My Fridays are usually filled with some office work, errands to take care-of, and chores to complete.
Here I sit, instead, at my big bright window looking out across my soaking wet backyard as the rain continues to soak in. My coffee cup to the left of my computer is one of my favorite mugs. I got it at the Charles Schulz Museum (Peanuts guy, for all you uncultured folks out there). On my mug is Lucy and Snoopy. Lucy is telling Snoopy, "If everybody agreed with me, they'd all be right." Classic. It's a great mug and even better, reminds me of the special trip up north with my three precious children who are growing up way too fast.
Sitting on my lap is my enormously furry orange cat. The same cat that Bret secretly hopes will wander away sometime and free the house of his fur. For now, however, he is my companion for the day. Oh, my dog is here too, but he is wet from the rain so I have confined him to his blanket in the corner.
It is hard to be productive on a beautiful rainy day like today.
White blossoms smile at me from across my yard. My blackberry vines are loaded with dainty white flowers ready any day to begin the transformation of turning into berries. I see ever so small green strawberries pushing their heads out from between the quickly fading blooms. My garden is planted, so all this rain is simply saving me the time and money of watering. I love this season in the garden. Everything is planted, but harvest has not yet begun. There's a few things to do, like guide the peas and beans as they make their way up the carefully knotted web I have created for them. I also gently lift tomato branches so they rest on supporting posts and cages. Every so often there is a sneaky snail or a mischievous weed who may sneak into my garden to try and disrupt my peaceful spring-time growing. As long as I'm quick to conquer those annoyances, all my growing continues. I see sunflower sprouts, only two inches tall. It's amazing to think those little plants will be ten feet tall soon enough.
One reason why I like gardening so much is to watch all the daily spiritual lessons I learn working in my garden. I often wonder what season I am spiritually in. Then my mind gets thinking about harvest and I wonder if I've ever really reaped a harvest? Define harvest I question myself. Is harvest monetary or people?
I am a classic perfectionist who has at least three books uncompleted and probably a good year's worth of Sunday School curriculum, not quite ever finished enough for publication. My thoughts turn back to my garden and I have to laugh out loud. When the August comes to my yard, I am tired of watering and don't have the energy to pick the loads of vegetables growing so crazily! Even in my yard...I don't follow through. I love the designing, creating, planting, working, waiting...but not the harvesting. You'd think that would be the best time, like the story of The Little Red Hen. She grumbled at having to do all the work herself. Me? No, I like the quiet time in the yard to myself.
Perhaps one day I'll get some motivation to finally complete one of my books or lessons or articles. Maybe. For now, I'll just sip my delicious coffee, feel the warmth of my kitty on my lap and watch the rain fall.
