Wow! Spring is here and as March marches out like cold hearted Empire Stormtroopers, I find myself constantly looking down. Down at the grass that already needs a mowing, down at flowers that I feel are just a little too anxious to get started and down at my favorite underground animal ( yes I said animal!) the tiller of the soil, the earthworm.
All this rain has brought these dirt munching machines to the surface, and yesterday I found myself throwing the ones still wiggling out of my garage and back into the flower beds. I always wondered why on a wet morning, the worms would be out. I called them "The Worms Of Dawn!" and thought maybe it was just all the party worms and teenage worms who didn't get back down to earth before it got dark. What I heard, and makes sense, is that when it rains and the ground gets saturated, worms will drown! Duh! They are air breathing animals after all, I mean, they don't survive when we hook them and use them for fish bait.
Anyway, I love earthworms, so I'll try to save a few if I can, because they are essential to good gardens. They know their job and talk about focused, or perhaps obsessed, that would be the earthworm. Each time I dig in my yard or garden, I find earthworms, or should we just call them worms. Occasionally of course there's a grub, which not a worm, but the larvae of all those June bugs that will buzzing in July, and the interesting thing, is I don't believe I have ever found an earthworm sleeping! It seems that whether in good soil or in a clod of hard clay, they are doing what worms do, and what is exactly is that? Well, let me tell you, it has to do with changing nutrients in the soil into worm casings, or poop. I am impressed by the diligence of these guys and their constant pursuit of better soil, at least that is the way it seems to me. In reality, and this is my reality, I have no idea if it is scientific, I think they are all just trying to find that really good underground cafe' where they can move around easily and, well, get good dirt.
Have you ever tasted dirt? I am thankful for all the great food that comes from the earth beneath my feet, I am truly glad that the Creator, decided that it was better for those created last to have a taste for the "fruit of the vine" rather that the medium the root of the vine sucks life from. Anyway back to worms, I found that if I have good dirt, I will have big healthy worms, who are tearing through the dirt, compost or manure pile like crazy. These are happy worms (until you dig them up then they get a little cranky). I think all those skinny little worms in the clod of clay in the north garden are just itching (is that possible) to get to where these big fat worms are so they too can drive through a big pile of rotting leaves and get fat. That I believe is their only purpose in life, oh, and to also make more worms, 'cause we definitely need more worms. Worms who are willing to tunnel through clods of hard clay to get to where they can fulfill, or maybe just fill that place in the rotting leaf pile. Where, when they are done, I will praise them and use their casings to make things grow!
What am I talking about? I guess the question is do you know the purpose God has for you? If so are you willing to take a position in a rotting world to try to make it better. God and the world need more people who will become like an earthworm in the world, working out of sight most of the time, but striving with a single purpose in mind. For this you too will receive a reward of a place where you can move around easily and find the best nutrients for your eternal life, and God, the Master Gardener of all will look at you and say "Well done, my good and faithful worm!"
Wiggle on in Peace my fellow worms!
Welcome to Windrock
Saturday, March 28, 2009
Thursday, March 19, 2009
March (Spring) Madness
In most of the world, a season change is imminent, for us here in the northern hemisphere of the West, tomorrow is the first day of Spring! Yes! There is much celebration, the media continually talks about March Madness, talk of seeding and brackets are everywhere in print and in the air. All this talk just because its the first day of....wait the NCAA tournament!? This is the most important time of the created media, college sports world, however for those of us in the real world, talk of seeding means hitting the garden center, not 3 pointers, and the only brackets we are thinking of are those plant parts holding the blooms of early flowers.
While tonite there are play-in games, I will be thinking about plow-in opportunities for fertilizer and other soil enhancers. I will not be disappointed by turnovers in my March madness because they will reveal hardworking earthworms doing their duty of enriching the earth, not enriching their wallets. In the midst of my celebration I be making free throws with rocks into the 5 gallon bucket or wheelbarrow to get them out of my court. As I continue to work through the regions of my yard, I'll take stock of the players who will be moved into the pro leagues of new gardens and in the evening I'll look at the lists of new players that I may draft to fill spaces where particular plant players weren't able to perform up to my expectations.
In my March madness, I rip up weeds, who are playing where they shouldn't be and surround those favored plants who survived the winter season, with a pre-season cushion of mulch, so they can grow stronger through the spring into the stressful summer training season.
