So ready for spring

Last week the news was full of the agonizing devastation in Japan.  Life is hard sometimes.  We’ve had difficult moments in our own life but nothing like those half way around the world right now.  At the end of the day during my moments of despair I still went home to a warm home, where I was surrounded by family and had running water, a warm bed, a variety of food in the refrigerator and so on.  I struggled with spiritual battles, moments I wasn’t sure I’d survive but through it all my surroundings – whether geographic or human – were still in place.  Time continues to lengthen between ‘then’ and now but it doesn’t take much to bring back from memory those feelings of dark despair.
My despair has been replaced with hope – so much hope.  And spring provides the ‘ahhhhh’ to a winter of hope for color again.
So on this side of the world this week when my days travels had me driving past a greenhouuse I gave in to the urge to purchase some color to add to my currrent/new surroundings.  I merely sat the potted plants on the garage window sill waiting for time to plant them.



We are so very much enjoying living in our home at this new address.  It’s amazing what a little more space does for many things.
I was looking forward to spring to see if the previous owner had any surprises planted.  But there isn’t a single bloomin’ thing around.  Pun intended.   Nothing, nada, zilch.  So I have a clean slate to work with.  This past Friday when the weather was WONDERFUL I grabbed the only digging tool we currently have in our garage – a hoe – and planted my two little primroses and my dish of johnny jump-ups out by the front porch.  It isn’t much but color is still color and it makes me smile.

My garden tools and supplies are all ‘in storage’ at the shop and I need to have written approval before dragging anything here.  =)  I like my junk close-by and cluttered up accessible.  But we’ve agreed that we’ll bring things over when there is a home for it to live in – in peace and harmony – on all fronts.
My first ‘written request’ will be for my little tiny clay pot that is surely in my pile of garden supplies.  I want to string a little piece of pantyhose thru the bottom of the clay pot into something that will hold water – thus providing a slow, constant water source for the violet.  A trick I first learned from my friend, Jenny. 
Saturday I was working on this ‘pile of supplies’.

Our basement is our attic right now.  And we basically moved in one day so I wasn’t here to direct how things should have been stacked for easier access.  These past few weeks I managed to find a few things that I was looking for and knew was ‘there’ somewhere.  But Saturday I systematically went through boxes and made decisions about keeping or getting rid of. 
Why didn’t you do that before you moved? Because we only saw this place one time before we moved and I simply wasn’t sure if I would need or use some things.  Now that we’re here it’s much easier to realize that ‘nope, that’s not gonna work here’ and move it out.
So while going through boxes I found this small glass – made of very thin glass and had an idea. I came up the stairs, over to the kitchen sink and lo! and behold! it fit perfectly.

Now I just need to see if I can find some pantyhose – can’t remember when I last wore them.  And I’ll probably wait to transplant the violet into a clay pot until it gets a little bigger.

My tiny violet purchase was a nostalgic one.  Something about violets makes me think of grandma’s, family, home, cozy….nesting.  And nesting is certainly what I’m doing here.  It’s an amazing feeling.  I’m glad God created me a woman.  Nesting is good.  Nesting is fun. Nesting is in my DNA.
And tonight there are many who are wondering if nesting will ever be possible again…….  My mind, heart, thoughts and prayers – definitely prayers - are drawn to those women whose lives will never be the same again. 
Dear Lord, grant these women the joy of a simple violet in their lives again – someday…….soon.  May you grant them the ‘ahhh’ of spring again.  Ahhhhh = Hope.
You, Lord, are our HOPE!