MOM OF TEN

MOVIE TEASER "RUST" VIDEO TO VIEW

2009-06-12T23:19:00.000-07:00

We want to share an address with anyone interested in a new movie coming out this fall. It is being filmed this week as I write. Our daughter and her husband and their four children will all be in it as well as a lot of the people from the town of Kipling Sask. I will include the website address for you to go and view the TEASER of THE MOVIE : "RUST"

OUR GRANDDAUGHTER IS IN THE MOVIE AND SHE HAS WRITTEN SONGS THAT WILL BE PRESENTED AS WELL AS SOME MUSIC BY OUR DAUGHTER

HOPE YOU ENJOY!

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Rust/77274123107

2009-06-12T23:05:00.000-07:00

It has been awhile but I am still here. We had a incident this winter when the weather went to 40 degrees below an our water pipes froze and burst. We suddenly had a new indoor pool 4 feet deep. It was quite a mess and we have spent the last month or two clearing out everything to either throw away or try to dry out and save. Everything has to be washed with bleach - the walls, shelves, and anything washable. I am now putting wallpaper on the rusty clean shelves. Some time in the future I will try to get them painted but for now the wallpaper will do the trick. All canning jars and lids and plastic containers and whatever I find down there will have to be washed and put back on the shelves. My husband Gary dug out all the dirt that fell away from the back wall and carried out over 50 pails. I had him pile it to make me a raised flower bed. I dug up a spot and laid out newspapers in think layers and covered that with cardboard and spread out some of the pails to cover it. Then we emptied out the compost bin and put a layer of that and then another layer of dirt. The worms should be very happy now as they have all that new dirt to work on for the summer. I may try to plant a few things there but it probably won't be ready until next spring. Praise the Lord that now my basement is about 3 feet longer and maybe we will yet dig out more dirt. The basement has dried up quite well since we removed the basement window and replaced it with a screen so the wind can blow through and air it out. Well, another experience in our life to learn by. But in all that mess the Lord protected our computer which was stored there. What a surprise when we glanced into the little glass partition in the side of the computer and saw DUST not MUD. Hallelujah what a Saviour!

KYLES UPDATE Jan 7, 2008

2008-01-17T14:47:00.000-08:00

As you know our 4 year old grandson Kyle underwent surgery to remove a growth on Dec 12 which took 7 1/2 hours. They had to take his shoulder apart and open up his back to remove 4 ribs and a growth the size of the four ribs as well as part of his lung.

Our daughter Stelena shared with me how amazing it was to have no fear during this time of waiting and how awesome it was how the Lord gave her total peace.

The doctors told her that a certain amount of time had to pass before they could test the tumor because it had to do something beforehand.

On Jan 7 when she had to take him for his blood count she also met with the doctors. They were excited at his progress and how well he was doing.

The tumor was 90% dead !!!!!!! Praise the Lord!
The doctor said that 80% is good, 85% is excellent and 90% is above excellent. They smiled as they gave her these results.

He will have to have radiation treatments starting Jan 21 every day from Monday to Friday for 4 to 6 weeks because of how aggressive Ewing Sarcoma is and they don't want any invisible cells to be undetected.

They planned for him to have physio therapy to regain the use of his arm after surgery but it is not necessary as it is working perfectly and he has good posture. The stitches were done so well that there will be very little scaring.

When they asked her how he was doing with pain medications she told them he isn't taking anything and has no pain.

They are excited at how well he is healing and doing. They gave her pictures of the ribs, tumor and lung on a CD which she is thankful for their consideration.

I asked about the expandable material used to fill in the space where the ribs were removed and she told me that it will slowly dissolve over the next 6 months and the body will fix itself and fill with fluids. When he turns 18 years old he will have to have reconstructive surgery. This allows for him to have his full growth so they can build a ribcage for him at that time to fill in the cavity.

Stelena said that you wouldn't believe 2 weeks ago he underwent a major surgery such as this.

