Gardening - for my Mom

I grew up watching my mom plant flowers, vegetables, fruits...anything that would grow in dirt. She has 2 green thumbs, and is always happy getting her hands dirty to plant something. It's relaxing and therapeutic for her. Wherever we lived, she was always eyeing the landscape to figure out what she could plant where. I remember one house where she planted sunflowers outside our bedroom windows, and they grew so tall that we could see the blooms out the window. Another house had a large yard and she made raised beds and planted all kinds of yummy vegetables that we enjoyed every year. And, we always had a number of houseplants that seemed to thrive year-round.  She also liked to start avocado plants from seed.  She would put toothpicks in the side of the pit so that it would sit in a jar and only the bottom would touch the water.  Once there were roots, she would transfer it to a pot.  I remember a number of lovely avocado plants in our house...she probably has one or more growing today!  

To my hindrance, I didn't care to learn much about how to garden and take care of plants when I was young. The last few years, I've found myself wishing I had taken more time to learn this skill from my mom. Where we live now, I don't have a yard, just a concrete patio. So, I have tried to collect a few potted plants that will survive the southern CA climate, and are not too hard to care for (because a number of them have died along the way from neglect). I can usually manage to water fairly regularly, and repot when needed. Here's what I have growing outside right now:Here you see the pots arranged just outside my patio.  The pots in the front have some flower seeds in them, but I'm not too hopeful about them growing...we'll see! There is also a gerbera daisy plant next to the big pot.  It's bloomed every year since I got it 2 years ago, so hopefully the flowers will come out this spring, too. 

Here's a close-up of the blooms on this plant (I can't even remember the name of it, that's how much I'm not a gardener!).  I tried to catch the light purple hues in the blossoms - they are very pretty! 

This is a cute little mini rose bush that has lasted for a couple of years now.  

These are 2 pots with shamrocks in them. The green shamrock was a gift from my friend KD, and it has doubled in size since she gave it to me a few weeks ago. I already repotted it once, but I think I'll need to repot soon. The purple shamrock was one I had bought myself about a month ago. My friend RW, who used to live in the same complex, had given me her purple shamrock when she moved away 4 years ago, and it got stolen off my front porch (I was very sad). The green shamrock that is in with the purple one was a gift from my mom 3-4 years ago, and I brought it home from OR. I'm proud that it's still living!  The purple one has pretty light pink colored flowers, and the green one has nice white blooms. 

This is a pretty plant that was given to me by my neighbor Mary Lou (can't remember the name of this one, either, but I know it's a common one).  She and her husband Chuck lived next door to us for a number of years.  They were the sweetest elderly couple we've known!  Chuck was in a wheelchair when we moved it, but he loved plants and he had planted a lot of nice plants in our apt complex before me moved in. He passed away a couple years after we moved in.  Mary Lou passed away last year.  I'm glad I have this plant to remember them by.  

So, there you have it...my potted plants!  We also have some lovely jasmine that is in bloom right now - it makes the walk down the courtyard quite fragrant and lovely! 

Remembering Matt Peterson

I found out last week that one of my childhood family friends died suddenly.  He, and two others, were riding their bicycles on a road near San Francisco when a car struck them.   He was killed on impact, one rider died at the hospital, and the third survived with injuries.  Read about the accident here and here. They were hit by a sheriff's officer who may have fallen asleep. 

When I was young, my family spent many weekends at Matt's family home in AZ, with his parents and two sisters.  We enjoyed many fun times, and my brothers and sister all have some wonderful memories of those years.  I didn't keep in touch with the kids after my family moved from the area, but their friendship impacted me very deeply. 

Matt's older sister Mary help start Maggie's Place, a house of hospitality for expectant women where they can receive support and preparation for parenting, as well as strive toward personal growth. 

I am praying that Matt's parents and sisters are comforted by the Lord in this time of grieving.  Along with his family and friends, I honor his life.  I'm also praying for the officer that hit him - surely he needs the mercy and grace of God in this dark time.  

Read Matt's obituary here. 

To my family - please post memories you have of Matt and his family!