Knocking Off Some Rust

I am happy to say that I have finally started having moments of feeling HUMAN again.

It pains me to admit that I have been struggling for so long.

When I don't feel like I have anything positive to share or talk about, I tend to go underground.

Not the healthiest place for me to be...

isolation is NOT pretty!

So, I am pulling out my tool belt and knocking the rust off some of my old reliable tools.

Time to take care of ME!

I started journaling & meditating again, getting more sleep and listening to my body.

And I am trying to listen to more 

MUSIC!

Finally my health has taken a drastic turn.

I started seeing a new doctor several months ago that has challenged me to make some aggressive med changes.

I won't lie, it is like WWIII inside my body.

But, I am determined to continue this journey of

BECOMING ME!

I will stop

SHOULDING on myself...

and accept exactly who & where I am at this very moment.

I wasn't able to see the big picture.

What is that expression?

I couldn't see the forest for the trees. 

Acceptance is a POWERFUL thing

and not feeling like crap doesn't suck either!

Removing some of the clutter from my head, creates a ripple effect... 

I can actually sit in my rocking chair, enjoy the view and be inspired.

I found my tattered koi flag that has been MIA for a long time & got it hung as well as some new baskets.

 

 I re-strung one of my favorite wind chimes yesterday and Bill made a nice brass addition to catch the wind.

I LOVE IT!

 My handy welder husband, seeing my long awaited motivation...

fixed this metal stand to help feed my inspiration.

I know that this may seem very insignificant,
but this is something my youngest brother Pauly gave me.
And it means a lot to me.

Last weekend was the first time in a VERY long time that I got my hands in the dirt.

Only to have my chickens mow it down in less than a day, leaving only stems. 

A week later... I see signs of recovery.

 It is blatantly obvious to me how much my husband has missed the happy, healthy, motivated me.

After seeing the swiss chard massacre,

he finally made sure those gals of mine couldn't get out of the run anymore.

How many years did I bug him about that?

 With the ladies locked up tight, I found a nice cool place to put my very sad kale plants...

in hopes that I might be able to harvest even in the heat of the summer.
Now lets see if I can weed this poison ivy patch.

 I got to cross one more thing off my list of things that I had been meaning to get around to...

a little pruning & transplanting

 Mother of Thousands

 This was a first for me...

it bloomed and kept blooming almost all winter til spring.

I understand this is pretty rare when it is kept as an indoor plant.

I wish that I had gotten a picture of it while it was in full bloom.

 I brought Mary's Japanese Maple out front...

I just can't pull the trigger and put it in the ground.

I do need to get it into a bigger pot if I am not going to put it in the ground.

 I found a new place for an old friend.

I planted this peony 16 or 17 years ago

and it has been sorely neglected.

I can't even remember the last time it bloomed.

Let's see if I can give this baby some TLC.

 Rhubarb

I have never grown this or even eaten it before.

But I am ready to step outside of the box and try something new.

I am excited!

 Sweet Potatoes!

Bill surprised me and put these in for me.

He isn't a fan...

so I know that they were planted with love.

 False Indigo

I absolutely LOVE this plant!

It is one of those plants that I got several years ago that I knew nothing about.

I got one for each side of the outdoor bathroom/shower.

And I am soooo... glad I did.

They were gangly and didn't do much for a few years.

Then out of the blue...

they just came into their own.

 Star Jasmine

 Wow!

This is what I see & SMELL when I take my showers now.

I am not one of those people that takes a shower EVERY day but when this stuff is in bloom...

well,

I could take two or three.
The smell 
is intoxicating

Bill's red potatoes...

Pomegranate!
My cousin gave this to me several years ago.
I repotted it a couple times since then.
But,
I finally got this baby in the ground last fall.
Woo hoo...
it is a happy tree.
Tons of big beautiful blooms!

Gardening is ONE of the many things that I do to feed my soul...
It is so nice to know that a rusty tool works just as well as a shiny brand new one.