Expectation
of falling leaves
laced windows
crinkled edges on mud puddles
Nesting
for darkened skies
steaming breaths
everlasting winter nights
Embrace
need for warmth
bundled outings
dampness pervading excursions
Breathing
knife edged air
smoke heated rooms
Savor the moment
Peace
over bounteous tables
quilted beds
in heart and home
Tranquility
The seasons change
all is well
Nested
There I was. Putzing around while my honey worked up a sweat digging out a fresh little Christmas tree. I couldn’t really help him, one shovel and all.
In our area, we can purchase a tree permit from the forest service and dig or cut a tree up to 15 feet tall. As long as we follow the rules of where and where not, we get to choose whichever tree we love!
The first tree ‘we’ loved was a beauty! Between 5-6 feet tall, symmetrical, gorgeous. Plans were changed and we decided to dig up this pretty baby (by we, I mean he) and immediately plant it in the pasture before the ground froze.
Uhm. 5-6 foot evergreen trees do not come with short and easy-to-remove-from-the-dirt roots. After probably 25 minutes of heavy duty grunt work, we told the tree we love you and grow well and strong and shoveled all the dirt back and tamped it down. The tree would not budge. It loved where it lived.
The results from this attempt made us decide to dig up a smaller tree. MUCH smaller.
We found a lovely, adorable little tree stuck on the side of a hill. It called out to us – “Take me home!”
So my honey started digging. We had expectations for a shorter dig time. This prediction did not account for the rock. We also planned on potting this cutie and enjoying it inside the RV and planting it later in the spring.
Except for the rock. And the huge curvy taproot wrapped around the rock that would have forced us to use a pot the size of a small car in order to cover it with soil. That sort of container does not fit in the RV.
Plan C. Bag up the cute tree which still required 15 or so minutes for extraction, and immediately introduce it to the new home in the pasture.
Our second tree, originally planned as a larger cut tree, then switched to “Let’s dig out 2 trees,” was then maneuvered back into the original plan after the digging marathons. A stately and fragrant tree became our cut tree.
One can never tell what is lurking below the surface. Rocks, roots, acres of soil – depth of stability, secure anchorage, ablility to withstand hurricane force winds or mountains of heavy snow. Baby trees face all sorts of dangerous conditions out in the wild. And each one causes the tree to grow stronger and more resilient, develop even deeper roots, and hang on tight.
I should have taken a picture of that root wrapped rock. As a reminder. But the mushrooms were calling and I didn’t realize the significance of the rock. It’s like that sometimes. Upon later reflection, insights swivel my viewfinder to see what’s truly important.
Sometimes I feel like a baby tree, stuff coming at me from all directions. I bend, shudder, and quake, tossed like a dandelion puff on the wind. But as long as my heart roots are wrapped around the Rock, I am safe and can rest in His care and protection. I can continue to grow and become stronger as I sink my roots deep and wrap them ever tighter around my source of strength.
The Rock.
“Let your roots grow down into him, and let your lives be built on him. Then your faith will grow strong in the truth you were taught, and you will overflow with thankfulness.”
– Colossians 2:7
Waiting is never easy, but manageable. (Photo by Angie Quantrell, 2016)
Stand – lean – patient forms.
Windblown tractor ride groupies.
Next in line, we wait.
– Haiku by Angie Quantrell
Bill’s Berry Farm tractor ride extravaganza, 2016 (Photo by Angie Quantrell, 2016)
See the little face?
Swimming amidst the wet sand.
Rocky bed for fish.
– Haiku and photo by Angie Quantrell
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Colors from our garden |
By Angie Quantrell @AngieQuantrell
Go on vacation, buy an RV trailer.
Go to see my friends, the hubby sells the house.
What next?
The rest of the story . . .
When we sold our first home, I was at a conference in New Mexico with some wonderful ladies. Kevin repeatedly called me, updating the news and asking questions. Finally, his calls took on a list-like look.
“Honey, I sold the fridge.”
“Honey, I sold the boat.”
“Honey, I sold the . . .”
In desperation, I turned to my ladies, who were totally tuned in to the situation. “I’ve got to get home before he sells the kids!”
Many, many years later, the story is similar.
Last week was vacation. We enjoyed a few days with my cousin. We shopped for RVs but didn’t find one we could live in for any length of time. We discussed in great detail EVERY single option of selling our home and finally beginning our bucket list plan to build a small home. And I mean EVERY detail.
After returning home, we made an appointment with our realtor to ask questions and prepare to sell. That was Thursday.
The following Monday we met again and listed the house. The signs went up and photos were taken.