In about a month, my March madness will turn into plant pandemonium, as real spring comes and the temp doesn't fall to freezing on a whim. My seeming madness of being out in the bare looking gardens will be paid back in full. Enter April, May and June, when the iris don their flowing jerseys and daylilies, in full color, trumpet to the bees that it is REAL SPRING. Tulips, phlox, and sundrops will post up to defend against the growing green landscape, scoring points with passers by and ladybugs alike. No black and white whistle blowers here, no fouls, anything that blooms makes points, sometimes even weeds. I am convinced that God's favorite flower is the dandelion, so instead of cursing the yellow dots, I look at them as punctuation to Spring:
Spring is here! Spring is HERE!
Yes, March spring madness is here, so tomorrow I won't be listening to see if some small school beat some large school, I'll be taking the day off and spend it counting dandelions and earthworms. Come go mad with me!
Peace!
While tonite there are play-in games, I will be thinking about plow-in opportunities for fertilizer and other soil enhancers. I will not be disappointed by turnovers in my March madness because they will reveal hardworking earthworms doing their duty of enriching the earth, not enriching their wallets. In the midst of my celebration I be making free throws with rocks into the 5 gallon bucket or wheelbarrow to get them out of my court. As I continue to work through the regions of my yard, I'll take stock of the players who will be moved into the pro leagues of new gardens and in the evening I'll look at the lists of new players that I may draft to fill spaces where particular plant players weren't able to perform up to my expectations.
In my March madness, I rip up weeds, who are playing where they shouldn't be and surround those favored plants who survived the winter season, with a pre-season cushion of mulch, so they can grow stronger through the spring into the stressful summer training season.
In about a month, my March madness will turn into plant pandemonium, as real spring comes and the temp doesn't fall to freezing on a whim. My seeming madness of being out in the bare looking gardens will be paid back in full. Enter April, May and June, when the iris don their flowing jerseys and daylilies, in full color, trumpet to the bees that it is REAL SPRING. Tulips, phlox, and sundrops will post up to defend against the growing green landscape, scoring points with passers by and ladybugs alike. No black and white whistle blowers here, no fouls, anything that blooms makes points, sometimes even weeds. I am convinced that God's favorite flower is the dandelion, so instead of cursing the yellow dots, I look at them as punctuation to Spring:
Spring is here! Spring is HERE!
Yes, March spring madness is here, so tomorrow I won't be listening to see if some small school beat some large school, I'll be taking the day off and spend it counting dandelions and earthworms. Come go mad with me!
Peace!
Sunday, March 15, 2009
Confessions of an Amateur
Amateur: 1; a person who engages in a pursuit for pleasure and not as a profession. 2: a person who is not an expert. I'm such an amateur.
The definition certainly does draw an bold line to separate this amateur from the professional, and it almost sounds like, well a person who is amateur is not going to be very good at whatever pursuit they are engaging in.
Ah, but if you look at Websters source of the root of the word, you find from Latin amator -lover, fr. amare to love.
Amateurs love what they do. Love causes us to do the best we can.
So I hereby confess to be an amateur in the following:
Husband, There are no professionals in this realm and generally if you try to model your professional husband after some book or TV figure you will find out that what was written or filmed was not done by an amateur, and should of had a warning "I'm a professional do not try this at home.
Father, Again, looking for a professional model for this, you will find there are none, there are only ranks and ranks of amateurs who have made good in the pursuit of doing it with the least amount of pain and the greatest return on time and love invested. Nobody gets paid here.
Grandfather: Here everyone is an amateur, and to be honest, there has never been a professional league. Everyone loves it and would do it for nothing. Some folks even volunteer to do it for kids that aren't their own flesh and blood....amateurs.
Gardener; There are a lot of professionals in this field, but like professional baseball players, they are far outnumbered by amateurs. These amateurs are the most optimistic of all amateurs. Always hoping that some little seed or scrawny plant muse will give back some of the love they have recieved. They are always planning ways to be better, but not professional, amateur is just fine with them.
Runner; Amateurs show up at races where they have no chance of winning anything, and pay to be there too! I hope to never lose my amateur status in this category. * Getting t-shirts does not count as pay, it is only a token of appreciation for amateurs!
Singer; Another category where amateurs way outnumber the professionals. In this category though, there are many amateurs who in their hearts really, really , really want to be professionals, and are convinced they can be, we see them on American Idol every week. The real amateurs here know that the song that comes out of their mouth, is not necessarily the same as what they have in their heart, but it doesn't matter to them or usually to those that love them.
Christian disciple/witness; Amateur is what most see themselves as, and not just amateur, but part time amateur. I too have been in that category. Unlike the other amateur characters listed above, there is not much pride in being an amateur Christian. I don't mean to be mean, but somehow, being an amateur runner or gardener even parent is OK, but to be an amateur religious zealot, just seems weak.Is being an amateur Christian OK? If you go back to the definition and root of the word. Lover, to love. then perhaps being an amateur here is OK. If I profess to be a Christian, I hope that my amateurism shows here as much as it does in my grand parenting, or gardening or running, I hope that my love of the pursuit of sharing Christ, shows and that it is contagious.
