Early May -- Assessing My Gardens

May 4.

It has warmed up nicely here--not too warm, but warm enough for the dandelions to pop up everywhere (yeah, that's my back yard above...).  While Fernando started mowing the back yard...

I went to check on what plants have been growing in early spring--rhubarb, garlic, and strawberries.  I started with my rhubarb, because there were strange stalks I had never seen before growing out of the one large plant!

My rhubarb plant had actually flowered!  I cut them off at the stems so I could still harvest the rhubarb.  Yum!

I'm always late to the game when it comes to chives.  I always forget to use them in salads, burgers, and other dishes, and they end up budding and flowering by the time I finally remember.  See?

I just hack them down and wait for them to regrow.  Next I checked on the strawberries.  Amazing--there were blossoms everywhere!  I'm hoping for a huge strawberry harvest this year!

The front yard garden gets an assessment too, since I've got some herbs growing there.  I'm not much of a flower gardener; my philosophy is that if I can't kill it and it's halfway pretty, it gets planted in my flower gardens somewhere.

Here is my brick garden, as I call it, with flowers and herbs.  That huge bushy thing in the front is oregano, growing like a weed--which is good, in this case!

Another angle.

My English thyme (below, left side) also came in like gangbusters!  I love running my hands through the plant, then sniffing my hands.  I'm sure people walking and driving by wonder what I'm doing.  But I don't care.  Next to the thyme below is a green leafy lettuce-looking plant called French sorrel.  Yes, the English and French are coexisting nicely.  I found a recipe for sorrel soup which I can't wait to try.  Also, sorrel has a lemony flavor with a little tartness and it's really good chopped up in a raw garden salad or on top of fish.

English thyme.

My last stop is my front porch garden, with its little blue brunnera (Siberian bugloss) and the multi-colored coral bells (I think I have five varieties in there!).  The woodland hydrangea bush anchors this garden (that taller bush in the back), and there's also some astilbe still hidden there, along with a few hosta plants that keep coming back even though I've dug them up a few times.  Ha!

It's always nice to make a pre-planting trip around my gardens.  It gives me an idea of how things stand and what space will be available for this year's plants.  Now it's off to plan my veggie garden!


Back to life,
Christine

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A Special Weekend

April 18-26.

This was a special weekend-week-weekend, and I'm going to tell you about it from my perspective--because that's how I remember it best, of course.  :)

Unbeknownst to me, Jake has spent the past several months paying attention to a lovely young lady.  Month after month, our family (or just Jake) would travel to Grace Church (friends' church about an hour west of home) for their monthly dinner and hymn sing.  It was a great time to keep special friendships connected and flourishing, plus meet new people and, of course, sing.  This young lady is our friends' daughter, and she also attended the hymn sings.

I had noticed the close conversation one month, and was hopeful that something might happen in the future; little did I know things had been moving along for quite some time!

This past Sunday (April 12) had been a hymn sing, and Fernando mentioned to me that after he observed Jake and Allie sitting and talking together, he caught Allie's dad's eye and they each gave each other a thumbs-up sign.  Ooh, positive!  That was exciting.

On Monday, I received an email from Pamela, my friend whose family hosts the hymn sings (and who live at Grace Church--a church-turned-home-and-church!).  It was rather cryptic, but I read it as pertaining to me, about how certain young people lit up when I (or I thought she said "I") came to visit.  How sweet, I thought, that she would think to encourage me that way!  I replied to her email, to which she replied, asking if I was being deliberately coy or did she need to be direct with me?  I responded with a "Direct, of course!" email.  Her subsequent reply laid out the fact that Allie just lit up when Jake was around, and her family would all be so pleased if something were to happen with these two young folks.

I thought--Her family??  They know?  Did I miss something??  Allie likes Jake?  Wow.  I was woefully uninformed, to put it mildly.

