Random Five

1. A large part of my life as mother and wife -- and the unending task of homemaking that goes with those primary vocations -- has been spent in the quest of a quiet cup of coffee.

A simple goal, right? But not easy with my lot -- and I'm proud to say that, because if it were easy, I wouldn't have deserved the cup of coffee -- or enjoyed it half so much! As I'm still learning, that uninterrupted cup of coffee (or tea -- or time to read or get a pedicure or go for a jog -- or whatever it is that hits the recharge button) really does need to be a reward in order to get the full benefit. It's like Easter following a good Lent. We're hard-wired to know it; God imbedded it into our subconscious when we lost the Garden of Eden, doncha-know. Good things come to those who wait - and work for it. It's not a rest if we haven't been doing anything that tires us, and the word "vacation" implies that we're getting a well-deserved break from work of some kind -- or it's not vacation. It's sloth. 

Which brings me to the problem of retirement. Now that the bulk of my vocation as a mother is coming to an end, I'm having to think about this stuff, something I've never had to do! It was never pertinent. But now... Well, I'm still in the honeymoon period of grandmotherness, still marveling at the novelty of not being wakened by my own toddlers and still smiling at the diapers I don't have to change if I don't want to, but I'm beginning to lose the pleasure of the quiet cup of coffee.  Who'd have thought that would ever happen?? Some days, even in my semi-retirement, I know I've earned it and there's joy in that, especially since there's no force compelling me to earn my cuppa. But how weird is that? I have to work hard now to make sure I'm earning my coffee! Can I call it resting from thirty years of work and frustration? There's no-one to judge, but God. But, then, that's the thing: there's no one who's gonna judge it, but God. Who said retirement was easy? 

2. Part of our family's love of baseball has something to do with the fact that, more than any other sport, baseball is a narrative -- a story about us and about America. 

 I came across this meme this morning -- and was struck with how apropos a lesson it contains, considering recent events. I guess it was pretty naïve of me to think I could always count on baseball to be the All-American Sport -- and have that be a good thing. Sadly, though, following in the trend of  pretty much all American things being upside-down, backward, and ridiculously political, major league baseball has stayed the course: still all-American, and therefore pretty goofed up. This does prove the point of this meme, though. All important things -- good and bad -- start at home. Baseball, like America, like the American family, is a mess -- and it started at home, in the hearts and hearths of Americans, where real values and critical thinking skills should be taught and so seldom are. It's all very sad. 

I'd really like one of our carpenters
to build us a little covered shrine
very similar to this...

Right over here -- in the corner of the
"sunken garden."

3.  Continuing Imagineering

As you might notice, we still have to finish re-staining the north side of the enclosing fence (on the left up there in the picture on the right), but there are roses already planted all the way around the inside of the fencing -- just beginning to bud out. Eventually I'd like to have benches and maybe a pergola with grapes in the middle? (Haven't decided about that.) But having a somewhat private little outdoor area for meditation has always been a dream of ours. Also some Stations of the Cross going around the perimeter of the property -- ending at a little oratory on the high point of the northeastern corner of the property. Because -- why not? If you're going to dream, dream big!

* Explaining the picture on the right up above: it was taken out the window of the RV, over the concrete pad and the fencing Dominic put up last week. I'm preparing to put window boxes (see below) on top of these fences. In front of the fencing is the newly-tilled area for the vegetable garden. The "Papal Cross Posts" beyond the vegetable garden support our raspberry bushes, then it's about a three foot drop to the lawn of the "sunken garden" and another 4' drop to the big lawn on the other side, where the fire pit area and volleyball net live.

4. Geraniums are not all created equal. 

One of the lasting impressions Dan and I hold dear from our trip to Bavaria (Kevin and Ina's wedding in the summer of 2018), is the Bavarian custom of planting and meticulously caring for window boxes filled with brightly colored geraniums. Almost every home and public building in many of the Bavarian towns (actually in Baden, too, and in the Italian alps -- and I understand through Switzerland and Austria, too!) shows off their geranium-growing skills in what looks almost like town competitions -- or at least points of honor among home and business owners.  We were awe-struck with the consistently full and healthy window gardens everywhere we looked! And I was perplexed -- as a "flower lady" especially -- to learn that these gracefully draping flowers were geraniums! The geraniums I always knew were upright-growing, not draping, with rounded balls of bright flowers at the end of non-bending stems. So, what the heck? This was not what we saw spilling out from under windows all over Bavaria. No way.

With a bit of googling I learned I couldn't have been much to blame for not knowing better, though.

Most American nurseries supply only common garden geraniums (Pelargonium x hortorum), the upright variety I grew up with -- while the European variety typically used in flower boxes is the ivy gernanium (Pelargonium peltatum); it has thick glossy dark green leaves similar to an ivy, grows in a trailing vine, and has smaller, looser flowering heads. Another type, typically used as an indoor plant is called the Regal (or Martha White) Geranium, which produces bi-colored blooms, prefers cold climates, and can live to be generations old! Also, you may occasionally come across another specialty type, known as "Scented-leaf Geraniums (Pelargonium domesticum), which produce fewer flowers than the other varieties, but which are known for their unusual scents, such as apple, lemon, mint, rose, chocolate, and citronella (the mosquito plant!)

Fascinating stuff if you're a gardening type or a flower lady! And definitely marching orders. I have flower boxes to fill! So I went on a hunt looking for a nearby nursery where I could find ivy geraniums -- with no luck. Next stop: internet ordering. After a bit of price comparing over a relatively small number of suppliers, we settled on Larson's Gardens, which supplies a good variety at a competitive price -- though admittedly, more than I'd hoped to spend. (wince -- $21 for a 6-pack!) But it'll be worth it -- and we can bring in at least some of the boxes to overwinter -- or take cuttings so it won't be as expensive next year. I'll share photos when we get it all going! (As well as photos of Dominic and Monica's upstairs apartment re-do. I haven't forgotten!)

5. Gratuitous Photo of Margaret, one of our now-resident Granddaughters. 

We had some new carpeting installed in our bedroom this past week (at long last!) and had the good luck, timing-wise, to get to stay in the new RV while we waited for the smell of glue, etc, to air out -- which happenstance led to an impromptu breakfast party yesterday morning.  Bright and early, before her Mama and Papa were even  up, Margaret -- our independent, spunky little two-year old granddaughter -- found her way downstairs and out the back door -- then  toodled across the dew-specked lawn in her footy pajamas -- where her Dandad (having just gotten back from morning Mass) waylaid her and brought her the rest of the way -- where Mommom took over. No moss growing on this kiddo! She knew where to go for raisin bread toast and Sr. Antonia's orange marmalade!