Saturday May 21 2016  PLANTING DAY

Finally, the night temperature should now be above the 30’s and 40’s at night.  Anyway, that is what the global weather forecast says on my IPhone.  Do I trust it?  I guess I do because Dave and I planted window boxes, perennials, tomatoes, and herbs.  I planted my favorite outdoor perennial, red geraniums.  Every year I plant them in pots for the front yard and three pots for the outdoor sun-room landing.  In the past I planted seven for the landing so I could have them lining the side of the steps as well.  But, not anymore.  Downsizing you know!  Two big pots in the front of the house and three smaller pots for the side of the house, and that is it.  I do have the remnants of three geraniums still in the house (a variety of pinks) that Dave planted in pots last year while I was gone. 

For years I brought all my geraniums into the house during fall, winter, and early spring.  I usually had at least nine potted geraniums.  Some of them sat on the floor and others on stands and tables during the winter months.  The plants would grow us out of the room.  I had plants on the floor that literally grew as high as my chest and their circumference was huge.  The ones on stands also grew humongous.  I think the ones on the floor grew so tall in order to reach the height of the windows.  They bloomed all winter and amazed anyone who came over to visit.  I had to regularly snap off the shedding old blossoms.  One day while breaking off the old blooms I counted them.  On that one occasion I snipped off over 200 spent blooms.  The opened blooms grew larger than my fist and I have large hands.  I did not fertilized them in the winter. 

Along about the first part of April each year I would reluctantly (but relieved too) cut all the branches back close to the pot.  New growth would soon begin to bud and by mid-May they were ready for their place of residence in the yard.  Once again, with frequent fertilizing, they would grow large and begin blooming.  I brought the same plants into the house (some having grown to larger pots) for nine years.  I felt like I was abandoning longtime friends when I had to give them away and discard the ones I could not find homes for.  Somewhere in one of my computers I have photos of those amazingly cheerful winter days in my sun-room. 

So red it is again.  My pots are planted with new plants.  I brought the three pink geraniums in last season and they were doing wonderfully all winter in the sun-room except for the fact that there were only a few small blooms.  And, now sitting in my sun-room are three scraggly plants.  I left them with a friend for a month while Dave I went south for a few weeks.  I asked her to water them very infrequently but she assured me she watered her plants every few days at her house and they all did well.  However, geraniums need to dry out between watering or the leaves will turn yellow and fall off.  I cautioned her about it but I don’t think she followed my instructions.  When we returned home the branches were about 90 to 95 per cent bare of leaves.  The soil was saturated.  She felt so bad about it but it was really no big deal to me.  I simply cut them back severely and they have pretty much recuperated nicely.  I will start acclimating them to outside exposure tomorrow.  I may even plant them in the ground in my perennial garden in the back yard.  It will be a nice experiment to see how they do.

Spring has truly arrived.  Unfortunately we had one last frost last week and crops were affected at the farm where we buy our summer vegetables.  Our first delivery was Thursday for early greens.  The asparagus crop was lost in part and all the corn plantings were frozen.  So we will not receive corn on the cob this season.  There are but 90 anticipated growing days in Wisconsin.  There is no time left to start another crop before the anticipated fall freeze. 

Spring and summers are quite brief here in the north-lands.  Perhaps you can understand why walking in the woods and enjoying the wild flowers, and going to the arboretum to experience the lilacs, and belonging to the local Botanical Gardens is so important.   At the first sign of good weather outdoor activities explode.  Quickly the highways and roads and bike paths are teeming with bike riders.  Today on the way to the gym I must have seen over a hundred bicycle riders on the country roads.  They were in groups with matching team clothes on so an event must have been taking place.  Today was our first real jacket-less day.  So spring is finally here!  I know it is already summer for many of those who read this blog.  But don’t feel sorry for me.  I actually enjoy each short season as well as our long winters which can last six months.  Enjoy every day wherever you are.  And remember for those of you who swelter in the southern climates for months on end we sometimes only need our air conditioner for total of two or three weeks out of each summer.

THE DAYS OF SUMMER AND RAIN

By Kathleen Martens

May 21, 2016

Long awaited  days of summer and rain

Have finally tiptoed in again.

All the ice that winter sends

Blue skies and warmth soon will mend.

Spring has sprung it all her glory

As colorful blooms convey her story.

Dirty fingernails and grimy hands,

A badge upon which the gardener stands.

To once again smell the rose

And view the firefly in twilight pose,

The heart will sing the feet will dance

During the weeks we have the chance.

Backyard barbeques fired in haste

Not one day will go to waste.

Sights to see and sounds to hear

Before winter once again comes near.

What a joy to gaze at green

In backyard splendor and summer’s sheen,

And smell the fragrance of the earth

That springtime once again has birthed.