Wednesday, while Jake was sitting on the couch, I walked right up to him, looked down at him, and when he looked up, I asked, quite directly, "Jake, do you like Allie?"  A slow grin spread across his face and he replied, "Yes."  I then suggested, also quite directly, that he should consider either moving forward in his intentions toward Allie, or that he should be very, very careful with her heart.

Jake asked me, "How do you know?"

I responded, "Everyone knows."  (Well, except me up until that time, but that's beside the point.)  Then I walked away.  Jake would have to make the next move.

Friday, while Fernando and I were on a date at The Morton Arborteum, Fernando commented that Jake was frustrated because he didn't have Allie's dad's phone number (ooh!!!  Excitement!!!).  I told Fernando to text it to Jake, but Fernando replied, "I don't have his number."

"You don't have his number??  I have his number!  How do you not have his number??"  I immediately texted Kevin's number to Fernando, who at some point would forward it to Jake.

On Saturday, Allie's mom Becki and I were messaging back and forth on Facebook, and Becki typed that they were very happy about this turn of events.  I am just so clueless--how long have they known that something was going on?  (I'm actually glad I was clueless; I would've driven myself nuts or interfered...)

At one point in Becki's and my conversation, Jake came into the room, agitated and acting super nutty.  "Mom, you gotta help me.  I'm going crazy.  What should I do?  Help me out, Mom!"  Huh?!  Then, all of a sudden, he took off running up the stairs and into his bedroom.

Becki messaged me that Jake had just messaged Allie on Facebook.  My thought--"How sweet to start a conversation with her!"  I'm so dense, as I said earlier...

A little later, Jake came racing down the stairs in a panic:  "My computer crashed!  Where's Danny?  He has to fix my computer!  I don't know what's wrong!!"

Becki and I ended our conversation, and the day continued.  Later that afternoon, I came into the family room where Jake and Fernando were sitting, leaning on each other.  They looked smug, and they had a secret.

Fernando asked Jake, "You going to tell her?"

"Tell me what????"

I sat down next to Jake, and he showed me the messaged conversation between him and Allie.  He messaged her his intentions to her, told her that he had received her dad's approval, and then said, May I court you?

Her response was simple and beautiful:  YES!!!!!!!!  (I may have missed a few exclamation points...)

I figured out later that his computer crashed right after he received her response.  LOL!

Two observations:

Jake didn't have her phone number, and the only way to communicate with Allie was through messaging via Facebook.  So, Jake being Jake, that's what he did.

Allie isn't comfortable on the phone (and Jake is not eloquent).  So it worked out beautifully that she could respond exuberantly to his question!

That was the start of Jake's and Allie's courtship.  On Sunday--and that brings us to today in this post--we traveled out to Peru to see Allie (and friends) in her last IVYSO (Illinois Valley Youth Symphony Orchestra) concert.

Here she is, during an awards presentation.

It ended up being a whirlwind weekend, and we didn't get a "first picture" of Jake and Allie.  We did, however, get to travel back out west the next weekend (April 26) for Allie's last recital with her piano teacher.

After Allie's recital, we went back to the H. family's home to pray together, and talk to Jake and Allie together.  To sum things up, everyone was in agreement and support of their relationship, and we were all praising the Lord for the unity of His Spirit among the three couples.  And Becki and I took the first pictures of Jake and Allie together.

Allie and Jake, with Kevin (Allie's dad) goofing off behind them.

Sweet, a little nervous, but really sweet.

Only the Lord knows where he will lead Jake and Allie, but we all know for sure that He will be their guide throughout their relationship together, wherever it leads.  I'm so thankful for Jake's and Allie's desire to be open and transparent to both sets of parents as they embark on their journey together.  It is an amazing and wonderful blessing.


Back to life,
Christine

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Honored on His Birthday

April 16.

Happy birthday, Danny!

Danny turned 22 today, and Fernando and I headed downtown with him to UIC.  Not for his birthday, though--he was being inducted into Phi Kappa Phi, UIC's chapter of the National Honor Society.

