Another gardening year has come and gone. And, as always, I finish up my year by doing winter greens for a couple of customers. Though I HATE the cold, I L-O-V-E doing these "winter green containers" ... Gives a nice splash of color and liveliness to an entrance/front door.
I take a lot of photos of my wife... which usually she detests. But, something I always enjoy :-)
Sometimes I take a photo of her that I can't stop staring at... One that captures who she really is. The eyes, the smile... They tell the whole story of who this loving, committed, God fearing wife and mother is inside and out.
Thank you, Laurie... for who you are, who you want to be, and who you want to please most... Our Heavenly Father. You are an inspiration to me.
Captured this the other day at a customer's house... looking through papyrus planted in her pond, towards the sun. My customer walked out into the backyard and yelled (with a smile), "What are you taking pictures of? There's nothing very beautiful right now." I laughed and kept on shooting. It's all in the eye of the beholder...
I uploaded those images tonight and this was one... I couldn't stop looking at it. I don't know what keeps grabbing my attention, but "it" does.
It's been almost a month since I visited Chicago Botanic Garden for a day to wander & ponder. I could have spent 2-3 days there... walking, sitting, listening, watching, learning...
I've always loved to visit large gardens, nature preserves, wetlands, etc. I still remember the visit with my mom and dad to Longwood Gardens - what I've always called and remembered as the "du Pont gardens" until I just recently learned the real name. We visited during a trip to Washington D.C. in the summer of 1983. I remember walking around the gardens in awe... That's when it all started... my love affair with flowers, plants, nature...
This past week was a proud one for me... Watching Andrew head off to school (first time to ride a school bus to school, also) with his shiny new trumpet in hand ready to take his first trumpet lesson.
It was at this same age I also started playing the trumpet... Meeting with Mr. Sheckler once a week in the music room at Garfield Elementary School (GO GRIZZLIES!!! Oh wait... Garfield doesn't exist anymore as an elementary school in Monmouth :-( )
I would have to say, playing the trumpet was the start of my love for music... Mr. Sheckler was an important influence with that, as well as Mrs. Pedigo (piano teacher), Gene Appel (high school youth minister), Jeff Colleen (Dayspring director at LCU), Richard Hargrove (chorale director at LCU), and most recently Matt Ludwig (worship pastor at Eastview Christian Church). And probably most importantly, because of my dad and mom. And, although I never excelled with my trumpet... my love for music has grown more and more through the years... BECAUSE of the people listed above and the value they placed in music.
I can only hope that music, in one way or another, becomes as important to Andrew and Savannah as it has always been for me.
I've been so busy the past couple of months I've had no time to blog. Being busy, though, has been VERY nice. God has blessed me with the BCC (Bloomington Country Club) opportunity, another new customer (new owners of a home I have been gardening at since 2002), a better outlook towards my work and life and a very supportive wife & kids.
I'm now in "maintenance mode" in my gardening work... weeding, watering, fertilizing, replacing, weeding, deadheading, weeding, watering... You get the idea. Though, I'll still be doing quite a bit of planting at a couple of houses where I'm renovating/restoring gardens throughout the properties. Hopefully more on that later in the summer with photos.
Speaking of photos... I had the opportunity to do a few portrait shoots at the end of April and in May... It was SO much fun!!! But... then I got busy (VERY busy) with my gardening business and haven't had any time to schedule any more shoots. Sadly, I'm just now finding time to sit down and work on the proofs for some of those shoots :-(
I'm really hoping that I can use my time better in the future to fit both of my passions into each day. It pains me when more than a day passes and my camera has not been in my hands.
The four of us are planning a trip to Chi-town in a couple of weeks for a long weekend of adventure. Lots on our to-do list: American Girl store, planetarium, Field Museum, beach, Michigan Avenue, long walk along the lake. Laurie and I love to visit Chicago... the sounds, the business, the people, the buildings, the lake, the boats... LOVE IT.
Hopefully I'll be able to get back into a regular routine of blogging again. I always like to share what's blooming... and there is A LOT blooming :-)
