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| Peach Blossom |
The peach tree is starting to flower!
There was a break in the rain, on Wednesday! It was actually sunny with blue skies and a few white clouds when I woke up! But, by noon, the clouds had moved in and it rained in the evening. Later in the evening, I received an emergency alert on my phone about a flood advisory in effect and M texted to ask me if I received a message (I guess he received one, too). But, the rain has stopped now and I don't think we are in danger of having a flood in our area.
As usual, I started the day with prayers and meditation, especially for my mother who died 18 years ago, on this day.
M was here in the morning to tend to the garden and we cleaned up the front garden. The bark on the eucalyptus tree is peeling off and dropping all over the ground. I also had M trim some of the euphorbia tirucalli branches that were starting to stick out into the sidewalk and some that were going over the fence to the neighbor's driveway (where the two RVs are parked). It was hard to reach over the neighbor's gate to get to the branches and sawing the branches caused the gate to rattle and one of the guys who live next door came to see what was going on. I explained to him that we were trying to keep the plant from going over onto their side and brushing against their RVs and he said it was okay, we didn't have to worry about trimming the branches, that it was fine. Even so, I told him to feel free to trim any branches that were going over to their side, since we couldn't reach all of them.
After M left, I replied to blog comments and read a few blogs. Then, I called my aunt C to check on her (she had an eye appointment on Tuesday) and spoke with her for some time.
I took it easy for the rest of the day, reading, watching the news, and relaxing. Later, I video chatted with my daughter.
I had banana nut muffins for breakfast and dinner was more soup and later, cheese and crackers for a snack.
On Wednesday, I was grateful for:
- A break in the rain
- M's help with the garden
- The first peach blossoms
- A working heater
- My mother
Wednesday's joyful activities included tending to the garden and reading.
The forecast for Thursday says mostly cloudy, but, there is no mention of rain. I plan to order some groceries and do some paperwork.
How was your Wednesday? What are your plans for Thursday?
The peach flower is lovely. Memories of your mother are treasures. I hope they warm your heart and bring a smile.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Celie. :) Yes, memories of my mother are very precious. :)
DeleteVery little break in the rain here.
ReplyDeleteIt is just 26 years ago that I lost my father. Our memories of beloved parents are so precious - it is good to remember them with love and gratitude.
Your peach blossom is gorgeous - just a few tiny spring flowers peeping through the cold earth here.
I must get on and prepare the bedroom for my granddaughter's visit. But reading blogs is more fun than housekeeping! ☺️❤️👍
I hope you get some longer breaks in the rain, there!
DeleteYes, memories of our loved ones are precious. My father died 60 years ago (it will be 61 this summer), when I was 7. His passing had a big impact on my life.
Thank you; I saw the picture of your snowdrops! Hope spring comes soon.
I agree with you about reading blogs being more fun than housekeeping! Enjoy your granddaughter's visit! Maybe she'll help with getting her room ready!
Our peach tree buds are tight closed, hope we'll have some peaches this year we had a lot of drop last summer.
ReplyDeleteI hope your peach flowers bloom once your spring arrives and you have a plentiful peach crop. We had a lot of spoiled peaches with bottom end rot, last year, as it was a very wet spring.
DeletePretty peach blossom! It’s nice that you got to enjoy some sunshine. We still have sunny days, although I think this bright, but cold, streak is predicted to end tomorrow (Friday).
ReplyDeleteIn-person work was great yesterday. I liked catching up with colleagues, mostly people I used to see every day.
Our neighbors on one side are the best. On the other side, we have 4 yards (the backs of houses on a cross-street). Three out of the four are wonderful neighbors. The 4th, not horrible but, like your RV-parking neighbor, they lack a spirit of cooperation. 😏
I had a 9:00 Zoom financial meeting. My head is spinning with budgets and taxes. Money is not my strong point! I’m going to do a load of laundry which I find far more rewarding. It goes from dirty to clean with measurable success. 😊
My mother also died in February (13 years ago). I have a photo album in which I save the prayer cards from wakes and funerals. It’s soothing to page through it, to pray and remember. I have a new card to tuck in from an old neighbor who died at the end of January. RIP Bless’ mother. 🌱
Thank you, Taconix. I hope you have many more sunny days. Glad you enjoyed your work day, yesterday, catching up with colleagues.
DeleteNeighbors do make a difference, don't they? I'm still getting to know the new neighbors who moved into the house on the other side of me, but, so far, they seem to be OK.
Hope you enjoyed doing your laundry more than you enjoyed discussing finances! :D
I like the idea of having a photo album with the prayer cards. May your mother's soul rest in peace and may the memories you have of her bring you comfort as you remember her on the anniversary of her death.