Tuesday was the realtor walk through day, so I loaded up the cats and headed to the other Quantrell’s for most of the day. Not only did several realtors visit our home, we had a showing with a different realtor. Just as I was putting quiche in the oven, we received a text for another showing. We quickly ate, grabbed the cats, and vacated the premises.
On Wednesday, I headed to visit college friends, leaving Kevin in charge of the home selling adventure. Kevin was texted for yet another showing. This one lasted almost 2 hours.
On Thursday morning, we received an offer! After another already scheduled showing later that day, paperwork was completed, and we accepted the offer for our home.
Guess where I was? Not at home. I was with friends on the other side of the mountains. Texts flew back and forth.
“We got an offer.”
“We are meeting to discuss the deal.”
“You need to sign these papers.”
I really need to not leave my husband at home alone! There’s no telling what he is planning on selling next . . .
Providing all goes well with the various sale-of-home proceedings, we will soon be living the RV life.
I guess that means we really are old Nana and Papa grandparents. (And we love it!)
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Lavender, my signature flower |
By Angie Quantrell @AngieQuantrell
A few days ago, I was reading in 2 Corinthians, chapter 2. Immersed in the words, it took me a moment to realize that I was reading with a scent in my nose.
Tantalizing wafts of fragrance swirled through my thoughts.
“But thanks be to God, who in Christ always leads us in triumphal procession, and through us spreads the fragrance of the knowledge of him everywhere. For we are the aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing,” (2 Corinthians 2:14-15, ESV).
As the words I read floated through my mind, they were accompanied by the memories and aroma of lavender.
Lavender.
In my heart, Christ (and therefore God) has the refreshing, calming, soothing, and beautiful fragrance of lavender. He smells like lavender! The Peace that fills my soul and permeates my life is that of lavender.
Quiet. Peace. Reverence.
Is it no wonder that lavender is one of my favorite blooming herbs? I am drawn to lavender as the bees, seeking scent and beauty. I gently brush my fingertips along the flowers and attempt to capture the faint scent. Or I crush and bruise petals and stem between these wretched fingers, forcing the flowers to release their fragrance. For my benefit.
Isn’t that what happened so long ago? He was crushed and bruised, all to release the gift of His life, the fragrance of salvation. But that was not just for me. Rather, it was for all of us.
The fragrance of lavender.
Do you read with your nose? What fragrance is God to you?
Oh, to smell like lavender to those around us.
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Almost bursting open sunflower. As Kevin says, my sunflower jungle is alive! |
By Angie Quantrell @AngieQuantrell
I’m amazed at how quickly the garden is taking over the backyard.
I’m sad that several icky pests are winning and eating as much as they can (slugs, earwigs, pill bugs, and aphids). Since I prefer not to spray my garden with pesticides, it’s a daily battle to find those critters. Loss is expected.
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Strawberries are still blooming, though they are exhausted! |
But mostly, I’m happy to see this dirt produce food and beauty for our eyes, nose, hands, and tummies. I supposed I could add ears to that list, as the bees are a humming, though they classify as beauty not food. At least for us. The cats love to snatch and gobble them up.
Here are some things growing in the garden.
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Oregano, much loved by bees, is heading towards full bloom. |
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Tea roses – beautiful though they were plagued by aphids early on in the season. |
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Creeping thyme, a walkable plant (you can walk on it). But watch out for bees! |
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Edible thyme is blooming. |
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Radishes are tasty and almost gone. Mmmm |
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Sunset lily. I love the color of these blooms. |
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Ripening Roma tomatoes. |
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The pumpkin plants that are threatening to take over our tiny backyard. Soon, it will be true. |
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Poor, sad, dwarfed okra. I’ve replanted 4-5 times. This is the best so far. |
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Wax beans love my back yard. Green beans? Not so much. |
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Dill entices more bees and is ready for canning. |
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Part of the sunflower jungle. |
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Lavender and friend. |
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Raspberries are coming on strong, much to the delight of the icky pests. |
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Baby zucchini. |
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The parsley is blooming. Those tiny sweat bees love this stuff. |
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Garlic. I have no idea when it is done! |
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Kale. |
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Baby yellow squash. If you squint, you can see someone else was impatient to try it. Go away, bugs! |
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Sage. This is also in bloom. But there is more than enough to go around. Five times around. That’s my garden so far, all from the backyard. I’d be happy to share, especially the herbs. Has anyone else grown okra? What trick am I missing (other than heat, which I think it really needs)? Happy tasting, smelling, seeing, touching, and hearing in your garden today! |
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Lily from my garden fireworks of flora speckled bursts of joy fireworks cool to my touch enchanting lily by Angie Quantrell |
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The inside of one of the barracks at Fort Simcoe |
by Angie Quantrell @AngieQuantrell
Do weekends go faster and seem busier than the rest of the week, or is it just me?
