Growing Things

When you live at a place called Quiet Lane, it means you are way out in the country. Living "back in" means lots of wildlife. Lots of wildlife is not so great for gardens. 

We've tried planting strawberries but the deer and/or rabbits nibbled the plants away before they even had a chance to grow. We gave up for many years, but a couple years ago I stumbled upon directions for constructing a strawberry vault -to keep the critters out of the plants. I've been wanting to build one ever since. It finally happened. The grandchildren helped Richard & I construct 2 strawberry vaults last Saturday.   

The pool pad is getting repurposed as a raised bed garden. 

Fingers crossed that we'll actually get some strawberries in the future. Fresh, plant-ripened strawberries are one of the greatest fruits of all time! 

A big round of applause to Arianna who has invested hours & hours into getting a cute new cafe up & running this week. Next time you are in our area we'd highly recommend you give their food & coffee a try.

We might be a bit prejudiced but we think their breakfast sandwiches are awesome!  

My Mother's Day flowers from Jeremy this year came with some assembly required. This week I threw out the dusty dried roses from past bouquets and replaced them with these [Lego] wildflowers. Now that's a bouquet that won't fade! 

In Remembrance

 This week we laid to rest the man I considered to be the patriarch of our church. At least he was the bishop when I moved here more than 30 years ago. He was one of the most kind & gentle men I know. When I was navigating the transition into the Beachy culture, he was so gracious with me and I'm forever grateful.   

For health reasons, he was out of circulation for the past 10 years. His family faithfully cared for him while we admired their labor of love. As his ability to communicate declined, he could still pray and sing. I hope I never need caretaking, but if I do, I pray I can live up to his example. 

I learned something new about him after his passing. I remember when he was our son, Josh's Sunday School teacher. He took a real interest in those boys, taking them fishing and much more than simply showing up in class Sunday mornings. But the tidbit I don't recall hearing before was that he brought the class paczki one time, telling them how he walked to the bakery to buy paczki in Germany when he was in 1W service. It was just a little thing but it made an impression. Josh said he never eats a paczki that he doesn't think of Edwin. I love that.   

 I just sorted through my large stack of [Christmas card] photos, but didn't find a single photo of him. Poppies are a symbol of remembrance and the poppies by my mailbox are blooming their hearts out right now, so... here's to the memory of a man of God who is singing up in Glory! 

Busy Week = Short Post

Colton is 3 now. Where has the time gone?! 

Last year uncle JJ gave him a motorcycle; this year he gave a helmet & gloves. Too cute! 

Avery helped us shop for flowers at a greenhouse this week. 

 

Miracle in the Rearview Mirror

 This week marked 4 years since Richard's Miracle Day. (You can refresh your memory here.) It's hard to believe it's been that long already, but I still haven't gotten beyond trying to imagine my life if I were a widow. Undoubtedly, it wouldn't feel like time is flying if I were navigating life alone. 

I don't know if people around us think of it, but Richard prefers to wear collared shirts out in public now. He's not ashamed to show his scar to people when talking about the accident, but it's not something he wants to display on a daily basis, like a preschooler showing off their new shoes. Initially it seemed to me like an incredible conversation starter about the amazing grace of God, but that's easy for me to say- I'm not the one with the scar! It hadn't even crossed my mind till someone pointed out to me that it could look like a suicide attempt. Whoa! After 4 years, it's as good as its going to get, and it's still fairly obvious on the side. So if he wants to cover it, that's his choice. 

Right after the accident, if we had a nickel for everyone that said "God must still have a plan for your life!"... We were hyper aware of that ourselves. We're still trying to discover what that is. So far it seems like it isn't one big grand thing, but a million little things. 

I'm feeling very grateful he's still with us. I could get all sappy here but let's just say he's an essential part of this family. Love ya, Babe.