Growing a Green Thumb

Freshly sprouted basil reaching towards the sunlight.

In the midst of creating a new home and wanting to make it as warm and as inviting as possible, I have decided to (once again) attempt to grow a green thumb. For those who may not understand, 'green thumb' is a term that refers to a person's natural ability to grow beautiful plants. My mother had a decent green thumb. I, however, do not.

She would toil away in her rose garden, her skin golden from hours spent in the sunshine. She said it was her time with God, and often where she would pray. On occasion, she would try to have me join in, wanting to share her love with me. I was not a fan of having spiders sprint across my hands, or tethering my skin with gloves, much less hacking away at weeds that were never ending.

In our rental there was a beautiful raised garden area, which I am proud to say I kept decently weeded, although Mother Nature can take credit for keeping my plants watered. I discovered that Snapdragons were quite hardy (who knew) and they are now on my list of favorite plants, simply because they didn't die under my care. Miniature roses, on the other hand, are best kept either inside, or at the store. They will die. Quickly.

On the day that everyone pitched in and moved us, I took a trip to Dollar General and bought a few items we needed. While there, I spotted a gorgeous yellow owl plant pot, and seeds to grow basil. I love fresh herbs, and have spent a pretty penny on them in the past with each trip to the grocery store. They add a nice zing of flavor to the dish, and I prefer them over dried spices in most recipes. Basil is among my top favorites, since I often cook Italian inspired dishes, so home it went and I planted it the day we moved in, in that nice yellow pot.

The pride I felt when the herb sprouted can only be rivaled by the pride I felt when I traveled to Hong Kong by myself for the first time. I felt accomplished, talented, and a bit mothering. The sproutlets are on the window sill in the sun room, and they stretch towards the sun from morning till night. Although still quite small, it has given me the courage I need to begin purchasing other food-items to grow.

Among this are the plants that are rumored to ward away pesky bugs that so often ruin a Georgia evening. Lemongrass, and rosemary are just a couple of the half dozen plants on my list to purchase (this weekend?) in order to place in colorful containers on our front porch, and in the back yard. We shall see if this works, and I will report about it later- with photos!

Also on the plant-to-do-list are some indoor friendly plants, such as spider-plants. I grew up with these and if my memory serves me correctly, they are quite low maintenance as well as easy to multiply. My only concern is i I merely place them on a plant stand, Copper will think they're convenient snacks.

So as you see, I have quite an ambitious plan for not being a natural when it comes to plants and things of nature. But I have hope, and a bit of faith. And James is super helpful on remembering to water when I so often forget.

So we shall see!

Celebrating New Chapters

 Copper, myself and James standing in front of our new home. June 2017

I believe sometimes the most important times in our lives are those spent with our closest friends. Those memories are the ones that will live on long after the trees fade and location change. This year has been creating new, great memories with James and I and our dearest friends. When we entered 2017, neither of us knew what would happen. I think our only hope is that our love would continue to grow and that we would be guided in wisdom to greater adventures.

And to that end, I say we definitely have, in ways that we didn't even imagine. We took the leap and bought our first home, a new adventure for both of us. With honey-colored floors, vaulted ceilings, and a sun-room perfect for growing herbs and studying Mandarin. In addition to our beautiful home, we also have a puppy, Copper. A gorgeous mix of Australian/German Shepherd and Husky mix. Although not the brightest pup, he is the sweetest and loves people of all ages, sizes and genders.

During this move, while some of our friends were out of town or too far away to be able to help, the ones that were there put forth 200 percent of their effort and really came through. From sun-up to sun-down, with a rented U-Haul trailer and several cars, half women and half men, we moved 25 miles away from the residence we had proudly called our home for the past year. Yet without the ability of painting, fixing, (pets), or overall adjustments to the home, it didn't ever quite feel like 'home sweet home'.

Now, we have color swatches on the kitchen wall, we are installing a beautiful flag pole to show our American pride, and we are quickly coming up with a plan on how to transform the backyard into a BBQ-ready, midnight movie viewing, friend-haven. This weekend, in the midst of all our busy plans, primer will go on the powder blue walls in the kitchen, in preparation for the change to Sunflower yellow.

Each room still needs something done to it before we can call it finished and complete. The living room needs curtains hung, a rug and a coffee table. The man cave needs shelving built and installed. The guest room needs stripes and touch-up paint, as well as final decor touches. The master needs repainted, curtains lifted off the floor, and is in need of major decoration and wall hangings. Each bathroom needs a special touch and new towels. The sun-room need bookshelves built and installed, as well as new desk. And the kitchen, well, it needs the walls painted and a back-splash added. It also needs the husband to stop moving items around in the well-organized chaos.

The yard needs a few more flowers, as well as some potted plants to ward off pesky bugs. The tables on the front porch need finished painted, as well as some decorative additions to make it not look like a clunky piece of furniture. We need our hammock strung up in the back, and we need our water hoses attached. James organized the sheds this past week and nearly all the boxes are done.

As much as we have to do, and as much as we have already accomplished, we are both beyond happy that we are writing this chapter together, as much as a rough draft as it seems. (I apologize for the run-on).

So, to those we welcome into our new home, come with joy, bring your stories, and make yourself at home.