We want to thank you all for your prayers and appreciate your continued prayers for the outcome to be in God's hands. Gary & Linda Smith

Results are finally in for Kyle

2008-01-08T14:49:00.000-08:00

PRAYER REQUEST FOR GRANDSON

2007-12-31T13:53:00.000-08:00

Here are the requests and updates I have been coping and pasting to send out to friends for prayer.
September 2007
We are so thankful the Lord is in control. Stelena is wholly trusting in His protection and is shining for Him.
It is in God's hands and we pray for wisdom for the doctors. He has been on chemo for the past few months but the growth has not lessened in size and now it is their decision to operate Dec 12. The growth is attached to his rib bone behind his lung which caused his lung to fill 2/3 full of blood and this had to be drained with tubes. The Lord has been good through this time upholding Stelena and giving her unusual strength to do what needs to be done. She told me that she cannot believe that she is driving on Toronto freeways almost every day. Also she has learned how to give Kyle his shots necessary after each round of chemo which is absolutely an act from God. She is surprised at herself and knows it is of the Lord.
We have not been at the computer much of late as we just returned from a unexpected trip to Ontario. We had news that our 4 year old grandson was diagnosed with Ewing Sarcoma which is a rare bone cancer. Gary and I would appreciate all prayer chains to join us for God's protection for Kyle. He is such a cheerful and tough little guy. Shortly after learning of this and him being admitted to Sick Kids our daughter gave birth to a daughter Teija.
Gary and Linda Smith

Kyle is our 4 yr old nephew and weighs 40 lbs. He has been diagnosed with Ewing Sarcoma. This is an agressive and rare type of cancer found in 1/3,000,000 people between the ages of 5-15 yrs old. They are not sure how it forms. It is a bone eating cancer that eats into the bone. Kyle has tennis ball size tumour on his 3rd and 4th back rib. We don't know how long it's been there. They discovered it in mid-September.
He did have another tumour form on his lung (which meant it had metastesized), but it disappeared. There is a rim left to show that it DID exist!! Isn't God good!! The doctor said, "it was real, it was there, and now it's gone". Praise the Lord!!
We have been praising God through this awesome incredible miracle. Kyle's chances of survival were very slim at that time. They had already hooked him up to receive bone marrow as a last resort. They gave him a 10% chance of survival. God chose to change that rating around to 75% or more. We're claiming in faith 100% healing!!
Kyle has undergone 6 chemo treatments since that time. He is being given the most toxic dosages. He has had a blood transfusion and has lost his hair (these are all pretty routine symptons of treatment). He also gets Heparin put into his catheter tubes daily between treatments. The tumour has not SHRUNK at all!! So they will need to take it out. This cancer grows agressively and the bigger it is the faster it grows. Ewing does not have stages. It is a stage.
On December 12th Kyle will go into the hospital at 6am (Ontario time) and start surgery at 8am(Ontario time). The doctors say that the surgery will be for 7 1/2 hours. They will be opening up his chest and going past the heart and lungs to operate. They will put him in ICU for 24 hours minimum after that to monitor the heart and lungs. He will have tubes sticking out all over him to drain the fluids that will build in his body during surgery.
They recovery time is 7-10 days if he is doing well. We claim it in Jesus' name!
The tumour is stiill partially alive. We want it D-E-A-D and suffocated of any life. If it is 75%-90% dead they will only have to continue chemo treatment. If it is still alive they will have to do radiation every day for 4-6 weeks. This is not a GREAT option.
My sister Stelena is a strong believer in God. She prays faithfully over Kyle, and because of that has not had to take him in for any fevers. It has just gone away after she prayed. She plays healing cd's all the time in his room, even if it is turned down low.
She is married to Keith and has 3 children Nathan (11), Benjamin (6) and Teija 2 1/2 mths old. This has been a very trying time for their whole family. They've had to stay with other people during this time. God has provided for them and is taking care of their needs. They will have to stay in Toronto until May.
Thank you for all who have been praying already. We are just sending out a petition for others to join in prayer. The more that pray the more powerful the warring angels can raise up and fight for wholeness and healing. Thank you, thank you, thank you for taking the time to read through this lengthy email. We are BELEIVING!!! We are DREAMING!! We have FAITH!
Please pray for:
1. Kyle's immune system
2. Kyl'es heart and lungs to be healthy and strong
3. Precision for the surgeon
4. Wisdom for the doctors and nurses
5. Strength and hope for Stelena and Keith
6 Support for them emotionally, physically, mentally and spiritually
7. The tumour to be DEAD
8. Whatever God leads you to pray
If you have any thoughts or prayers that I can send on to Stelena please send them on. She would be so encouraged.
Stacey
Dec 12, 2007
Hi Mom,
I'm just talking to Stelena. Kyle's out of surgery and they got the whole tumour out. Praise the Lord!!! They took out 4 ribs. They're putting expandable material in its place. He is still resting, but it's looking great!!! The doctor said that he did awesome in the procedure, no bleeding. They only had to take a touch of the lung and stapled it back. We're waiting to hear the percentage of what's left alive in the tumour and the tumour was smaller than they thought it was originally from the tests!! Things are looking good. Stelena will know more tomorrow. He's in ICU for 24 hours minimum. I will talk to her tomorrow and send you a line.
love you,
Stacey
Dec 13, 2007
Hi Mom,Stelena is in ICU with Kyle. As far as I know all is well. I talked to her at noon today. I will try and call her now.
Dec. 14, 2007
Hi mom,I did send you something last week. I don't know which email, but I know I did. He is at home now and is doing great. He had a lot of pain for the first few days.
They are letting her know today about the radiation. We are praying he won't have to have it.Stacey
Dec 20, 2007
He is at home now and is doing great. He had a lot of pain for the first few days. She should be online now that she's back home. They are letting her know today about the radiation. We are praying he won't have to have it.

