The Sport of Gardening

Gardening is a diverse sport.

I know some master gardeners, cottage gardeners, and raised-bed gardeners. I am acquainted with herb gardeners, container gardeners, community gardeners, and butterfly gardeners. I have heard about victory gardeners, English gardeners, labyrinth gardeners, green wall gardeners, Zen rock gardeners, and xeriscapers.

I myself am a rose gardener, flower gardener, and basic, everyday vegetable gardener (of amateur rank, although I believe that I could grow zucchini at the professional level, if I applied myself).

One summer, I tried to be an upside-down gardener. Growing tomato plants upside down was purported to be easy and “ingenious”, but obviously I am no genius, since my endeavors proved largely fruitless!

 Striking shrub rose grown by a local master gardener

“For as the earth bursts with spring wildflowers,
    and as a garden cascades with blossoms,
So the Master, God, brings righteousness into full bloom
    and puts praise on display before the nations.” –ISAIAH 61:11 (MSG)

Fire and Ice

In Wyoming, most rose bushes are starting to lose their momentum by now. But despite the recent sweltering heat, this delightful little rose is still blooming enthusiastically.

The plant was a gift to its gardener, who doesn’t know its identity. It looks like a Pinstripe to me, but Pinstripe isn’t supposed to be hardy enough to make it through Wyoming’s Zone 4 winters. This plant has survived two thus far.

Is there a red-and-white striped miniature rose cultivar named Fire and Ice? If so, I may have a photo of it!

“…He will comfort all her waste places. And He will make her wilderness like Eden, and her desert like the garden of the Lord. Joy and gladness will be found in her….” –ISAIAH 51:3 (AMP)

Good Morning

I love to go for walks in the country. No matter how unhappy the past or uncertain the future, a walk in the country is sure to give cause to celebrate the present. This morning’s walk through Sugar’s pasture was no exception. I thoroughly enjoyed the whispy clouds that filtered the hot sun, the company of my dog and horse—both of whom were as happy for the walk as I—and a lovely patch of alfalfa and prairie coneflowers!

Bodie and Sugar

“…Lighten the eyes [of my faith to behold Your face in the pitchlike darkness]….” –PSALM 13:3 (AMP)

High Up

Jubilee has come a long way from the tiny doeling who would squeal with alarm every time she was picked up more than a few inches off the ground. Two weeks later, she can’t get high enough! Her favorite perch has been atop Blueberry, her mama, but yesterday she scrambled up my back and balanced on my shoulders long enough for me to duck my head and capture the moment digitally.

“For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is His lovingkindness toward those who fear Him.” –PSALM 103:11 (NASB)

Hay Day

Yesterday was hay day.

Because of exercise and ranch work, my arms are strong. But bucking bales--hoisting, carrying, and stacking 70 pound hay bales--uses muscles in the forearms that free weights, water buckets, shovels, and wheelbarrows don’t touch.

Not only is bucking bales an arduous task, but it always seems to take place on one of the hottest days of summer. The job can’t wait for more pleasant weather because the bales need to get off the field as soon as possible for best regrowth of the grass or alfalfa. And since rain causes the hay to mold, there’s always a push to get the hay in the stack before an afternoon thundershower blows over.

Due to intense exertion under a blazing sun, every sweat gland works overtime. The resulting moisture cools the body but also acts as a glue to which quantities of dirt and chaff stick. We wear long-sleeved shirts and jeans for protection from the scratches and prickles, but still, little bits of hay wind up inside all undergarments!

Despite the material discomforts, I love hay days. It’s fun to work hard, especially with nice people, and so gratifying to see stacks of hay stored away in the barn to feed stock and provide great barn cat habitat!

“Ah, Sovereign Lord, you have made the heavens and the earth by your great power and outstretched arm. Nothing is too hard for you.” –JEREMIAH 32:17 (NIV)

Kid Cam III

This morning when I did chores, Tonto was only 38 hours old and couldn’t have weighed more than a pound or so. But he bounced around, shook his head at Meels, and butted the hay ever so fiercely!

Minnie is so tiny that sometimes, if she gets behind or under anyone, it takes a few moments to find her in the stall. So far, she’s the friendliest and most curious of the three.

Naptime! From front to back: Minnie, Mocha, Tonto.

Triple Cute

Meels is so attentive to her new kids that she barely allows herself to eat and rest, but I’m sure that she will soon settle down as well as recoup her hearty appetite. Allow me to officially introduce Meels’ three musketeers!

Minnie 

Mocha

Tonto

“For the Father Himself [tenderly] loves you because you have loved Me and have believed that I came out from the Father.” –JOHN 16:27 (AMP)