If you have ever been around a group of grandparents, runners or gardeners, you will find these amateurs sharing experiences and advise. No one is judging the other by what they have accomplished, but all are wanting to learn and to teach. Yet in a group of Christians, the amateur who asks questions that they "should know the answer to" are treated as, well, amateur and may be scorned or mocked. I have had a lot of people tell me they are not in a Sunday School class or small group because they don't know enough. In other words, they feel that everyone else in the class is way above them in knowledge and having been in church longer are more schooled, perhaps even professional.
I say, let's all confess that in our faith we are amateurs. There have been and are professionals out there teaching and preaching, but the Great Commission was not given to a professional ad agency or a polling company. It wasn't put on a professional Power Point presentation or group email, it was given to a bunch of amateurs, who shared with a bunch more amateurs and they kept sharing. Yes, somewhere in there professionals have tried to take over, but the bottom line is, that without amateurs like you and me, the love that God has for us would never make it to the coffee shop or the cubical. So let it be known: Amateurs needed and more than welcome.
Come join us.
Peace.
Dan
The definition certainly does draw an bold line to separate this amateur from the professional, and it almost sounds like, well a person who is amateur is not going to be very good at whatever pursuit they are engaging in.
Ah, but if you look at Websters source of the root of the word, you find from Latin amator -lover, fr. amare to love.
Amateurs love what they do. Love causes us to do the best we can.
So I hereby confess to be an amateur in the following:
Husband, There are no professionals in this realm and generally if you try to model your professional husband after some book or TV figure you will find out that what was written or filmed was not done by an amateur, and should of had a warning "I'm a professional do not try this at home.
Father, Again, looking for a professional model for this, you will find there are none, there are only ranks and ranks of amateurs who have made good in the pursuit of doing it with the least amount of pain and the greatest return on time and love invested. Nobody gets paid here.
Grandfather: Here everyone is an amateur, and to be honest, there has never been a professional league. Everyone loves it and would do it for nothing. Some folks even volunteer to do it for kids that aren't their own flesh and blood....amateurs.
Gardener; There are a lot of professionals in this field, but like professional baseball players, they are far outnumbered by amateurs. These amateurs are the most optimistic of all amateurs. Always hoping that some little seed or scrawny plant muse will give back some of the love they have recieved. They are always planning ways to be better, but not professional, amateur is just fine with them.
Runner; Amateurs show up at races where they have no chance of winning anything, and pay to be there too! I hope to never lose my amateur status in this category. * Getting t-shirts does not count as pay, it is only a token of appreciation for amateurs!
Singer; Another category where amateurs way outnumber the professionals. In this category though, there are many amateurs who in their hearts really, really , really want to be professionals, and are convinced they can be, we see them on American Idol every week. The real amateurs here know that the song that comes out of their mouth, is not necessarily the same as what they have in their heart, but it doesn't matter to them or usually to those that love them.
Christian disciple/witness; Amateur is what most see themselves as, and not just amateur, but part time amateur. I too have been in that category. Unlike the other amateur characters listed above, there is not much pride in being an amateur Christian. I don't mean to be mean, but somehow, being an amateur runner or gardener even parent is OK, but to be an amateur religious zealot, just seems weak.Is being an amateur Christian OK? If you go back to the definition and root of the word. Lover, to love. then perhaps being an amateur here is OK. If I profess to be a Christian, I hope that my amateurism shows here as much as it does in my grand parenting, or gardening or running, I hope that my love of the pursuit of sharing Christ, shows and that it is contagious.
If you have ever been around a group of grandparents, runners or gardeners, you will find these amateurs sharing experiences and advise. No one is judging the other by what they have accomplished, but all are wanting to learn and to teach. Yet in a group of Christians, the amateur who asks questions that they "should know the answer to" are treated as, well, amateur and may be scorned or mocked. I have had a lot of people tell me they are not in a Sunday School class or small group because they don't know enough. In other words, they feel that everyone else in the class is way above them in knowledge and having been in church longer are more schooled, perhaps even professional.
I say, let's all confess that in our faith we are amateurs. There have been and are professionals out there teaching and preaching, but the Great Commission was not given to a professional ad agency or a polling company. It wasn't put on a professional Power Point presentation or group email, it was given to a bunch of amateurs, who shared with a bunch more amateurs and they kept sharing. Yes, somewhere in there professionals have tried to take over, but the bottom line is, that without amateurs like you and me, the love that God has for us would never make it to the coffee shop or the cubical. So let it be known: Amateurs needed and more than welcome.