I have included a couple pictures: One of Kyle and his mom Stelena and the new baby Teija. Linda

Born Sept 20, 2007 weighing 8 lb. 10 oz. Teija

I Got a New Plant for Indoors

2007-07-14T21:33:00.000-07:00

We will be heading home as tomorrow is the last day of Stampede and my garden awaits my tender loving care. I miss being able to go outside first thing each morning and finding things that need doing. My husband has been watering all plants in pots for me and I am afraid he will get attached and take over my job I love. LOL This is the guy who would not let me have a plant in the house because it was dirt. Now he is digging up spots and asking me to plant more and he amazes me when he brings home plants that have been discarded and says, " Can you do anything to help this survive?" This was when I started to realize how addictive gardening can become. Today I transplanted an umbrella plant into a nicer pot for my daughter. I told her it deserved special treatment because she has had it for a number of years and hasn't managed to kill it yet. I asked her if I could have a piece from it because I had to have a plant that could survive so much neglect. It is a lovely plant and it is getting new leaves all over it even though the ground was like dry concrete. There was absolutely no moisture in the soil. It looks so much nicer in the lovely stoneware pot instead of those black plastic throw away ones you bring your plants home in from the nursery. I did manage to get a piece and put it into that black pot to take it home and transplant. This is one plant I have never had and I look forward to seeing it grow into a lovely plant like hers.

Foxglove Seedlings

2007-07-14T11:49:00.000-07:00

I am anxious to see the garden and also to finish transplanting a bunch of itty bitty, tiny tiny, foxglove seedlings which I started from seed. It is so hard to believe that these tiny plants will next year be 6 feet tall and so absolutely astounding. I did actually purchase 3 plants to put in so I will have flowers this year and they will probably go to seed and replant themselves but you know me, I had to try them from seed for myself. LOL It will be interesting to have them multiply quickly. With my delphiniums, hollyhocks and now the foxgloves it should be qiite a spectacular site. Since in the front of the bed the larkspurs have already filled in one spot and the Sweet Williams are quite filled in and the many, many colors are wonderful to behold. There are dianthus and a number of other plants as well and it is exciting to awaken to the new blossoms each day. I do hope to add some photos soon.

This display should cover the ugly site of the leaves from the bulbs I planted last fall when these are done flowering.

RESULTS AT LAST

2007-07-09T10:37:00.000-07:00

It is exciting today to hear from my husband how quickly the plants are growing. He said you can almost watch them grow. LOL With all the hot weather we have been having this past week there is such a change in the garden. Even my husband and son have been commenting with a "WOW!!" statement.

I was beginning to worry that the soil needed refurbishing with compost or fertilizer, since this is the fourth year to have planted without adding anything to the soil. My compost has been in progress but working very,very slowly. I hope to be able to side dress the rows now that the plants have gotten taller. I did put peat moss between all the rows and then watered it well (both the night before and first thing in the morning again) when I knew the hot weather would be coming for a week as I had to go away to take our daughter to sing at the Stampede Talent Show.

A few weeks ago we were finally able to go and pick up the compost (which contained chicken manure) that we had started when we moved last year to a farm so I am hoping that this will help to activate the compost and get it working. We plan to put it on the top of the garden and work it in in the fall to improve conditions for the plants for next year.

But to my amazement the veggies are shooting up and looking wonderful. I can hardly wait to get home to see the garden and also to enjoy our first meal.

We have been having salads since April thanks to plants coming back on their own and the first planting of lettuce we have been enjoying for the past couple of weeks.

My new flower garden is thriving and lush with blossoms. I got a little out of control and it is about 40 feet long and about 10 feet wide. It covers almost the entire side yard. Even so I am thoroughly enjoying going out each morning at dawn to see the spectacular show. I can't help but "Praise the Lord" for His goodness in these little things. It is like receiving a bouquet of flowers every day and sometimes more than once a day. What joy it brings to see these new plants bringing forth this colorful array just for me.

