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Providence and roses
“As Providence would have it” is a phrase that’s common where I work. You see, I work for a group of Catholic nuns (they prefer the term women religious). I’ve always believed in the Providence of God although I didn’t use that terminology when I was younger. One of my favorite verses is “And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.” (Romans 8:28) I believe this with all my heart but some days it’s hard to hold on to, physically. I’m surrounded, daily, by strong, incredible women of faith but I…
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Veggies – here we come!
I signed up for my first CSA experience (community supported agriculture). Next week Joe and I will pick up our first one-half share of locally grown, organic vegetables, fruits and herbs from White Violet Center for Eco-Justice. Being “wild” about eating my vegetables is a fairly new experience for me. Knowing how to prepare vegetables so that they are tasty is even a more recent experience. While I enjoy most raw vegetables, cooking and serving them for a meal is a whole different story. After moving to Indiana seven years ago, and having access to locally grown organic produce, I appreciate the fact that it seems to taste 100 percent…
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First flower bouquet
If this season’s “preview” of flowers is any indication, it’s going to be a wonderful spring and summer around the Weidenbenner house. Our roses are off to a healthy, robust start. The reddish coral one that you see is from our Bernie Weidenbenner bush that he brought up to our house in 2010 in memory of my mom. The white blossom is from a rose bush that my mom purchased for us (it happens to be our largest bush at this point). The purple bud is from a bush that we purchased last year and the irises are from bulbs planted by the past owner of our house (pre-2005). Joe…
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“S”napper: mow, mow, it’s off to work we go!
When we moved to Indiana, my father-in-law kindly donated his “seasoned” Snapper riding mower to our almost-one-acre of land. (The fact that he wanted a new, zero-turn radius mower sweetened the deal). Husband Joe was up to the task of tackling the brambles, branches and bushes as well as neatly mowing and trimming the grass. The first mow of the season took two and a half days – not solid mowing time of course and only during daylight hours. Adjustments needed to be made to the seat, spark plugs, carburetor and blade. And, it quickly came to our attention that mowers need oil. Who knew? Joe’s dad knew. However, Joe…
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Blogging from A to Z: Perennials
The definition of a perennial according to the dictionary is “a plant that has a life cycle lasting more than two years.” Roses are perennials … right? One of my dreams has been to have a rose garden. In Indiana, because of the humidity, it’s not uncommon to find roses growing in vacant lots, along highways and abandoned houses. Our previous townhome in Denver didn’t allow us to plant our own plants. They had a lawn service and they would only “support” foliage that was already there. Many times I was tempted to plant my roses, “be darned,” but I didn’t want the lawnmowers to eat them. When we moved…
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Blogging from A to Z: Early spring
For many of us this winter (and now early spring), have been really odd seasons. Not much snow or precipitation. In early March the tulips, daffodils, magnolias, lilacs, hostas and other perennials were dusting off their mulch and popping up to greet the season. Wildlife were waking from their deep winter slumber to look for food and nesting possibilities. I saw a baby Pileated Woodpecker at our birdfeeder two weeks ago. Many of us feared that we would get a late snow or final frost that would maim the early budding plants. We’re still holding our breaths. A friend and I went for a drive to Rockville, Ind., and discovered…
