One spring, forty years ago, a young girl toddled after her grandmother in the small yard behind her grandmother's white-frame house. The girl was five with plain, brown hair cut into a bob, and cat's-eye glasses perched upon her nose. She wore black, patent, Mary Jane shoes which pinched her feet and a dress sewn by her mother out of cotton, made soft by many washings. Her grandmother shortened her long strides for the girl to follow. She grabbed a hoe and made a short furrow in the dark earth. The girl bent over and dropped gray and white, striped seeds into the valley made by the hoe. The earth was damp with dew and black from all of the compost and manure lavished upon it. It hummed with life. Of course, the little girl didn't know all these things then.  She just knew she wanted to be near her...

Yesterday, I bought two amaryllis bulbs from two different places, one in a red pot from Whole Foods and the other at, horror of horrors, Wal-Mart. I was in this fix because while buying every spring-blooming bulb I could find locally and online, I passed up the mighty amaryllis. I have a habit of doing so. I simply can't seem to think about both types of bulbs simultaneously. So, while I was first at Whole Foods for groceries; then, Target to get cat litter; and finally, with Bill at Wally World to buy dog food (due to a mix-up in communication we hit all three in one day), I checked on what each store had left. I found many bulbs had gotten so warm and toasty in their in-box captivity they were already blooming. So sad to bloom in the dark and such a waste. If you haven't already, buy...

I have so much to be grateful for this year. How about you? My mother is healthy for the first time in years, and my sister is also well. They are making most of the gluten and dairy free feast this year, and that makes me so happy. I'm also grateful for my sisters-in-law who are making much of the dinner on my husband's side. We are eating with my family today, and my mouth waters for the three things I love most: turkey, my mother's cornbread dressing and gravy. "What?" you say. "Those items are filled with wheat and dairy." Well, they don't have to be. Last year, I posted my mother's dressing recipe. As for the turkey, we bought ours at Whole Foods which recently opened in Oklahoma City. Yes, it was pricey, but we got a fresh, organic bird with no additives. I may go back after...

When I gaze upon flats of pansies and violas, I always wonder why the word pansy developed into such a negative connotation. Pansy flowers are among the strongest and loveliest of flowers. They withstand cold, and some of the newer cultivars seem to withstand heat too. Without them, my November Bloom Day post hosted by Carol of May Dreams Gardens would be very short because I would only have one photo of a flower, Antirrhinum majus 'Montego Red,' snapdragon. But, what a beauty it is. This dwarf snapdragon is one I search out every spring and fall. Some of the ones I planted last spring in the new bed on the east side of the garage are still living in spite of summer's hellish heat. I believe they got partial shade from surrounding plants, and this gave them the impetus to live. I also planted a lighter pink version of...