I just had to cut our hedges to the 4 foot fence so that I can share this beauty with passers by and bring joy to their day. The hedges were about 10 feet tall and completely enclosed our front yard. It is nice to meet neighbors from blocks away who are now walking further to see the changes each day. They stop to comment on how wonderful it is looking and strange but no one ever stopped to tell me how much the grass had improved. LOL

REMEMBERING

2007-06-27T17:39:00.000-07:00

I was just thinking back to what got me started with a flower garden. It all started when we moved into a house and we noticed that the house on the corner had hollyhocks all along their fence. It was amazing to see all the wonderful colors displayed. While walking past I noticed that many little plants were coming up in the grass on the boulevard so I knocked on their door to ask permission to take a few. When I was told it was city property and they just mowed the plants down I dug out a half dozen plants and went home to dig up a small spot at the front of our new home. Well, I have never looked back to the days when we had no flowers in our yard. Before long I had dug up the entire front yard and filled it with every kind of flower I could find. I put up an arch over the front pathway and it began to resemble an English garden.

With raising ten children I had my hands full at times and the flower garden has been a gift from God to relax me and help me to face the next problem. While working in the beds I found time to be alone with the Lord and His presence gave me the peace to go on. My friends wondered at my sanity when I told them weeding was my favorite job next to doing dishes but have you ever noticed that when you do these jobs everyone seems to suddenly disappear and you find yourself all alone. Gary wrote a poem called Quiet Time many years ago which expresses so completely how difficult it is to find time alone to be with the Lord. I will include it

QUIET TIME

A quiet time alone each day
Is what one needs, a time to pray.
Too oft, the world goes rushing by,
Heeding not their souls heart cry.
And burdens seem to greater grow
If seeds of prayer we do not sow.
Seems to be such a simple task,
Just to pray and only ask
Our God above to lend an ear
To all the problems pressing near;
But just you try a prayer or two,
And see what work it is to do!
So may the best-planned project of your day
Be that quiet time you take to pray.

© Copyright Gary James Smith 1995
garyjamessmith2005@yahoo.ca

HATE CUTTING GRASS

2007-06-02T18:28:00.000-07:00

We have often lived in homes with small yards and did not always have a lawnmower. This caused for a lot of stress as it grew and looked very shaggy. At times I would go out and cut it on my hands and knees with a knife or a pair of scissors. As you can imagine it was rather tedious.

I decided to dig up along our house to plant a few hollyhocks which were growing along the roadside. Soon I thought to make the spot wider and before I knew it I had dug my way to the sidewalk and my husband questioned my sanity.

However when people started coming for many blocks extending their walking distances and biking run to stop and chat about the flowers he was amazed. He then realized that the Lord could use this as a ministry to the needs of others. I heard comments like, "When that plant goes to seed can I have some?" or "I see you don't have a certain plant and if I would stop over to their home I could have a piece to transplant". They all told me how beautiful it looked and I cannot remember ever hearing anyone say, "My, what a lovely lawn you have."

It came to look like an English garden and I splurged and bought myself an archway and used some scrap boards to make myself a short fence to encase the plants so others would know not to walk there until the plants got established.

My husband now asks, "Where do you want me to dig?" and no longer questions my sanity.

SPREAD THE SEEDS

2007-06-02T18:15:00.000-07:00

Today I attended a Going Away Party for a friend in the Lord and this time was such a blessing to my husband and myself. The testimonies and songs to show appreciation for her influence and effect on lives touched our hearts in a special way.

But the one thing that stood out was one lady's comments on how they had decided to put packages of seeds in the center of each table with seeds sprinkled around. This represented how this woman spread the seeds of the gospel into the lives of all those she met. This is our purpose for being here on this earth and it was such a simple illustration of faithfulness.

We need to wake each morning with the desire in our heart to represent our Lord and Saviour to others. We don't know what the results will be but it is our responsiblity to speak the Word in love. We never know what will speak to a heart and reach an individual for the Kingdom.

Being an avid gardener and knowing the excitement of the sprouting of these little tiny seeds, imagine how much more of an impact when it is a life of those we meet through our lives. To think it means where they will spend eternity should make us stop and take the time to talk to others.

It is so easy for us to get caught up in the busyness of the day and failing to look around for the needs of others. May we each pray as we start our day that the Lord will lead us to those He wants us to talk to and the words to share with them. They need to first see Jesus in our lives and know that we care for them as individuals.

ROUNDUP IS ALMOST OVER

2007-05-29T14:02:00.000-07:00

I have almost finished rounding up the strays. All those tiny little seedlings are now where they belong in the new flowerbed. That is all except the poppies. They are still way too tiny to make the attempt so I have been faithfully watering them for an hour each day to hurry up the process. I can't plant any vegetables until they all get moved.

