Garden update

If you scroll down to May 2, you can see our garden one week after we planted.  Here it is again, not even one month later:

We're pleased and surprised at our initial success.  Also, I'm spending much more time chasing moles, voles, striped gophers and slugs round and round in our "Garden of Eden".  I don't think Eve had to do that in her early days of gardening...it was after she was tempted by the certain produce that she had to find ways to 'outsmart' the critters.
You can read about her garden in Genesis, chapter 3.  Hers was organic...I need expensive sprays and products (mothballs for moles, slug poison, etc.)to care for mine.

Diaries and letters...

I'm not a consistent writer in my diaries, but I have boxes of them going back almost 50 years. I surely write many letters.  More by email, but still many by post.  I love writing them more than I do receiving them.  (don't let that discourage you from sending the one you're composing to me just now).
Often I read the synopsis of a book listed in Amazon...while reading this today in TRUMAN by David McCullough I learned:
Harry wrote at least 1,302 letters to the love of his life, wife Bess, during 49 years.  Also, thousands more to his mother, sister, cousins, old Army friends, fellow politicians and editors.  As well as many diaries. 
We could know him well by the wealth of material he composed.
Letter writing is a dying art.  For 20 years I've enjoyed creating colorful and unique envelopes for my words of greetings and information.  Through sharing these with others, I've made friends with some met through internet groups who also are fond of this pastime.
Reading about Harry was a connection with another who enjoyed the same.

Sharing with YOU

Oh Boy!  I find these super-interesting articles and photos and just HAVE to share them...
so, today, you're my recipient.
I took some 'rabbit trails' yesterday while studying the Bible, and ended up at a spot by writer Gene Edwards, retired pastor.

  He says there were 20 apostles...not just the 12.  Here's how it goes:
The 12 righteous men (all Jews, I think) trained by Jesus;
after He left, Paul trained another 8.
These men were all Gentiles and worked to build the church, for which we believers are a part of and thankful for today.
Titus, Timothy, Gaius, Aristarchus, Secundus, Sopater, Tychicus, and Trophemus.  Later the eight were joined by Epaphroditus.
These were very young men, maybe just 'seekers' at the point they began with Paul.  He mentored them, trained them to
travel into towns and cities and begin churches.  All of them without formal education in a seminary, going as 'tentmakers', I suppose. 
What must their parents and families have thought?  They bucked the Roman, Jewish and Pharisaical authorities to establish European and Asian churches. 
I'm grateful they persevered.  Interesting book by Gene Edwards:

working the soil

The account of Cain in Genesis 3-4 takes on meaning while working on our garden.  As usual, I have tons more questions than answers.  It's my way of processing information, I guess.

Abel was a shepherd...Cain was a farmer.
verse 3: In the course of time, they each brought offerings of their occupation to God.
verse 8: Cain spoke to his brother.
Was it a sharp retort? A long argument over hours or days?
It led to anger, violence, murder.

 Cain spoke to Abel his brother. And when they were in the field, Cain rose up against his brother Abel and killed him. Then the LORD said to Cain, “Where is Abel your brother?” He said, “I do not know; am I my brother's keeper?” And the LORD said, “What have you done? The voice of your brother's blood is crying to me from the ground. And now you are cursed from the ground, which has opened its mouth to receive your brother's blood from your hand. When you work the ground, it shall no longer yield to you its strength. You shall be a fugitive and a wanderer on the earth.”
 (Genesis 4:8-12 ESV)


Cain's punishment was linked to his crime.  He will no longer be able to cultivate the soil because his brother's blood cries out to God from the ground.
How old were these guys when this happened?

Was their silence in the field immediately after?  did the blood in the ground begin to scream immediately?
Could Cain hear the haunting sound?  Could he ever push a plow again without invading memories?
Did he have to change jobs?  Did he ever find satisfaction in his work again?
Did he re-live that fateful day for the rest of his life?
How could one ever be free of that one awful hour?

Is my thumb green or ?????

Well, we tried lawn care company, mowing, seeding, fertilizing, procastinating, dreaming.  Our back yard just wouldn't cooperate.  We don't even care if we ever have GRASS, for Pete's sake!  Just orderly weeds and rocks would be acceptable.  Nope...none of the above.  This is what we dreamed of:

But, since we don't know much about the craft of gardening, this is what we started with last week:

this is how it looks today:

and here:

Also, I've learned to LOVE lavender...and dreamed of this yard:

Well, I'm working on it:

Really, I'm not joking!  But, I'm not giving up either.  On the other hand, I also LOVE MINT...any kind...and that's doing well:

Be sure to check back in a month or two to see if my green thumb is working....or if the bugs, slugs, rabbits and squirrels are winning.

Wonder how Eve managed her big garden?  Oh, yeah, that's right...it's God that gives the increase.  Praise Him.