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.
​

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.

The Winter Pansies we put out last Fall are still looking quite lovely here in the Carondelet Garden on this cloudy, overcast morning in South Saint Louis.  The temperatures are perfect, but storms are looming in the forecast on this Thursday in Paschaltide.

As I was listening to some music this morning, this song came on:
Open my eyes, Lord
I want to see Jesus
To reach out and touch him
And say that I love him
Open my ears, Lord
And help me to listen
Open my eyes, Lord 
I want to see Jesus.

Open my eyes. Open my ears. Jesus was sent to us not to condemn us, but that we, through Him, might actually be saved.  Loved by the Father so much that he sent his son so that we would not perish but may have eternal life.  No greater love. No greater sacrifice.  Open my eyes. Open my ears. Help me to hear. Help me to listen.  I don't always listen. I don't always hear.  I don't always see. I want to see. I want to hear. 

Lord, I believe please help my unbelieving.  It's simple, ordinary faith.  Yet, I so often lack the simple, ordinary things that I need so much.  Where in your life do you need your eyes opened to see Jesus today?  A little faith, a bit of hope and all the love we can muster on this Second Thursday of Paschaltide.  Amen!

It is a stunningly beautiful day here in the Carondelet Garden in South Saint Louis.  The sun is shining and the skies are blue.  This is one of those perfect days:  cool mornings with warm afternoons that are simply perfect for gardening or napping in the garden.

The Lettuce is looking pretty good right now.  When you have a small yard you find a way to utilize every inch of it!  We plant our lettuce along the fenceline between the fence and the sidewalk.  I think it works out pretty well.

Going to jump in early this morning and get a few indoor chores finished so I can head outside and enjoy this beautiful day.  This is a day the Lord has made.  I must be glad and rejoice in it!  Have a great day Gardening Friends!
​

Happy Sunny Tuesday in Paschaltide.  It's a beautiful sunny, chilly morning here in the Carondelet Garden.  We finally have all of the mulch down and the garden is looking quite lovely because of it.  There is little that dresses up the flower garden like a fresh layer of good mulch.  The smell, the look, the texture.  The senses are in overdrive in the Garden this morning.

It's a busy day here in the Garden with errands and small jobs to do around the house.  I just want to share one of my favorite quotes from that great writer, Anonymous: "May we be the kind of gardener who seeks to plant seeds of hope inside someone else's hearts."  A good prayer for today.  Happy Tuesday in Paschaltide Gardening Friends!

Good Monday morning from the #supercoololdpeople in the Carondelet Garden.  It's a chilly start to the day but the sun is shining and warmer temperatures are on the horizon.  It's a great way to start the second week of Eastertide.  

The Money Plants were a big surprise for us this year.  They were a bit of a dream plant as they were a favorite of Dr. B's grandmother.  We have pictures of the plants from her grandmother's backyard.  Her grandmother was something of a legend.  She was a seamstress in the 1920s and worked on the Veiled Prophet gowns.  In the 1940s she volunteered at Union Station with the USO. She was a gifted baker as well as a gardener.  She was also a basketball player as a younger woman.  Quite a lady.  We are thrilled to have found some seeds to grow these Money Plants.  Such a bit of joy in the Garden.

It's the second Monday of Paschaltide.  In my meditation on the Gospel of John this morning, I was struck by this verse: "The wind blows where it chooses, and you hear the sound of it, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes.  So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit."  Faith in things unknown.  I ask for the grace to know what it is I am called to do, in things large or small.  What am I being called to do on this Monday morning?  Faith.  Hope.  A little love and kindness.  Amen.

The Hollyhock is looking pretty good this Spring here in the Carondelet Garden in South Saint Louis.  Last year we had a terrible case of rust with our two Hollyhocks.  We followed the instructions and cut them down to the ground.  Burned the remains to try to stop any more problems from spreading.  We lost one but this one is coming back quite nicely.  I'm keeping a close watch just to be sure.  They are a bit fussy, but the blooms are stunning.  

As I was sitting with the readings from the Gospel of John this morning I was struck, as I often am, with "doubting Thomas."  The poor disciple gets a bit of a bad rap as far as I am concerned.  I would have been Thomas.  I am, still, oftentimes, Thomas.  "Lord, I believe.  Help my disbelief."  I think we are all Thomas at one point or another and that's okay.  We are allowed to question.  We are allowed to think and ponder.  Religion tries to tell us what to believe.  God gives us what we need to believe.  A gigantic difference.  

The storms have cleared.  The weather has cooled.  The day is cloudy and gray.  It's the perfect time to ponder and question.  A perfect opportunity to embrace a little faith in thing unseen.  Have a little bit of hope that tomorrow will be a bit better than yesterday.  Embrace love.  Share love.  Doubt sometimes creeps in.  Sometimes my faith is week.  Yet, somehow, love breaks through.  Have a wonderful week my Gardening friends.  

