Being or Having

I was quite surprised today, when I came to realize that I’ve been focusing more on ‘having’ than ‘being’. I, myself, really strive to be and move away from the mindset of having things. At some point,  I drifted and  I’ve not been this way with my daughters.  I really want the best for my girls but I’ve been a little confused in my thinking. You see, I’ve been valuing their success more by what they accomplish or conquer rather than by their unique personalities – compassionate, caring, hard working.  I am going to turn from this wrong thinking today because my girls are worth far more to me than their efforts.  My desire is really to build them up by first accepting them for their being and secondly celebrating accomplishments.  What about you? Are you putting more attention on having rather than being?

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Mulch Your Perennials Before Winter

Yesterday I sat out on my swing with a cup of tea to enjoy the beautiful fall afternoon. Before I knew it, I was putting mulch around my recently trimmed perennials. Its best to add mulch after the ground freezes or the first frost.   Sometimes I do it when it’s most convenient for me though. This fall I am using shredded dry leaves and cut grass to keep the soil a consistent temperature over the winter and prevent my plants from dying. I usually use compost, but I’ve used all the compost in a new flower bed. To mulch the plants, I applied about a 2” layer of shredded leaves and grass around the base of each plant. I then used my gardening tool and worked it into the soil a little – mostly to prevent it from blowing away.   By spring, the combination will have decomposed and my plants will look great. If theres any mulch left, I’ll simply rake it off. If you like to flower garden and live in a colder climate, you’ll find winter mulching really beneficial. Have a nice day. Linda

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Watch Ov’er My Flock By Night

Yesterday, I came across an older prayer journal that I created several years ago.  As I looked through the pages, I came upon this prayer that I’d cut out and taped next to photos of my girls. As I read the prayer again, I remembered the many times I prayed this when my girls were younger. Maybe you’ll be blessed by it today.

Watch O’ver My Flock (Ruth Bell Graham)

Like other Shepherds
help me keep
watch o’er my flock by night,       
mindful of each need,
each hurt, which might
lead one to stray –
each weakness
and each ill –
while others sleep
teach me to pray.
At night the wolves and leopards,
hungry and clever, prowl
in search of strays
and wounded, when they howl,
Lord, still
my anxious heart
to calm delight –
for the Great Shepherd watches with me
over my flock
by night.

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Beautify Your Yard and Your Neighborhood

As I was cleaning out my garden the other day, I was reminded of a perennial exchange I had with girlfriends last fall. After we divided our plants and bulbs, we got together and exchanged the extras. This is a great way to beautify your yard and your neighborhood – for free. Maybe this is something you’d like to do, it’s alot of fun.

This year I’ve collected a few seeds from plants like this Painted Daisy. I’m going to enclose the seeds in cards I send to friends – as a little surprise.  Have a wonderful day,  Linda

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Dehydrated Apples

Today I spent some time chopping apples to dehydrate.This is one way we use the apples from our apple tree.  This year we have abundance.  I use the dehydrated apples mostly in baking and Gerry, my husband, adds them to oatmeal cereal as its cooking. We use them in homemade snack mix which includes things like nuts; dried cranberries; and chocolate chips.

To dehydrate the apples,  I chop them in uniform pieces; mist with lemon juice; place in a single layer on the drying rack; turn on the machine; occasionally rotate the racks; and leave them for a day or two.When they seem to be like chewy leather, I turn the machine off and leave them for another couple days.

Afterward,  I put them in paper bags and put the paper bags into a glass jar. Why not give this a try.  Enjoy!

Additional instructions for dehydrating can be found  on the internet and at your local library.  Overall, it isn’t complicated.  I started a few years ago when I had an abundance of apples.  I found one dehydrator on Freecyle for free and the other I picked up for 5.00 at a thrift store.  I keep track of things I dehydrate in a note book. If you dry something too much – no worries,  just mist with a little water.

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