Dry Spell

I have run out of writing inspirations.  Partly because I am spending more time working on getting 10,000 steps a day.  That takes time.  Then I am tired and fall asleep while typing.  I did become energetic a couple of months back and did some planting in the naked flower beds off our apartment patio.  Hauled in dirt to try to enhance the rocky soil.  I put the worm farm compost into the beds.  A few showers later and we had volunteer tomato plants popping up in one area.  Off to the local nursery and purchased a Big Bag Bed.  Decided to go to a big box store to get the 6 bags of soil to fill the bed.  Placed the bed next to the sprinkler system for some free watering.  Poured a few gallons of water over the soil and let it set overnight.

The next afternoon after the planter bag was in the shade, the tomato plants and some unidentifiable vining plants were transplanted.  A total of about 10 tomato plants were moved.  Hubby and I thought some would die.  I added radish and pepper seeds in the spaces between the plants.  By the next morning the little four inch plants looked happy in their new home.  Water from the watering can and all looked great.

That was late April. The tomato plants all lived.  And flourished.  The plants are covered with blossoms and green tomatoes of various sizes.  The vines had to be trained to not climb on the tomato plants.  The pepper plants never had a chance.  The radishes made lovely little rows of leaves that we can hardly find now.  The tomato plants are all over the place.  The water sprinklers may have come on twice in the two months.   Earlier today Hubby and I shuttled about 15 gallons of water to the various beds.  About 6 gallons were put in what is now called the tomato bed. 

I had promised a blogger friend to post photos of some of my plants so here goes.

Life Happens

Our son is our only child.  Our house was one of the places to 'hang out' when Son was growing up in the small town of 5,000 in southwest Missouri.  Son was very active in everything.  Track, football, band, drama club, debate class and show choir were sandwiched with working for spending money.  The best we could we attended his activities.  We were able to get to know his friends.  Some of his friends were quiet while others were just like firecrackers.  Jean Ann was one of the firecrackers.

Jean Ann had a rough childhood.  I never really knew the specifics.  She married straight out of high school and produced two children.  The marriage ended and she move next door to one of my close friends.  Jean Ann bonded with both my friend and her husband.  Life happened and I lost track of Jean Ann.  Eventually Son who had move to central Texas by that time said Jean Ann had married another one of his schoolmates, Joey.  A few years later Jean Ann and Joey actually lived just a short distance from our Son.

We moved to central Texas, too.  Last year Jean Ann and I connected on Facebook.  Our political views moved along the same direction.  She cheered me on as I marched.  I cheered her on as she spoke her piece.  She had just finished creating her own art room a few weeks earlier and had a new elder cat to nurse during the cat's final days.  On I clicked her page last week and sat stunned.  A post a couple of days earlier noted she was hurting and just feeling like death.   Jean Ann had died suddenly.  Forty two years old and this outspoken, kooky, lady firecracker was gone.  I went to her funeral today.

Hug someone you love.  Do something kooky and do not worry about who is watching or hears.  Look at the sunset in a new way.  Cause there will come a time when life does not happen.

In peace,
Janice