Happy Saturday in Eastertide from the Carondelet Garden.  It's a beautiful morning here in South Saint Louis.  There is a risk of some thunderstorms later this afternoon and into this evening.  We could use some rain.  I'm hoping for less stormy and more wee soft showers.  

The mums have returned for yet another season here in the Garden.  We were thrilled to see them come back.  They were an afterthought last Fall but they seem to be doing quite well.  We'll see how they handle the new conditions after the removal of the huge old tree out front.  Lots and lots of changes with the removal of the shade from the old monster.

It's been a busy week here in the Carondelet Garden.  Lots and lots of changes with a few more to come next week.  This morning is coffee, the newspapers, "Radio DeLuxe" on WNYC with John Pizzarelli later this morning, and maybe a nap this afternoon.  This old gardener is feeling his age this morning.  Even Dr. B is having a few aches and pains.  

Here's to relaxing and renewal.  Take care of yourself.  Be good and be kind to yourself and others as you travel about.  We are planning on attending "Macklind Market Day" tomorrow.  Hope to see you there!  That's all the news from here in the Carondelet Garden.

Can you believe the weather here in Saint Louis this week?  It has been so beautiful and so conducive to getting little jobs done.  The porch railings are all finished and repainted.  The Candy Onions are in their beds all cozy and ready to grow, grow, grow.  I'll finish moving a few plants in anticipation of the mulch arriving.  Things are really starting to move along here in the Carondelet Garden.

I was really taken by the reading for today as Jesus, for the third time, revealed himself to his disciples after the resurrection.  They were invited to breakfast.  Little by little Jesus revealed himself.  Little by little they began to recognize the Lord again.  Little by little they were invited to the table.  Little by little their faith was restored after the blow of Good Friday.  Little by little because we are simple, ordinary humans.  We can't handle all of the glory all at once.  It has to come little by little otherwise we are overwhelmed and, frankly, I would be way too skeptical!  I wouldn't believe it.  I need little by little because I can be dense and a bit slow sometimes.  "Let's have breakfast."  Jesus offered his disciples what they needed right then.  Simple. Ordinary.  Just a little taste so you can open your eyes and believe.  

It's a beautiful day here in South Saint Louis on this Friday in Paschaltide.  Have a cup of coffee, maybe a bit of toast or a muffin.  Come to the table.  Have a little taste.  Simple, ordinary glory for this Friday in April.  That's all the news from here in the Carondelet Garden.

It's yet another gorgeous day here in South Saint Louis.  What a great week to be working in the Garden and getting so much accomplished.  Unfortunately, my body is taking the toll.  Ibuprofen is my friend this week more than ever!  My Candy Onions have finally arrived so they will go into their prepared beds today for harvesting in July.  Work is progressing on the front porch.  Painting is progressing.  It's been a great week for those odd jobs getting finished.

It's so strange to have to water so much this early in the season.  I've also mowed my lawn five times already and it's not even mid-April yet.  The weather is certainly playing havoc with my brain this year.  

It's a good day for a good day as my pillow tells me.  We are still waiting for the mulch delivery to happen.  Lots of projects still on the list.  Prayers and plans happening all over the Carondelet Garden.  I hope you get a chance to walk and pray in nature on this beautiful Thursday in Eastertide.  I'm certainly doing just that today.  That's all the news from here in the Carondelet Garden.  

It has been a lovely Eastertide here in the Carondelet Garden in South Saint Louis.  The Hostas have returned in abundance.  Last year we had a bit of a mess as the roofers next door neglected to cover them while throwing the old shingles off the roof.  They were, needless to say, a bit destroyed looking.  This spring they are back to their glorious little selves.  As a friend told me, "You can't kill a hosta!"

It's a busy day here in the garden as we get ready for the mulch to arrive.  We are doing some painting and repair work as well.  Moving a few of the statuary and things around.  Finishing up a bit of planting.  A busy day for this old gardener.  

I have to remind myself to slow down, or I'll pay for it later.  I'm not able to do as much as I once did.  I'm reminded of that almost daily.  Yet, it's okay.  It's good to slow down and actually appreciate what I have.  To truly pay attention and be present.  To actually witness the glory all around me.  Take a bit of time and truly appreciate and see the glory about you today as you journey about.  That's all the news from here in the Carondelet Garden.

It is an absolutely gorgeous day here in the Carondelet Garden in South Saint Louis.  The tulips are stunning right now in the garden.  The birds are singing and the skies are blue.  What more could you want for a Tuesday in Paschaltide?

