Guns and Roses

We went to the Rifle Team banquet with Jotty the other night. Jotty was surprised to find out that he not only got a medal for being on the Championship Team (there are 10 schools in the conference) but also earned the 6th place Individual medal which placed him on the All Conference Precision team (the six best shooters of the conference, regardless of what team they are on)...that's out of about 100 shooters. I know he wishes he could have a rifle of his own but the precision rifles are very expensive. Anyway...Go Jotty!
Today we worked on the yards. After the rain we had last week the weeds sprouted in leaps and bounds and we suddenly had some 3 foot high weeds among others. We removed a lot of weeds before mowing but we definitely need to weed and feed this year. The boys worked on the lawns (I use the term loosely...it probably is mostly weeds that we keep trimmed down so they look like grass) and I weeded the garden in the front. While gardening I remembered a poem that I memorized in grade school many years ago:
"A kiss of the sun for pardon;
A song of the birds for mirth;
One is nearer God's heart in a garden,
Than anywhere else on earth"
I think I understand the author's feelings...while I worked rather automatically removing the unwanted weeds and leaves, I pondered things and talked to Heavenly Father. I fall asleep so easily when I kneel down at night for prayer--but not while I'm weeding the garden...so the communication is bound to be better.
I have a few "wild roses" in the back and two puny roses in the front. I think I just neglect them too much. I like plants that don't have to be babied and are happy getting their water when it rains. The azaleas are blooming now and I weeded very carefully around a volunteer berry plant by the mailbox. Maybe this year I'll plant some new perennials? I still need to move one of the gardenias that is NOT happy where it is.
Working in the garden is also bittersweet. I miss my Mom the most when I am working in the yard. I used to call her and ask her about certain plants or tell her about a success I had with one in particular. Last year when my agapanthus (Lily of the Nile) had several blooms at once, my first thought was, "I've got to tell Mom about this!" She had such knowledge about plants too! I like to garden, when my body doesn't resist too much, but Mom LOVED to garden. Maybe she did it in part because when she was gardening we'd leave her alone in case it would mean work for us also. Mom M has a green thumb too...so it isn't like I don't have anybody to talk gardening with---it's just a bond I had with my mother, particularly when I didn't live near her anymore. I wish she could have seen this place and made suggestions for landscaping...I do not have that knack.