What do people do that live in apartment buildings do about gardening?  I guess that those that live without outdoor space to plant flowers, etc. are relegated to houseplants in pots.  That is one reason we have been blessed by having a home that we can have flower gardens, green lawns, as well as hanging pots (on the front porch thanks to daughter Amy).

Pat has been wanting creeping phlox for a very long time.  Since we have just returned from a month long vacation and the planting season is still going strong, we went to Trenton's Co-op and discovered that there plants were on 1/2 price sale!  YAY!!!!  The best part was the had 32 creeping phlox plants!  We then spent the rest of the morning driving around looking for a lawn wagon that I could pull behind my riding mower if necessary.  Finally found the perfect one at Lowes in Union City.  They even loaded it in my car for me.  We hurried home and took a nap, because it was that time of the day, and old people do better when taking a quality nap in the early afternoon.  That's my excuse, and I'm sticking to it!  After the nap, Pat helped me slide the box out of the car and onto the driveway.  I took a shovel and loosened the grass and weed infested raised garden that the phlox were going to call home, then started what the directions of the wagon said "30 minutes to complete".  To that I say"Not in this lifetime!"  For one, even if there was a competent "putter together" person doing the job, it would be next to impossible to do it single handedly.  So after fussing with it with caveman tools like my metric adjustable wrench, Pat finally called in to Amy's house for help.  Just so happens that Amy's husband had a complete set of metric AND standard wrenches.  With their help of holding the parts in place and David using his magic socket set, we completed the task and we now have a four wheel garden wagon!  Today after church (and the all-important nap) we will finish the weed removal in the garden, we will put in 6 bags of top soil, and plant the purple creeping phlox.  I will show you the results of our project tomorrow.

All this work is something that was so much easier a while ago, but now is encumbered with extra "equipment" that has to be carried around.  However, I can be away from my O2 machine for a while, but with the exercise of shoveling, etc. I still get tired some.  But I enjoy yard work and will do what I can enjoying the fresh air, sunshine and watching and listening to the birds chirp to each other.  I am proud of our yard and how it blends in so well with the other neighbors yards and homes.  When we moved into the neighborhood some years ago, this was the rental house on the block, and as such wasn't the best kept house in the neighborhood.  Since then, Pat and I have been doing our best to upgrade our property to be a pleasing sight as you enter our cul-de-sac.

Point of this story:  Take care of what you have, the best you can.  I have seen many places that with a little tender loving care, and not so much money, could be very attractive homes.  Unfortunately not everyone has that priority.  A little effort to mow your grass, and put an occasional coat of paint on the trim, etc. makes for a nicely kept home.  I remember years ago in Minneapolis a home our Navy Reserve Unit painted for an elderly couple that just couldn't do the work themselves.  We got Valspar Paint Company to donate the paint and brushes, got some ladders and scaffolding (three story victorian home) and 30 guys from out Reserve Unit together and we scrapped and painted their house in a weekend.  The inside of the home was well taken care of, but with the heights involved outside, it was impossible for the couple to get it done by themselves and they couldn't afford a company to do it for them. So we did it and all felt like we had accomplished something good when we were finished.  Did the news media get involved? NO... it was done as a community service project to help someone who couldn't do it themselves...not for our recognition.  It "tasted" better that way.

Keep singing, keep praying, keep smiling

Blessings this Sunday,
Gary