Blue Jeans and Cotton Tees

Have you ever noticed that when you step outside in the winter all you smell is cold?

That’s why I really love all the smells of spring.

Fresh cut grass.

The lilac bush in full bloom.

The apple trees bursting with blossom.

The lily of the valley hiding in the grass.

The hyacinth that perfumes the garden.

There’s a tantalizing fragrance in the air that excites us! It draws us outside, compels us to open the windows and breath deeply.

It’s a fragrance that we quickly recognize as spring – it smells alive.

I was reading in 2 Corinthians the other day when this verse caught my eye:

2 Corinthians 2:14-15  Amplified

But thanks be to God, Who in Christ always leads us in triumph as trophies of Christ’s victory and through us spreads and makes evident the fragrance of the knowledge of God everywhere,

For we are the sweet fragrance of Christ which exhales unto God, discernible alike among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing”

How incredible is that!

In Christ, we’re walking in a never-ending victory parade! And – everywhere we go we give off a sweet fragrance that is full of life!

Now that’s how I want to live.

I want a life that is open to Him and fragrant with His knowledge.

I want a life that is a beautiful aroma that will draw people to the Lord.

I want to be  an enticing perfume that compels people to open the windows of their hearts and drink deeply of the the sweetness of my Savior.

I want to be that sweet fragrance that people recognize as salvation – the exquisite scent of life.

Can you see the little pretties coming up? Aren’t they cute?!

Don’t even try to count them – there are too many! And these are just the ones I started early.

You should see all the seed packets that are going directly in the garden – the huge pile of sweet corn, green beans, peas, pumpkins, and much more!

Let’s just say I went a little overboard.

I stood in the seed aisle at Menard’s and lost my sanity.

Maybe it was the result of a long hard winter, or the warm breeze blowing outside. Or maybe it was the bright colored pictures of the big beautiful vegetables. I don’t know what caused it – but something snapped.

I was a kid in a candy store. I bought 4 different watermelon varieties, 2 different muskmelon, a cantaloupe and a honey dew variety – never once remembering that last year we failed to have even one melon seed of any kind germinate.

I have 36 cabbage plants, 36 broccoli plants, and 36 cauliflower plants started – 4 times as many as I normally plant.

Then there’s the peppers – both green and jalapeno (I can just taste those poppers!) and tomatoes.

Did I mention the 6 kinds of herbs I started from seeds?

I guess hope is new every spring. This is the year that the rains will come at just the right time, we will keep ahead of the weeds, and the bugs, coons, and other varmints will not appear.

My gardening mistakes and failures in past years are forgotten in the wonder of springtime.

I’ll let you know when reality hits!

Spring! It looks like you are finally here!

The temperatures are warming up, there’s rain – not snow in the forecast, and the 4 legged varmints are back.

You know the ones – raccoons, ‘possums, skunks and the like.

Although none of these animals actually hibernates during the winter months, they sleep longer and don’t do as much stuff. Some call it a state of “tupor” – waking from time to time to search for food.

That sounds very familiar – much like my own winter pattern!

As the days get longer and the warmer, they venture out and become nuisances.

We counted 3 dead skunks on the way to church yesterday. (Bet those cars will remember that stretch of highway for a long time!)

One friend reported that a critter had gotten into their chicken coop and killed every chicken. The intruder didn’t eat them – just killed them.

Another friend had a similar occurrence – but they only lost half of their flock.

At lunch today – I  saw a big fat ‘possum walking across the farm yard as if he owned the place.  I was concerned that he might be diseased so I checked online.

The site I found was full of interesting information. I discovered that although opossums are nocturnal, to have them wandering around in daylight isn’t too unusual – just like cats.

They are also very immune to rabies, but you should still avoid getting a bite. (Now that’s good advise!)

I also found that possum tastes like chicken, but if you wish to eat them, you should first catch it and feed it table scraps and other good food for a while to work all the carrion out of its system.

Right… like I really want to look the critter in the face and ask when it ate it’s last meal of carrion?! I wonder how long it would take to remove the effects of a carrion diet anyway?

But this particular sight didn’t recommend the practice of eating opossums at all. It sited that “a small cadre of renegade opossums has been known to have sought out people who have eaten their compatriots and lay siege to their dwelling. Armed with crude but efficient crossbows, they may shoot arrows into the car tires or capture and hold hostage the pets of the offending citizens.“

Wow! And since it’s online – you know it has to be true! I guess we’ll cross ‘possum off the menu this week.

I sent the boys out to take care of the offending critter.

Let’s just say it won’t be eating any of our chickens or eggs; nor will we be eating it.

Things will settle down here in a few weeks when the rest of our corner of the world wakes up and shakes off the winter doldrums.

But in the meantime we’ll keep the critter gun ready – and a close eye on the flock!

One of the things I missed most when I moved to the country was the tornado siren.

I know it sounds silly, but there was comfort in knowing that if severe weather was coming I would be warned, especially in the middle of the night.

The spring we stood and watched a deadly tornado destroy trees and homes just to our south made me more determined than ever to protect our family.

We had no warning. None of the TV stations had covered it. None of the radio stations mentioned it. A neighbor called in and reported it as it picked up in intensity and stayed on the ground for miles.

That’s when we got a weather radio. It’s plugged in 24/7 year around. During the spring of the year it goes off frequently, day and night. But what a blessing it is to know that if severe weather is coming my way, I will be warned.

Now that’s peace of mind everyone who lives in the country needs to have!

“See!  The winter is past; the rains are over and gone.  Flowers appear on the earth;  the season of singing has come, the cooing of doves is heard in our land.  The fig tree forms its early fruit; the blossoming vines spread their fragrance.”

—   Song of Songs 2: 11-13