Early mornings and later nights

Are God’s gift of extended light.

And the time will pass too soon

When we once again view winter’s moon.

God, thank You for your boundless treasure of flowers.

Thank You Lord for being so immensely creative.

Thank You for red geraniums.

Thank You for cow manure.

And thank You Lord for the feel of Your earth in my hands.

Thank You for springtime.

And special thanks tonight for all the birds I heard today. 

Thanks for staples too.

GOOD NIGHT AND GOD BLESS YOU

Friday May 20 2016  INTERLUDE IN THE WOODS

When you least expect it a day seems to blossom as the hours leisurely go by.  I feel as if I have had a vacation, short though it was.  Dave left for the gym and I decided before I started unpacking again I would cut some lilacs off our small bush in the back yard and take them through the woods to our neighbor.  Carolyn loves lilacs and does not have her own bush.  I know she likes to go to garage sales and would probably be gone so I planned to leave the vase of flowers in her gazebo.  As I was walking toward the gazebo I noticed her back door was opened so I gave her a holler.  We had a short visit and I started my walk home. 

In order to walk to Carolyn’s I must traverse a short distance through the woods which leads to her backyard.  While walking home I came to where the path in the woods would take me home or I could take another path and end up in a maze.  I opted for the maze.  It was early and shafts of sunlight were scattered about highlighting little patches on the woods floor.  After a short walk deeper into the woods it felt as if I had entered an ethereal sanctuary.  It seemed to be a peaceful refuge from the outside world.  Several species of bird songs flittered back and forth.  The leaves on the trees were a delicate, yet vibrant, yellow green that is only experienced in early spring.  And then I noticed all around me were little flowers peeking out, almost as if they were hiding from a stranger who had interloped into their private dwelling.

And what was the first thing that popped out!  Ah Ha!  I had my cell phone with me!  And so the photo session began.  Now what would I have done had it been my week of no phone use?  After all, these flowers are here for such a fleeting time.  I suppose I would have survived without it. But, since I had the opportunity to take them I will share them with you.  It took me a lot longer to arrive home than it did for me to walk to Carolyn’s.

I worked several hours unpacking storage boxes and then had to stop so I could make lunch.  We had a guest coming today.  Two guests in one week!  I loved it.  Jalen is a young man I met at the gym where I work out.  He is currently in college.  He loves the Lord and we love to talk about God.  He is a hardworking, diligent, and persevering young man.  He is the kind of young man that gives me hope for the future of our country.  Jalen is the kind of young man you would be proud to call your son.  He is on school break right now so I asked him to come over and have lunch with Dave and me.  We had a wonderful lunch, great conversation, and an amazingly leisurely afternoon.  I asked him if he liked the woods and when he said he loves walking in wooded areas I invited him to take a walk with me. 

So, twice in one day I was able to take a restful and relaxing stroll through our back yard woods.  Again, it was totally awesome.  The sun was overhead now but was covered with a thick layer of clouds.  The lighting was amazing, a photographer’s dream.  I used to pray for overcast days when I photographed outdoor weddings.  Everything looked so different in the woods from what it looked like earlier in the day.  The woods glowed, as if a magic light hovered over the flower-lined pathways.  Small, gentle, shy flowers were peeking out if one took time to look closely.  At first Jalen had a bit of consternation in trying to find the illusive flowers, but in the end, with a little coaxing and bending and stooping, he too was able to see the exquisite beauty that I had captured earlier on my IPhone camera.  He was delighted. 

The afternoon passed and evening set in.  It was time for me to write my blog and I didn’t even need to think of what I wanted to write about.  I just knew I had to share my mini vacation day with my friends in blogland.  And truth be told, I feel refreshed and rejuvenated.  Perhaps because of the walk in the woods, or perhaps it was just the company of a bright, energetic, and wonderful young man that took time out of his precious week off from classes, to come and share part of his life with us for one glorious afternoon.  We loved having him.

THE CARESS OF GOD

By Kathleen Martens

May 20, 2016

It is awesome to spend time

At a leisurely pace.

Taking time to talk.

And look another in the face.

To take a stroll in the deep woods,

Spongy earth creating carpet of green.

The light cascading in magical dance,

Enchanted brilliance of wispy streams.

And to see smiles peeking about,

Little flowers, the caress of God.

I could just imagine them dancing,

And didn’t even think it odd.

The woods are magic

When one is alone.

But when there are two

Joint worship is known.

All in all the day was sublime,

Inspiring, uplifting, and grand!

It was if the entire time

God was holding my hand.

Thank You God for showing me Your majesty today.

Thank You for our young friend’s company today.

Thank You for my much needed interlude of peace.

Thank You Lord for all You bring into my life.

Thank You Lord for Jalen and his heart turned toward You.