The new flowerbed is looking great and getting fuller all the time. I can hardly wait for everything to be in bloom. So far I have enjoyed the white tulips, crocus and grape hyacinth. The pink hyacinth just opened yesterday so that is exciting.

I had to come and let everyone know that I had something funny happen the other day by accident. I had washed up an old doll bed and had it sitting at the edge of the garden until I could think of something to use it for and as I walked by being in a hurry I through my hand tool into it. I started to laugh as the thought came to my mind, "I am putting my tools to bed for the night!" I shared it with my husband and he said I should share it with the blog.

I am so thankful for those volunteer plants which just come up in the spring on their own. We have been enjoying salads for weeks now and the garden wasn't even planted yet. My lettuce and radishes are just at the leaf stage so it will be a while yet before we can cut any of that but my spinach and green onions have been cut constantly.

The strawberry plants have been put in and now the long wait for berries. They are looking great however and it is still exciting to watch them grow.

Our snow also has gone at last and the sunshine is beautiful. I was able to plant my carrots, beets and parsnips (these from the seeds from a plant from last year)

I will wait a few weeks before I brave putting out the tomatoes or basil or peppers.
Speaking of which I should share with you that I wanted to put in some hot peppers and didn't want to buy a whole package of seeds as I would have them for many, many years to come. I decided to buy one little pepper and cut out the seeds and dry them and that little pepper cost all of 18 cents. I got 21 plants came up and I thought I only planted 18 seeds. Go figure. I will keep you all up to date on how the plants progress and if they produce so you can also try this method.

SPRING IS ALMOST OVER

2007-05-24T22:31:00.000-07:00

When I look out the window and see the totally white snow covered fields it amazes me that summer is almost upon us. The trees look like a Christmas card scene and it is really beautiful to behold if it was the proper season to enjoy it.

We just last week transplanted a field of strawberries and now winter has arrived once again. Hopefully the plants won't die from shock.
It will be funny to look back at these entries and the dates and the weather. Alberta certainly is unpredictable.

We talked with our daughter in Ontario and she was telling us how terribly hot it was there (27 degrees Celsius) and I was wearing a sweater and a winter jacket. Oh, for the days of warmth to come back.

Well, enough of feeling sorry that I am not able to get out in the garden but I had to tell someone how disappointing it was to have a blizzard on May 22, May 23 and May 24, 2007. And it looks like it will stay that way again tomorrow.

There are only 4 weeks until the first day of summer and winter just isn't letting go.

SNOW AGAIN

2007-05-23T08:43:00.000-07:00

Well now that we are almost at the end of the month of May you would think we had seen the last of the snow. But, NO, it is here once again or should I say still. Who would believe that with the plants coming up in the ground it would get cold enough for snow. Only in Alberta can the weather fluctuate so much and so quickly. It can be 20 degrees celcius and then the temperature drops low enough to give us more snow.

I had to hurry to bring in my little baby seedlings to the warmth and protection of the house. I don't dare to take the chance of leaving them outside even though protected under plastic. The evenings have been quite cool but they have remained strong and healthy but since the plants are doing so well I couldn't risk losing them after all these weeks of caring for them.

I did plant the same flower seeds outdoors and the plants are sooooo much smaller but I wanted to see what the difference would be. I will wait until I am sure it is safe to put out the ones I started inside and it will be interesting to see just how much difference there really will be. Since I planted only those that would reseed and come back again year after year it will be interesting to know if planting them outside will make the plants more hardy to this unpredictable weather.

My new flowerbed which I dug up by hand in the fall is about 12 feet deep and about 40 feet long. Many of the plants I put in last year are up and very healthy. Mostly perennials are planted at the back. I have hollyhocks, delphiniums, Bachelor Buttons, Bee Balm, Lovage and Comfrey. Since these are all tall and stately plants it makes a wonderful background for all the new plants I have put in and will put in this year. So far I have put a hosta, and in the fall I put bulbs for tulips, grape hyacinths, daffodils, hyacinths, etc. When these bulbs start to die down the plants I am putting out later will cover the spots and the beauty will go on without bare spots in the garden. I was thrilled last fall to find a sale on bulbs which were regularly priced $4.99 and on sale for $1.00 per package. Needless to say I purchased 15 packages and planted them immediately. Not all have come up to my disappointment and I am sure it has something to do with the many, many neighborhood cats using my freshly dug flowerbed as a new litter box dug up just for them.

I am hoping to figure out how to put pictures to share the changes with others as things start to fill in. I don't know yet how to do so but it would be nice to watch the stages and the final outcome and have a record to look back on.

