The Man Knows How To Get To Me

The Wonder Sweetie called me yesterday from Tractor Supply.  Their trees were on sale for about $7 and their bushes and grape vines were about $4.

Then he asked how many I wanted.

For a man who is so brilliant, he asks the SILLIEST things sometimes.  I worry.  Perhaps he hit his head?

"All of them," I replied.

Well, we didn't get all of them, but we did get several including grapes, blueberries, plum, apple, and peach, including a couple of cultivars I had not heard of before.

Earlier this week we were at our favorite feed store.  I was sitting in the truck while the manager was talking with TWS in front of two plants.  I heard "$5" and jumped out of the truck as fast as I could.  There were two tropicals (a mandevilla and a hibiscus) in huge pots that needed to be sold asap.   Now I have 9 tropicals in the house and 4 more in the barn for the winter. :D

He will always have a bed to sleep in here as long as he keeps bringing me trees. ;)  Very thankful for that man.

This year's grapes.  Can't wait to see what the new grapevines will produce!  They are replacing the two figs at the entrance to the walking garden (well, wildflower and grass area with a mowed path in it).  There is too narrow a temperature line here for figs.

A Quiet Morning

Sitting with The Wonder Sweetie on the screened porch.  The smoke from his pipe sweetens the warm, sharper scent of wood burning somewhere nearby--a potpourri of masculinity and autumn and fire.  The grainlines of cracks and callouses in his rough, hardworking hands flow and blend into those in the bowl of his pipe and I am meszmerized by the dance of the mist and the blessing of marriage.

He reads a book on leather craft.  I am surrounded by papers of dreams and plans for this holiday season.  Determined to be a better mom, a better planner, so that my babies--now grown and tall--might have a whole season of twinkling, lighted excitement.

It is a splendid, blessed way to spend a free morning <3

Berry Plantings

I started musing about deeper things in my last post and forgot what I was originally going to say!

Like I said, we are a bit behind in the planting.  Yesterday we came home and planted 10 blueberries, 15 blackberries, 26 asparagus, and 53 strawberry plants.  The berry patches are done, as is the orchard.  Now TWS will continue to work on the irrigation system for the orchard, garden, and tomato greenhouse.  He will be running pipe from a well that the dept of ag had put in years ago.  It is 100 ft down, hitting a good aquifer.  The house is on city water, but the land can be on free well water.

TWS is amazing.  He is a literal genius in anything that needs building.  His engineering skills are so far beyond my understanding that all I can do is watch in awe.  He tries to explain everything he is doing, but honestly, I have a hard time visualizing. It is funny that the Lord blessed him and me in ENTIRELY different skill sets. :)  It works beautifully in our marriage, as we each have a pretty clear lane of expertise and interest.  I am thankful :)

Today it is supposed to be rainy, perhaps with severe weather.  I will pray that there is no hail to hurt the trees or the bushes, but I am trusting the Lord that whatever happens, He has got it taken care of :) (that is a really hard lesson, and one I am not good at, so you will probably see me mention it often as I need to keep reminding myself) :)

I think, as the weather is bad, I will turn on a movie and do laundry.  I am not sure if I will be cooking ribs or chicken and dumplings today.  I would like to try the gluten free chicken and dumplings for Preciousness again, but I also love the Stubbs marinades I have found.  Hmmm.... I think the ribs today would be good.