Danny's University Choir director Dr. Anderson presented him with his certificate and pin!

Danny posed with the president of UIC's NHS chapter.

Danny obligingly posed for photos with his dad and mom.  We were happy in the Lord for our son's hard work which brought him this special achievement!

In the parking lot, I couldn't resist taking a picture of the skyline, even if there were parking lot lights in the picture.  It was a beautiful sight with the blue, blue sky!

Happy birthday, Danny, and congratulations on your special achievement!


Back to life,
Christine

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Mid-April in My Garden

April 14.

Spring is here!  The time when things start turning green again, and colors start to emerge!!

Daffodils at The Morton Arboretum.

It's also time to get out in the yard and assess the flower and veggie gardens.  I weeded the day lilies first--a fairly easy job so that I could feel accomplished.

Then, it was on to my raised beds.  Here's the mid-April overview:

Things look pretty bare, but that's normal.  There is some green in there, some of which is weeds.  That was the first order of the day.

Getting rid of dandelions.

Below, the garlic bed looks like it'll have some garlic this year.  I'm hoping for a good crop; we're still using the garlic from last year, which should hold out until I can get this year's crop harvested.

The weeding is now done in the center bed, below.

My rhubarb is growing nicely.  I have two plants, one from my mom (a smaller one), and one from my friend Debbie, larger since I've had it a number of years now.  I can't wait to make rhubarb preserves!!

The mulched pathways in my garden need just a little weeding.  The landscape fabric I put down is doing its job, although I'll need some more mulch to cover the bare black spots, which you can see below.  The weeding in the paths is easy, since most of the weeds are surface-rooted because of the landscape fabric.  Some quick pulls and they're all out.  I also found some garlic growing in the pathways!  I guess it'll grow anywhere.

Joseph waiting for me to take a picture before he loads the weeds into the lawn bag.

Here's the overview at the end of our work day:

It doesn't look that much different, but we got a few things done.  The strawberry plants have escaped their bed, so I'll have an interesting time picking them this year!  I can't wait to see how many strawberries I'll get, and what my garden will be filled with this year.  Stay tuned until planting season!


Back to life,
Christine

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Australian Damper

This is one of those quick recipes for when you need a side dish to go with dinner, and you want something carb-y.  Let's face it, you want something bread-y.  This will fit the bill nicely.

I received this recipe from an online friend from Australia.  I was part of an email group (do they even use those anymore??) before Facebook exploded and everyone connected over there.  Most of us ladies were Americans, but there were a few from around the globe and this lady was one of them.  She shared this recipe with us, and I tried it once, then promptly added it to my recipe book.

Double recipe of damper awaiting the oven.

I believe this was originally made in the Outback, over a campfire.  How cool is that?  We love having it with eggs in the morning, or when we have breakfast at dinner.  Yum.

Here's the recipe!

Australian Damper
Yield:  One loaf

3 cups flour (I use freshly-ground whole wheat)
3 heaped teaspoons baking powder
1 tablespoon butter
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 1/4 cup water (more if needed)

Mix dry flour and baking powder; cut in butter.  Make a well in the center of mixture; add water.  Mix with a knife in a cutting motion.  Tip from bowl and knead on a floured surface until it has a smooth, firm consistency.  Flatten out into an oven shape, about 1 1/4" thick.  Bake at 350F for about 40 minutes or until golden brown.  Serve hot.


Back to life,
Christine

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The Mechanic, Round Two

April 4.

Thomas was back at it again.  The brakes on our Suburban have been squeaking--or maybe it isn't the brakes.  But Fernando thought Thomas should check it out.  So he did.

The brakes looked fine, though there's still some squeaking.  We'll just have to keep our ears open and hopefully things won't get worse.  If they do, we'll have to get this mechanic to figure out what's going on.