HERE AT LAST

2007-05-16T17:39:00.001-07:00

Last week I went through the yearly job of rounding up the strays. Oh, how those little seeds spread throughout the entire garden. I went out with my trowel and ice cream bucket. Patiently I sought out each tiny little plant coming up in all the wrong places and dug each one out gathering them together in my little pail. As the grouping grew the bottom of the pail filled up and when it was tightly full I found the perfect spot for planting it again. I dug a nice round hole and carefully placed the entire circle of volunteer seedlings into the hole. I now had a lovely circle of bachelor button's, sweet williams, daisies and dianthus. Now to wait for next years roundup.
Our first rain but the air is so cold that you wonder if it will freeze coming down. At least the ground will be getting moisture to help all those wonderful little seeds that have waited all winter to begin their sprouting and growth . Now for the warmth to come and encourage all those dormant bulbs into existance.
So much is going on under the ground and if only our patience can endure the wait to see the beauty arise in our back yards. Time just seems to go by so S L O W L Y!!!
Until next time and there is more news to pass on. Bye

THE SUN IS SHINING

2007-05-08T15:21:00.000-07:00

What a wonderful day! Praise the Lord for His goodness!
As Murphy's Law would have it I am nowhere near my garden. Oh, the itching urge to get home and dig in the dirt is consuming my thoughts. It becomes difficult to visit on days like this.
Now that I know my lettuce has poked its head above the ground and my radishes are planted and the little green hairs sticking up through the dirt are trying to become onions for that mouth watering salad I yearn for. I can hardly wait to be sharing my bountiful supply when others are just beginning to plant their seeds or work up their ground. I am beginning to realize that I am a compulsive gardener. It has become a year round urge to see growth and benefit from the fresh produce or beauty of flowering plants.
It brings such joy to my life to be able to share my flowers and plants and produce with my neighbors and friends and family.
To think we can have all these gifts from those tiny little seeds and yet benefit from the time in the fresh air, enjoy the sunshine and get exercise all at the same time. No need to join a gym or tanning salon and the time alone with the Lord is the greatest benefit of all. People often think I must be crazy to love weeding but the time alone with my Lord is so precious and brings me such peace that I can't help but be ADDICTED! Bye

SPRING IS HERE AT LAST

2007-05-08T15:20:00.000-07:00

Well, who would believe that we would be watching the snow still coming down on April 18. Imagaine that, gardening will just have to wait. Praise the Lord for the extra moisture going into the ground and we can look forward to the weather improving sometime.
At least I can enjoy the little plants indoors which I started a few weeks ago. It keeps me encouraged that they will soon go into the ground outside. It is so much fun to watch those tiny seeds break through the ground and become lovely little green plants. Even my one and only geranium broke forth with beautiful colorful flowers. What a celebration to be blessed with these little day brighteners.
I planted a number of new bulbs into my flowerbed last fall and am anxiously awaiting their arrival as this is the first time I have had bulbs to come up in the spring. And it would have to be the year that spring decides to be late in arriving.
I guess I will have to content myself with reading Gardening Books for a few more weeks.
We learn patience through these strange occurances in weather.

Spring Is Here

2007-03-14T10:55:00.000-07:00

The excitement of planning a new garden each year is so uplifting and thrilling to me. Even before the snow leaves the ground I am getting ready inside by starting my starter plants. Over the years I have learned to control the urge to plant to much and realize I need to limit the number of plants to what we need plus a few extra in case some are lost. I also love to have some extra to be able to share with others.

It is so good to be able to make another entry to my blog. For the past year I have been unable to get into my page. Hopefully I will now be able to find the time away from my gardening addiction to type in more postings.

I have become so accustomed to not being able to open my blog that I am not really prepared with any new info. Glad to be back.

GARDENING IDEAS

2006-06-10T12:21:00.000-07:00

I love square foot gardening. It makes gardening manageable. I didn't use the small one foot squares but instead uses 8 foot boards and was able to make sections 4 foot by 8 foot by laying these down to walk on.

After working up the soil by hand with a shovel and removing all the roots and weeds it was ready to plant. I could immediately plant that area and move on to the next and laying out the next boards and planting again. When I do this I find I have so much less of a problem with weeds. I have found that rototilling just multiplies the problem and the battle is much greater in the end. The long hours of work are well worth the effort in the end.