I was doing my daily meditation this morning.  Mary Magdalene is at the tomb filled with grief and sorrow.  The Rabbi is gone!  What? Where did he go? Who took his body?  When Jesus appeared, she didn't recognize him.  That moment hit me this morning.  How often does Jesus appear and I don't recognize him.  Jesus appears often, and I turn away because I don't see Jesus.  I see a beggar or someone panhandling on the side of the highway exit.  I don't see Jesus.  I want to see Jesus!  I want to experience the joy of Mary when she recognizes his face and grief turns to joy.  I want to see Jesus in the faces and things around me.  Yet, I struggle.  Doubts, fear, stubbornness and pride.  I struggle.  Struggle.  

"Open my eyes.  I want to see Jesus." The lyrics of the song are the words on my heart this Tuesday in Paschaltide.  Open my eyes because I want to see Jesus.  Open my eyes. Open my heart. Open my mind. Amen.

Happy first week of Easter!  What a glorious day here in South Saint Louis.  The sun is shining, the birds are singing. Our Dogwood is stunning as the blooms opened over the weekend.  We have a new little girl in the family as we found out we are a great aunt and uncle again.  It's been an amazing Easter.  Joy unspeakable and full of glory!

After the hustle and bustle of getting ready for the Easter celebration and all the good and wonderful things that come from visiting with friends and family it is a good time for the old gardener to slow down.  I'm slowing down on this Easter Monday to notice the beauty that surrounds me.  The glory of creation.  I am slowing down to appreciate what the plants and flowers and trees look like and to truly remember that God is here, right now, in all of this.  The risen Lord sanctifies this simple, ordinary place and makes it holy.

I often forget that I walk and work alongside God every day.  I think about today's reading and realize it is a mixture of fear and joy working and living with the knowledge that in everything I do and everything around me, God is present. Presence. Alive and risen as we begin this Paschaltide.  Present. Amen.

He is Risen!  He is risen, indeed!  Alleluia!

Psalm 95
"...today, if you hear his voice.  Harden not your heart."

It is Easter Even, Holy Saturday.  That Thin Place where the realms of Heaven and Earth seem so close they can almost touch.  We never really know exactly how the resurrection took place.  We know the women went to the tomb, but the tomb was already empty and then.  Then they see the resurrected one. "Greetings!"  That's what the resurrected Jesus said to the women:  "Greetings!  Do not be afraid."  Can you imagine?  I would be literally shaking in my boots.  "Go and tell my friends to meet me in Galilee.  There I will meet them."

Simple. 
Ordinary. 
Greetings!  Hi, there!  Don't be afraid, it's me.  It all came together.  Tell everyone to meet me in the simple, ordinary place where we always meet.  It's all coming together.  How do I meet the risen one? I do I hear his voice?  Take this old, hard, broken heart and soften it up with oil and wine.  Fill it up with love and hope and faith.  Simple. Ordinary. Love, Hope and Faith.  Amen.

It is Good Friday in our journey to Easter.  I was always taken aback by the use of "Good" Friday.  Once I realized the word Good was an Olde English word that meant Holy it made perfect sense.  Just as we would hear a good and holy thing is happening. 

On a Good and Holy Friday we once again are witnesses to the brutality and suffering of the perfect sacrifice.  Yet, through this anguish and suffering we retrieve a symbol of power.  The cross stands as a symbol of the power of forgiveness and love in spite of hate.  The cross stands as a symbol of power.  A symbol of love and forgiveness.  Powerful! 

We need this symbol today more than ever.  In a world that sometimes feels like hatred and anger flow with such force throughout our cities and towns.  We need the power of forgiveness and love.  I often forget that love is power!  I am in awe and wonder at the love and forgiveness offered to me, a simple, ordinary sinful being.  Undeserved, yet I receive this grace-filled gift of forgiveness and love if we only receive it.  It is a Good Friday. Amen.

Did you know that Hostas are a part of the asparagus family?  Such a lovely plant and so graceful in that small strip of property between our sidewalk and the neighbor's house.  It's shady almost 100-percent of the time and these plants love it there.  They are perennials and grow in clumps.  They live a very long life and just bring a sense of peace every time I see them.

Today is Holy Thursday.  In my daily meditations it's the story of Jesus washing the feet of his disciples.  I remember being a kid in Arkansas and my people pointing at the "foot-washing Baptists" as if they were some crazy sect of nutjobs.  The idea of humbling oneself for another is a loving act.  How would I behave if offered that same instance of unconditional love from Jesus?  It's a question, yes.  But, when I think about it, it's a daily occurrence.  I have that unconditional love fight now.  I am loved today, unconditionally.  Just the way I am.  When I think about it, it becomes almost mind-blowing.  Isn't that simply incredible?  

My prayers are for our world, our country, our city, and our neighborhoods to feel the presence of love.  The only power truly strong enough to change things.  Faith. Hope. Love.  The greatest is Love.  I hope you feel the love today.  The unconditional love of knowing you don't have to do anything.  You are simply loved.  Amen!