I got Thomas to stop for a moment to smile for me.  He usually gives me a smirk, but I got a good one this time.


Back to life,
Christine

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New Every Morning, Part Eight

Read previous segments here:

The Beginning
The Injury
The Furnace
The Waiting
Employment
The House
The Phone Call

The Lord's lovingkindnesses indeed never cease,

For His compassions never fail.

They are new every morning;

Great is Your faithfulness.

Lamentations 3:22-23 NASB

The Truck

Well, here we are at the beginning of May, spring is (finally) in the air (and the trees), and we're feeling a little curious.  Curious about what exactly we're supposed to be doing.  But first, let me go back and tell you about March.  And the truck.

After securing our permanent mortgage modification, we were again open to what employment the Lord wanted to bring to us.  Fernando made a few moves to start up a new business--filing paperwork to create an LLC in Illinois, purchasing more needed equipment, organizing thoughts for a website--even scheduling an appointment with an accounting firm since we had tons of questions.

By the end of February, Fernando and I agreed that he needed to start making phone calls to test the waters, to see if anyone was interested in hiring him.  One call yielded a result:  a month of work with Arctek, driving and operating their satellite truck.  This was the third SNG truck company Fernando would work with, and we thought maybe this was where the Lord was leading.  Arctek uses their truck operators heavily for one month, then gives them the next month off.  That would leave Fernando plenty of time to start his own business, repairing, installing, and training others on amplifiers in his off months.  We thought it would be an ideal situation--operate truck for a month, repair amplifiers the next.  Nice steady income if the repair side was slow.  I like feeling secure, and that felt secure to me.

Fernando picked up the Arctek truck in early March, and boy did he go right to work, one job after another, on and off throughout the entire month.

In the middle of all that we were finally able to meet with the accounting firm, after Fernando received all the paperwork for his LLC from the attorney.  He was officially Soto Satellite Repair & Services, LLC.  That felt pretty special.

Fernando kept working all of March for Arctek, gaining experience, meeting new people, solving problems, and uplinking satellite feeds.

I wouldn't even know where to begin if I sat down in that chair (above)!  Fernando wasn't intimidated at all, being familiar with the equipment and electronics inside.  I took these pictures while he checked out the satellite and made sure everything was ready before hitting the road to the next job.

It was a privilege to watch him do his work, right there in our driveway!  As much as I've loved having him home a lot, being able to interact with him on a mostly constant basis, it was fulfilling to see him back out of the driveway and drive off down the street toward the next job.

Fernando submitted official Soto Satellite invoices to Arctek for the month's work, and I was tickled to deposit checks made out to his company--how exciting!

The whole month of April, I had the thought in the back of my mind about when/if Arctek would hire him back for the month of May, or even offer him permanent employment.  By the end of April, I found it harder and harder to rest easy and trust the Lord.  We thought this was it--a regular job, with the opportunity to bring in extra income during the off months.  I wondered why the Lord wasn't cooperating with what I thought was an ideal situation.  Okay, that last sentence was tongue-in-cheek, really.  I did wonder, though, what the Lord's plan was, because it definitely wasn't what we saw in front of us.

Spring at The Morton Arboretum.

I was reminded once again that we aren't in control.  Just now, Fernando found out that the Arctek truck operator working the truck for April was allowed to keep it an extra month to get a little more income.  There would be no truck for us in May, and no income from that source.

I was reminded once again that the Lord has His own plans, and we as His children must follow Him.  We needed to trust.  I don't know about you, but this is one of the hardest things to do.  And I don't know why that is, because He is completely trustworthy, all the time.

Just as His mercies are new every morning, He asks me every morning, Do you trust Me for today?  I'm not asking for tomorrow.  Just today.  Can you do that?  My answer is yes.  I can do that.  Just for today.  Tomorrow is a new day, and today, I trust Him.

Update:  Part Nine of our journey has now been published!


Back to life,
Christine

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