I use a 2 inch by 4 inch board to help me make the rows by laying it against the outer frame board to walk on and then lifting it so that the 2 inch side is pressing against the dirt. I push this down to make a trough to plant the seeds in and then let the board go back to the 4 inch side and up again to the 2 inch to make the next trough. This makes 2 inch troughs every 4 inches to allow room for growth yet closely planted to shade out any weeds from growing between. It is amazing how many carrots and parsnips I got in a 4 foot by 8 foot area plus the bonus of no weeding.

Continuing this until the garden area was completed. It took me till the end of June but was well worth it. Now it is done and never needs to be done again. We only walk on the boards so the ground is never packed down or disturbed. My friends and neighbors thought I was crazy to take so long to do it all by hand but now they are stunned at how little weeding I actually do compared to their gardens which were rototilled.

All I do need to do is work it up with a garden claw and make my rows and plant. I plant very closely and so weeds don't stand a chance either. I get more produce from a small area this way. My neighbors were surprised when I refused the use of their roto tillers. I didn't want to multiply my weed problem as our yard had been unattended for a number of years and the weeds had taken complete control. Now they are surprised at how very few weeds I have.

It also looks so organized with each block of growing produce. I just love it. When I do want to work on a particular area it isn't overwhelming as I can finish each small block in a short time and be done. I work in a pail of peat moss and compost to each area before planting and again it is such a small area to work it is a joy to feel like I accomplished something. Never having that unfinished feeling again. I move my crops to different spots each year to rotate the use of the ground.

I do have herbs and strawberries as well as flowers that all return year after year. My friends have told me my garden is an inspiration to them and they want to try it themselves. They are interested especially in having flowers throughout the garden to enjoy. So I decided to share it here with others.

I have read of an idea to use tires to grow potatoes by stacking them higher as the plants grow adding dirt as you do so. You end up with a tower of tires and you just knock it down at the end of the season and it is full of potatoes in a very small space of ground because you are going up.

I was thinking that building boxes side by side in a neat row with scrap lumber would work the same but look neater. The main thing is to grow upwards to get more food.

I even tried using my compost bin one year as I hadn't been using it because it was too small and I found a large boxed in area worked better for composting. The only problem was the plants getting enough sunshine until the plants got taller. I took off the top section and then added it later to solve this problem. It worked fine and I just had to remove the composter to get at the potatoes which had grown inside. Easy harvesting.

These are just a few thoughts to share.

I have many indoor plants to keep me content through the winters but am always anxious to get outdoors. That is another benefit to this style of gardening. I was able to plant my lettuce, spinach, peas, and radishes in April because my ground was ready to go and I didn't have to wait for it to dry up as many of my friends. We live in Alberta and I had lettuce ready to eat when everyone else was just starting to plant theirs. If I could get a few boxes covered with windows I could probably do even more crops earlier. We have only been doing this for the past two years so much to learn yet.

Introduction

2006-01-19T09:37:00.000-08:00

Hi my name is Linda Smith and I was born Dec 19, 1949. I grew up in a non chrisitan home and had one brother who is 20 years older than I am.

My grandmother was my constant through these years as my parents were alcoholics. My gramma had 12 children and was only 4 foot something and 75 lb. with a size 4 shoe. What a woman! She had her foot cut off when her skirt got caught in my grandfathers sawmill. It was a miracle that the doctor of that day decided to try to restitch her foot back on. That was unheard of and she did suffer for the next year with infections etc and had to stay in bed. But she kept her foot needless to say with a very big indent where it had been severed almost completely. My grandfather was a big man - over six feet tall and over 200 lb. It was a comical site to see them together. When pictures were taken he had to sit down and she stood beside him and even then they were about the same height. All 12 of the children were taller and larger built. It was a funny family picture to see.

My own parents divorced when I was a child and my dad raised me as my mom decided to go out and enjoy her own life. It was such a sad thing that she had to miss out on being a mom and having love around her. Her selfishness lead her to a life of lonliness.

I loved school and put all my efforts into getting good grades because I enjoyed learning. I helped my dad keep the house running by doing the shopping and cooking and cleaning. Ihave to admith it was fun to have the run of the home. My dad worked hard and still helped out with dishes and cooking so we could work together. I really appreciated having him there to set rules. I needed that structure in my life and he provided it. My brother Darcy would carry me in blankets to the car and take me to my gramma's very early each morning so I could walk a mile to school from there as he and my dad worked in a Steel Mill.

