SimplyLife

Excerpt from Gardens of the Heart - available at Amazon. I walked by the field of a lazy person, the vineyard of one with no common sense. I saw that it was overgrown with nettles. It was covered with weeds, and its walls were broken down. Then, as I looked and thought about it, I learned this lesson:  A little extra sleep, a little more slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest— then poverty will pounce on you like a bandit; scarcity will attack you like an armed robber. Proverbs 24:30-34 NLT The lawns of the old Georgian-style house swept down to a fieldstone wall by a quiet country road.  Brilliant pink rhododendrons banked the foundation of the house. A formal English garden with an elaborate bird bath graced one side of the lawn. Sounds beautiful, right? It was, at one time. The gardens were sadly overgrown with weeds, the once lovely brick paths almost erased by encroaching grasses. The rhododendrons were lanky and unhealthy from neglect. The stone wa...

The Wallace family has had a lot to celebrate this month. Not only Emily & Chris' wedding, but David & I are celebrating 37 years of marriage on May 15.  What better way to be thankful than to give back to my readers?  On May 31 , three winners will be drawn. To enter, become a follower of this blog or "like" my FaceBook author page.  If you do both, you'll have two chances to win.  A copy of Family Matters, The Time Under Heaven, and Gardens of the Heart will be given away. You can check out all three books on Amazon.You'll find descriptions and reviews. If you're looking for summer reading or a gift, take advantage of the May discounts at my e-store on all three books. The discount codes and links are below.  Family Matters - $1.00 off by using discount code LP6VZNF7 E-Store Link:  https://tsw.createspace.com/title/4199607 The Time Under Heaven - 50 cents off by using discount code  RYX9GUHQ E-Store Link:  ht...

Last week, I bought one of those mini greenhouses that you start seedlings in. It's always exciting to push  seeds into the tiny peat pots and dream about the harvest to come. I haven't always had the greatest luck and with these setups, usually because I lose interest and become negligent over time. What kind of gardener is that? Answer: a lazy one. So I'm trying to turn over a new leaf, if you'll pardon the pun and really pay attention to those little tomatoes that have peeked their heads out of the soil. I do have such high hopes for fried green tomatoes, BLT's, salads, salsa, and fat slices drizzled with balsamic vinegar, topped with fresh mozzarella.   The planting schedule for them will be early April. That seems a long ways off, but not really. What kind of seeds are you starting now? It might be too early for your area, so you might be dreaming about the ideal garden as you thumb through the gardening catalogues. Count the cost of the kind of...

The row of violet leaves sitting in small, clear vases on my mother’s kitchen windowsill were always fascinating to me. The fuzzy, velvety leaves sprouted thin white roots and then when the roots looked strong enough, I’d help my mother put them in clay pots. Within weeks, a new leaf would pop up, and a few months later, a small violet plant would be vigorously growing and blooming. When my grandmother gave me my first special leaf to start in a vase of water, I was delighted to have my very own violet. It was one I’d admired for its showy double pink blooms. I carefully nurtured the little violet for many months and was proud when it was finally heavy with buds.               The sharing of gardens both inside and out has been long family tradition. When I was growing up, no visit to an aunt, grandmother, or cousin was ever complete without a walk through a flower bed or admiring plant laden windowsills. Each one h...