Thank You for the hope You put in my heart.

Thank You for May Apples.  (Photo included)

Thank You for speaking to me in so many ways.

Thank You for toothpaste.

GOOD NIGHT AND GOD BLESS YOU. 

Thursday May 19 2016  Oh WOW!

Oh WOW is the only way I can think to describe my feelings right now. 

I have a room.  A versatile, multipurpose room.  One wall is entire ceiling to floor shelves built to withstand a tornado (because my husband built them).  The shelves go the length of the 16 foot wall.  This room is an interior room without a window so it cannot be used as a bedroom.  In one large corner area the laundry shoot receptacle hangs down from the floor above and is elevated over an “L” shaped, kitchen like counter, with shelves and drawers under the Formica counter.  Opposite the shelves is a large, free standing, entertainment center that is home to all my framing tools (plus a lot more).  In the center of the room is a custom designed framing table made from an old large office desk elevated on a platform with wheels.  It takes up a big portion of the floor space.  Every shelf and drawer of the freestanding unit is full and there is not one clear space on any vertical surface.  If my sister could see this room right about now she would be ashamed of me.  At this moment I’m glad she lives in California.

The floor space is also nonexistent.  I am on a mission!  A formidable mission!  And I wage war on my own terms.  I am having a garage sale in about 4 weeks and hope to pare down this room, plus many more.  I am running out of space in our downstairs family room, also known as the Photography Studio.  The garage is available to accept the “stuff”, but I haven’t yet wanted to haul it up all the stairs, nor walk around the inclined driveway outside.  This week I have cleaned out a few drawers under the laundry shoot area, and today went through the total sum of two portions of the shelving space and a little corner space on the floor.  That’s it!  There are a total of fifteen, shelf area sections, three across and five levels up stacked from floor to ceiling.  The entertainment center also has lots of drawers and shelves totally full.  Plus, the “desk”, also known as the framing table, is full of drawers, as well as shelves on the raised platform beneath it.  I hope I have drawn a mental picture for you because I certainly won’t take a snapshot on my camera to show you.  I would be embarrassed.  As I unpacked the boxes on the shelves everything exponentially expanded. 

I said all that to tell you I worked too late this evening to spend much time on my blog.  I just couldn’t pull myself away.  Oh well, tomorrow is another day.  I wanted EVERYONE to know just how hard I am working.  Even if no one reads my blog tonight I will at least have this story written down so I can remember how hard I once worked.

MEMORIES AWAIT

By Kathleen Martens

May 19, 2016

Oh the boxes that await my pilfering

Are like treasure chests I remember not.

But I know I packed them all

And for many of the things I’ve sought.

The item’s need long past, and I wonder why

I purchased it in the first place.

So much packed away without a purpose

Taking up my valuable space.

Now that I’ve started to shed the past

It’s exciting to see what’s unearthed.

Sort of like each box is waiting

For a long awaited birth.

“Pregnant boxes”, that’s quite a thought,

It’s just I don’t know what will come out.

And let me tell you, it’s a lot of pain

A quite laborious, laboring route.

But it will be great when it ends,

And everything is brought to the light.

And the best thing of all will be

When it takes its final flight.

(Sort of like how it is when the last kid finally goes to college!)

I promise not to bore you daily about my “stuff”.  Right now, it is just a big overwhelming part of my daily life, unpacking so much.  We have 14 rooms in this house plus 3 bathrooms and a huge attached shop in the lower level (20X40 feet).  I say that not to boast, but rather to solicit more sympathy for my plight.  It’s too bad the rooms are not filled with treasures, but alas, it is just 30 plus years of accumulation in one house (not to mention all we brought with us when we moved in).

God, I thank You for the desire I have now to get rid of all the unnecessary. 

God, thank You for providing what we have needed over all these years.

Thank You again Lord for the energy to do what I am able to at this time in my life.

And I always thank You for my peanut butter.

Thank You for the beautiful sunshine today.

Thank You for paper shredders.

Thank You God that I still have a purpose even though much of my stuff does not.

GOOD NIGHT AND GOD BLESS YOU.

Wednesday May 18 2016  TIME VERSES STUFF

The more stuff I own, the less time I have.  Realistically we all have the same 24 hours in our day.  It is just that some days seem as if they are shortened.  So I sat back and thought a bit.  What is it that is taking up so much of my time?  I have discovered one of the greatest culprits for me is my IPhone.  So what do I do about it? 

Years ago I watched quite a bit of television.  It was before my hearing became so bad and during a period of time when I couldn’t walk without pain.  I was extremely overweight and had a difficult job as I was on my feet a big portion of my work day.  When I was able to get off my feet I watched television or read books.  After becoming acquainted with a variety of TV series I believe I became addicted to certain shows.  I was attending college classes in the evening during that time and I remember hurrying home to “watch my program”.   Television became very important to me.  In retrospect I now realize those days too seemed to not have enough hours. 