I met my husband while only 10 years old but only to know his name and who he was. We met at a friends house and we ended up sitting at the kitchen table talking for the next 3 hours. Then a few years later when I was twelve he made it a point to meet me each day as we passed going to different schools. He would go out of his way to be where I passed so I would notice him. I however, was not interested and he decided to make an introduction and get me to notice him. I was at a dance with my friends and he walked over and asked me for my phone number. I replied that I didn't give my number to anyone and he said, "Well, I will give you my number." My answer was that I don't call boys and he showed me a list of other girls names which they had written down for for him. To this I replied, "Well, then call them." I turned away to ignore him and he turned a chair backwards and sat himself down beside me. When I continued to ignore him he said, "I know how I can get your attention." and then reached out and took my arm and proceeded to give me what was then called a snake bite by rubbing my wrist with his fingers. I turned and promptly slapped his face. Even this did not dissuade him however.

He remained persistant and suddenly he was catching up with me and turning around towalk me home each day and then staying to visit with my dad even if I ignored his presence. I guess I got used to having him around and after 3 years of coming every day he asked me to marry him. There were only 3 days that he was unable to come and that was because he had to go away overnight with the Air Cadet band to North Bay and another time he was confined to bed with a tooth infection which caused him so much pain. We were then engaged for almost another year. My dad jokingly said, "You might as well marry him, he never goes home!" I was only 16 and had to have my dad's permission and becuase he loved Gary as a son he was thrilled to do so.

That was Oct. 21, 1966 and we are still happily married. We have had our rough times but I can think of no other person I would rather be married to.

Our first son Stafford was born in 1967 which began our little family. I longed for a second child and the Lord blessed us with a daughter Stacey in 1968. My life seemed complete but we did not realize we were missing a Head to our home.

Stafford was about 5 years old and attending a Sunday school at a small country Baptist church and started asking us if his sister Stacey could come with him. I said she was too little and he proceeded to tell me that other small children were there. I asked "Who watches them and he quickly stated, "Their mommies!" Wow, was that convicting. I felt like crawling under something to hide.

Then there was a contest and he told me if I would go he would get points. Well, off I went. This was all so new to me. I had never been in a church that read from the Bible and everyone here read along in their own Bibles. This was very strange to me and when I heard the truth that ALL had sinned, I did not like it. I went home very angry and decided I would never go back there. What a battle that went on for me to realize my need of a Saviour. The Lord has His ways to bring us to where we should be to finally get His message. After a huge struggle in my mind I realized my need of a Savior. Hallelujah! I made my plan to talk to a lady at the backof the church after the service but to my total surprise I found myself at the front of the church and no idea how I got there. The lady I wanted to talk to came and talked to me and showed me the plan of salvation. What a wonderful joy that filled my heart to know that I had eternal HOPE and was now a child of the King. The struggle was over and I was His child. Oh, what a wonderful day that was. My life was changed. His Word came alive to me and I was amazed at all the things I was learning from the Spirit teaching me His Truths from His Word..

Gary continued on in his way of life for the next four months and one day decided to share with the pastor and his wife that he also had accepted the Lord as his Savior. What a thrill this brought to my heart. He had always been a quiet man and suddenly he couldn't stop talking. He had something important to say now.

The Lord enabled Gary to write a number of songs and poems over the next years and they started to accumulate everywhere. He would write on any scrap of paper he could find handy. I would find cereal boxes ripped open with a poem, or a chocolate box lid would be covered inside with scribbling. Since his mind would be going faster than his hand it was often illegible. He wrote on paper bags, old receipts, napkins, church bulletins, anything at all. These were all over the house, in boxes, bags, drawers and briefcases etc. I am sure many scraps were thrown away accidentally.

One day the Lord laid it on my heart to do something with all these scraps. Since we were living without electricity and had no typewriter I would go to the public library every week for an hour or two (if no one else needed the computer) and type one at a time and save them to a disk. Many times I could not read the writing and when I would ask Gary he had no idea what it said either. I would laugh and say what kind of challenge have I taken on anyway. Eventually I managed to finish and printed out over 200 pages. There were sometimes 2 or 4 poems to a page. This was such a wonderful gift of love to be able to punch holes and put all these sheets into a binder to give to Gary to check over. I have kept all of the original copies as a remembrance of those times.

About three years ago we moved to Calgary and decided to get the internet where we discovered many wonderful christian poetry sites and the Lord prompted me to post a few poems to share with others. This has been so precious as we have gotten to read many other wonderful poets who love the Lord with all their hearts and these poems have touched our hearts and lives in a special way. Gary often laughs that the Lord can accomplish so many poems and writings from just 26 little letters. Amazing! Well, I really should stop this rambling. I was surprised when I wanted to respond to someones blog I found myself suddenly creating my own. How exciting that the Lord uses these type of things to prompt us to do something else. I do hope this will become a place to honor and glorify His Name. I am new to this but hopefully I will learn quickly how to use this blog. I have no idea at the present time.