Pull up a cup of your favorite tea and let’s chat. I am drinking PG Tips with a tiny swirl of honey in the bottom. If I really wanted to be reminded of my visits to England, I would add a dash of milk and use raw sugar instead. Delish!
Here’s what I’d share with you about my weekend:
On Friday, I went grocery shopping. This is only worth mentioning because of the crowds! It was insane. But I did have my pint-sized helper, Miss Khloe. She assisted me as we grazed our way through Costco.
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Nana with her 5 grands, from 5 weeks to 7 years-old. |
The Quantrells took Fort Simcoe by storm on Saturday for a birthday plus a birthday plus a graduation picnic day. It was very nice, but it turned into a HOT day as the temps kept rising. We were done by 1, back in the cars, and on the road seeking AC. We enjoyed hanging out together. Nana especially loved having the grands in one spot, though it only lasted for 5 minutes. And then they were off and running.
Saturday was a free National Park Day, so we wanted to take advantage of the special day by visiting Fort Simcoe. You can read more about Fort Simcoe here.
We saw:
– a passel of squirrels, rolling and tumbling all over each other
– no snakes (Amen)
– no bears (double-Amen)
– cows (yes, cows – and plenty of cow-pies, ick!)
– old buildings
– 2 springs
– canons
– a tiny museum
– a parade of Model T’s that also traveled out to Fort Simcoe for a picnic
– a park worker in a golf cart chasing away the poopy-cows who wanted to graze (and poop) on park grounds
– the location of my son and daugther-in-laws’ wedding
On Sunday, we continued our celebration of graduates at church with a relaxed gathering where we viewed photos, chatted, and shared cake.
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Our beautiful graduates! |
My honey and I went on a lunch date. This was followed by relaxing in a cool theater and watching a movie. We migrated home, dodging the heat, and stayed inside and under shade. Temps were in the triple digits, so there was no working outside or going for a walk. Nope.
Back-to-work Monday has arrived. Triple digit temps are in the works as I type. I think I hear the beach calling me, if only it weren’t 5 hours away.
Thanks for stopping by. I’ve so much enjoyed tea with you.
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Lavender from my garden and a tea cup we received as a wedding gift (31 years ago) |
What did you do during the weekend? I’ll make another cup and you can tell me about your weekend.
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Strawberries, raspberries, lavender, and radishes fresh from the garden. |
By Angie Quantrell @AngieQuantrell
What’s growing in the garden? I mean besides cat fur.
The strawberries are slowing down and I think ready for a big break to build up their energy. Whoa! This was the most prolific strawberry (also known as strawbabies and beebes around our house) harvest I have ever had. Not counting the minimal loss from slugs, sow bugs, ants, and raiding grandchildren.
Raspberries are coming on! Beautiful, tasty, sweet-tart lovely bursts of flavor – be still my heart. I love me some raspberries (also known as raspbabies and beebes at our house).
My miniscule crop of French radishes is nearing readiness for being pulled up, roots and all. I planted a roasting pan with radishes in hopes of avoiding above mentioned pests who annually decimate my peppery red and white treats. Take that, you vermin! Today Donavyn and I pulled up a few to check for size. And we gobbled them all up, just like Goldilocks ate Baby Bear’s porridge. Just right.
Lavender, one of my favorite flowering herbs, is starting to bloom strong. I haven’t seen many bees this spring, so I am pleased the purple blossoms are attracting several from somewhere. If only a swarm would descend in our area and we could capture it . . .
As always, parsley, thyme, dill, and sage are available free of charge to any and all. The sunflowers look like they will put on a great show in another couple of weeks. Birds delight, but beware the two slinking gray girls who blend in to the bricks and sand beneath your dinner table.
One of my failures this year is okra. I really wanted to grow some for my mom who grew up in Missouri. I’ve done 3 plantings, and there is nothing to be had but munched sprouts. I guess they taste good?
I’ve also done multiple plantings of echinacea, or cone flowers, for the bees and butterflies. This last batch is finally showing promise. I may just have to buy half grown plants.
Mary, Mary, quite contrary,
How does your garden grow?
With silver bells and cockle shells,
And pretty maids all in a row.
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There is always a furry body helping me. This one particularly loves to sleep on the strawberries. |
My friends, how does your garden grow?
Love, Laughter, and Life 