Come join us.
Peace.
Dan
Monday, March 2, 2009
Eternal Optimist.
"Concrete is heavy; iron is hard--but the grass will prevail. " Edward Abbey
March 2, 2009, 18 days until Spring, when the grass will prevail....again! But as I look out my window this morning the remnants of Saturdays cold front that carried 3 inches of snow for us and up to a foot for folks farther east, still is piled in places protected from the weak, but strengthening sun. Today the high temp is to be in the mid 3o's but in 2 days, 65 degrees will once again give hope for Spring!
In the sermon yesterday the pastor used the parable of the sower, and asked if anyone was a full time sower, no hands went up. Then he asked if anyone would like to be a full time sower, mine was the only one that went up. In another era I might have been a farmer, like my grandfather before me. My parents are part time farmers and I am an amateur gardener. That sounds pretty lame, but if you look up the definition for amateur, you will find it has roots in I think French "amare=" to love". " A person who engages in a pursuit for pleasure and not as a profession." Well, that would be me. I would also have to add that as an amateur gardener, I am an optimist. Who knows what will happen when the seed or seedling is planted? I don't know for sure, but I hope for the best.
For several years now I have been a patron of the Missouri Department of Conservation's George O. White State Nursery near Licking Mo. This great service of the state allows citizens to purchase trees and shrubs for very low prices. I mean, where can you get 30 plants for $25 dollars.? The thing is these plants are very small and though some grow very fast, most will be 5 or more years to becoming the tree you will buy at a nursery for $50 or $100. With that in mind I determined that I was probably getting too old to purchase plants here with the expectations that I would see them mature. My thoughts on this are based on visiting my hometown and seeing trees I planted 25 years ago just beginning to really fill the vision I had when I planted them in 1984. Let's see 25 years from now, I'll be 78. So last year I declared, no more Conservation trees, I'm going to buy big trees that I can enjoy!
Well, I just got my post card notification from George O. White that my order will ship in the next 10 days or so. Red twig dogwoods, flowering dogwoods, Ohio Buckeye, White Fringe Tree, Golden Currant, and American Beauty berry. 25 plants to add to my amateur garden. Except for the Ohio Buckeye, these are all "fast growing native shrubs or small trees". I am optimistic that most of these shrubs will add beauty to my gardens and that my grandkids will bring me a buckeye when they visit me at the nursing home.
Peace
March 2, 2009, 18 days until Spring, when the grass will prevail....again! But as I look out my window this morning the remnants of Saturdays cold front that carried 3 inches of snow for us and up to a foot for folks farther east, still is piled in places protected from the weak, but strengthening sun. Today the high temp is to be in the mid 3o's but in 2 days, 65 degrees will once again give hope for Spring!
In the sermon yesterday the pastor used the parable of the sower, and asked if anyone was a full time sower, no hands went up. Then he asked if anyone would like to be a full time sower, mine was the only one that went up. In another era I might have been a farmer, like my grandfather before me. My parents are part time farmers and I am an amateur gardener. That sounds pretty lame, but if you look up the definition for amateur, you will find it has roots in I think French "amare=" to love". " A person who engages in a pursuit for pleasure and not as a profession." Well, that would be me. I would also have to add that as an amateur gardener, I am an optimist. Who knows what will happen when the seed or seedling is planted? I don't know for sure, but I hope for the best.
For several years now I have been a patron of the Missouri Department of Conservation's George O. White State Nursery near Licking Mo. This great service of the state allows citizens to purchase trees and shrubs for very low prices. I mean, where can you get 30 plants for $25 dollars.? The thing is these plants are very small and though some grow very fast, most will be 5 or more years to becoming the tree you will buy at a nursery for $50 or $100. With that in mind I determined that I was probably getting too old to purchase plants here with the expectations that I would see them mature. My thoughts on this are based on visiting my hometown and seeing trees I planted 25 years ago just beginning to really fill the vision I had when I planted them in 1984. Let's see 25 years from now, I'll be 78. So last year I declared, no more Conservation trees, I'm going to buy big trees that I can enjoy!
Well, I just got my post card notification from George O. White that my order will ship in the next 10 days or so. Red twig dogwoods, flowering dogwoods, Ohio Buckeye, White Fringe Tree, Golden Currant, and American Beauty berry. 25 plants to add to my amateur garden. Except for the Ohio Buckeye, these are all "fast growing native shrubs or small trees". I am optimistic that most of these shrubs will add beauty to my gardens and that my grandkids will bring me a buckeye when they visit me at the nursing home.
Peace
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