a feast; it's a promise for those who seek and want to believe.  Amen.