You are getting quite good at flower pictures. The peach blossom is stunning. I know you like to watch the news, but I don't know how you can have watching the news and relaxing in the same sentence. :)
ReplyDeleteThank you, June, but, the credit for better pictures must go to the new phone! I upgraded my phone just before Christmas and it has a better camera, I think. :)
DeleteLOL, I do enjoy watching the news. :)
I hope your day is filled with fond memories of your late mother. The peach blossom is lovely, I'm sure you will have another bumper crop.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Eileen.
DeleteI'm hoping that there will be a good peach crop this year, too. :)
What a lovely peach blossom - promise of fruit to come!
ReplyDeleteWhat a long time it is now since your mother died. My mother died just over 15 years ago. Some friends "purchased" a pine tree in her memory and it provided funds for a recreational trail area where the tree is. There is a plaque on the tree. I haven't been to see it for a few years, it is time to check if it has survived the storms. There is also a cherry tree over in England, on her grave in a green burial field.
Thank you, Bushlady; looking forward to fresh peaches!
DeleteI like the idea of planting trees in memory of your mother! When my mother first died, I wanted to plant a memory garden, but, then, I realized that the whole garden was a sort of memory garden to her. She planted the curry leaf trees and the orange tree, she planted the original peach tree and the current one is a replacement, the bauhinia tree was grown from a seed she received from her brother's garden, the jasmine vine in the front was originally planted by her, etc. :)
I hope that there are lots of good memories of your mother that help you get through the day. I am finding that, with time, it gets a little easier for the good memories to come with less tears.
ReplyDeleteWhat a lovely flower! Glad the rain seems to have eased up now.
Thank you, Sharon. Yes, there were lots of good memories. The pain of loss does become less with time, but, it takes longer than most people realize. (((HUGS)))
DeleteThe peach blossom is beautiful - I don't think I've seen peach blossom before. It's good your neighbour is accommodating. Good neighbours are a blessing! Love FD xx
ReplyDeleteThank you, FD. Peach flowers are so pretty that the fruit is a bonus! Yes, good neighbors are a blessing. :)
DeleteIt sounds as if you had a peaceful and not unpleasant day with a bit of company and time outdoors, as well as time alone to remember your mum. 18 years must seem quite unreal in some ways. Ultimately in others the timespan is perhaps irrelevant.
ReplyDeleteElla
It was a good day, Ella, and my mother would have approved the time spent in the garden. The last thing she said to M on the day she died was about the garden. It's hard to believe that so much time has passed, partly because the details are still so vivid. Time becomes fluid when such things happen.
DeleteYes I can see how time becomes rather a warped concept. So nice that your mum is still in the garden! The memories will always be bittersweet but do treasure them. One thing I'm finding hard is that I suppressed so many of mine over the years, that I find I've forgotten a lot of them, or certainly a lot of detail, that now I really yearn to recall. (Maybe I need hypnotism!! 🤔)
DeleteIf recalling those forgotten details will help you in some way, then, yes, maybe you should consider hypnotism. Or, perhaps, just sitting down and reminiscing with someone who might have shared some of those experiences or journaling about what you do remember (going out to eat, for example) and the parts you've forgotten (what you ate and what you talked about during the meal). Sometimes, just contemplating the things you have forgotten might help to figure out what is important to remember (the fact that you shared an experience with a dear friend, for example, rather than the exact details of that experience). Sometimes, suppressing our memories is a survival tactic, in order to be able to proceed with the rest of our lives, I think.
DeleteYes I suppressed them deliberately, to protect myself. I never thought anything like this would ever arise. I don't have mutual friends who'd jog memories. I chatted to one but in vain. Another two contacted me but only to offload their emotions/problems. We are all over the globe and living very different lives now. I do have diaries if I decide to read them, some time. It would be a mammoth task as I'd have to wade through loads of irrelevant entries to find the relevant bits, so I need to find time and be in the mood.
DeleteMaybe you can plan to do so and carve out some time for reading through your old diary entries. (((HUGS)))
ReplyDeleteI'll know when/if the time is right.
DeleteYes, you will. :)
DeleteI hope your thoughts of your mother were good ones, remembering the happiness of times gone by.
ReplyDeleteGosh, flowers on the peach tree already. I wonder what kind of crop you will get this year from it.
Thank you, Debra; yes, they were good memories. :)
DeleteThis is an early bearing peach variety; usually the first peaches are ripe around the end of May to early June. I hope I get a good peach crop, this year.