After foot surgery and a period of recovery I was able to be on my feet more, opened my own photography business, and then had no time to watch television.  Then on the occasions when I would try to watch a program, I could no longer hear it effectively, so I pretty much just gave it up.  My life blossomed and I was so busy after that but I did accomplish a lot of work.  And now I need to accomplish a lot but my time seems to evaporate.

So, after deliberating as to where my time was evaporating, I think I have it narrowed down to a few culprits.  Being gone for two plus hours each morning to exercise is one of the time gobblers.  Another reason is the time it takes for me to write and proof my blogs on a daily basis.  The third reason is the time it takes for me to try to stay on top of all that finds its way to me through this modern gadget, the IPhone.  Me and the IPhone is another one of those love/hate relationships.  I dare not google anything because then I am inundated with unsolicited emails from a myriad of businesses that now know I am interested in a certain topic.  I think it even happens when I order an MP3 book from the library to listen to, or order a hard-copy book from half.com or Amazon.com.  It is exasperating. 

My dilemma is, how do I settle this time management situation?  I must exercise for health and so that is a must.  I enjoy writing this blog and do not want to stop doing so.  So it seems that I must get rid of this phone!  So I have decided to TRY to do one thing about it.  Since I have so much work to accomplish at home to downsize our belongings, I must put my phone away.  So here is the plan I formulated.  I am going to TRY (and the operative word is TRY) to set my phone aside for one week out of each month.  My first thought was to not use any electronics (Iphone, computer, TV.) for one week out of each month to just to see how simple my life might become without all the interruption.  I’ve asked myself, can I do it?  I ask you, do you think you could do it?  Take into consideration that I am retired and do not need to use the computer or phones for a job and some may not have that advantage.  COULD I DO IT?  That is the question.  Do I want to do it?  No, not really, but I sure would like to get a lot of other things accomplished.

And then comes the realization that what I need to do is work on the book I HOPE to publish (along with downsizing) but would not be allowed to use the computer on the week without electronics, so therefore, even though I wasn’t using the IPhone, I would still be using electronics.  So maybe the first step is just to release myself from the grasp of the cyber world and use the computer to strictly work on printing hardcopy for proofing, and zeroing in on accomplishing as much as possible during my Iphone-less week.  In other words, I would limit myself from the internet in all venues.  I’ll split my time between exercise, blog, printing, and downsizing.  The question I ask myself is:  CAN I DO IT?  WILL I DO IT?  And I ask myself, does that mean I won’t be able to listen to my sermons on my IPhone at the gym?  Oh man…this will not be easy.  Maybe I should just start with one day.

That means no talking on the cell phone, no emails, no messages, AND NO TAKING PHOTOS!!!  I might have to get my camera out again!  Taking pictures is just in my blood.

BACK TO THE GOOD OLD DAYS

By Kathleen Martens

May 18, 2016

Oh the dilemma of what to do

When there is so much to ensue.

The age of knowledge is to blame,

And all the gadgets we can name.

Phones and televisions, computers and mouse,

VCR’s and Blue Rays around the house.

IPhones and headsets, and google chrome

Seem to invade our personal home.

Screens and T.V.’s in enormous size

As their importance seem to rise.

Radios and boom boxes from the past,

Everything upgraded, nothing lasts.

The latest this and the latest that,

Is what makes the profits fat.

And we just can’t be left behind,

We NEED the latest fashion design!

And all the upgrades are a must,

For the latest version, so many lust.

Pull out the plastic and slap it down

To buy the newest thing in town.

And soon the world is in your hand,

And now with buttons you command.

And relationships are no longer needed,

Only Facebook is what is heeded.

And dreams fly by as you move your thumbs,

And the heart becomes a little numb.

Click here, click there, that’s what life is about,

And without that phone you have no clout.

So what to do when you decide to live?

What in your day has to give?

Just how do we get back on track?

Perhaps it’s the gadgets we need to lack.

I’ll let you know if I get down and serious!

God, thank You for “THE AGE OF KNOWLEDGE” of which You speak about in Your Holy Word.

Thank You Father that You have prepared me to be aware of what is to come during this age.

Thank You Lord for opening my eyes to the fact that I need to focus on You instead of all the gadgets that surround me.

Thank You for my friend Michelle who came over today.

Thank You Lord for the health I have this day.

Thank You Lord for all the nutritious food Your earth provides for me.

Thank You for staplers.

Thank You for binders.

Thank You again for peanut butter.

GOOD NIGHT AND GOD BLESS YOU!

P.S.  Oops!  I think my blog is probably too long tonight.  I just looked at the time and it is later than I thought.