I am thankful for today

This is my favorite tree in my yard. I couldn't even fit the whole thing in my viewfinder without it looking scrawny and far away. The tree is half dead-barely any leaves grow on it anymore. We have lost about 5 huge limbs from it. But I love it. I sit on my deck and look at it. I sit on the golf cart by the fire and look at it. I listen to it creaking in the wind. It stands like a fortress, guarding our edge of the property against evils of the outside world.

I spent a good portion of the day out in the gardens.

Have the garden bed pretty full and will use the remaining dirt to fill in a flower garden that didn't turn out too well and to revitalize my strawberry patch which has been taken hostage and annihilated by some strange weed. I bought 20 new strawberry plants to put back in.

The plant smack dab in the middle is a strawberry plant. The rest are these stupid weeds that choked out about 30 strawberry plants. I dug up those rude weeds and hopefully they will not return, or at least not with the vigor they came with last year. I hope that next spring the patch will be filled with juicy red fruit again. The rhubarb is at the end of this small garden and it is going great. My tulips and other bulbs are growing like the dickens. I love tulips and I can't wait to see their small, beautiful heads swaying in the breeze before being cut for vases.

The lilac bushes are budding and in about 3 weeks their beautiful perfume will fill the air. What smells better than lilacs? I am sad that I don't have a desk anymore to bring them in and set them upon. They would be a big HACCP violation at the cereal plant! I will just have to set them about the house and overload my senses here.

After several hours of shoveling dirt and kneeling in dirt, I so deserved one (or 5) of these. Thank you to whoever decided hops and grains together would be a refreshing treat.

I'm thinking about moving to the kitchen to make some bars for work for tomorrow. I took my last baggie of pumpkin out. I have just a sad feeling in my heart and not sure I have it in me tonight. We lost a member of our church in a horrific accident this last week. Only a little older than myself and the other man lost was a young 22 year old from Iowa. Semi accident that was fiery and beyond belief. I also just read on Vodka Mom's site that she is taking down her blog. She always made me laugh-well, at her funny posts. Choked me up on her serious ones. I also just read that my blogging friend Donna has put her beautiful home up for sale for a move they are making. You know she is sad when she didn't make any sexual innuendos on her site and she made sausage for heaven sake!

So I am posting these pictures to remind myself of all that is beautiful and good and happy-even the weeds. While they invaded my space, they are still a gift from God and I am reminded yet again to be thankful for all the graces he has given me.

Promise, food soon. Many earmarked pages I've torn out of magazines!