Things are changing in the garden in good ways, and not so good ways.
One of the tomato plants has small greet tomatoes already. Don't know how big they will get. I previewed a garden-fresh tomato from one of the Amish sellers at the farmer's market Friday morning. Delicious. Makes me hope all the more for what these little plants can do.
The zucchini has been steadily taking up space, as zucchini are wont to do. There are finally some yellow flowers forming. The leaves look robust: strong stems, good colour, no signs of bugs.
Now for the not so good side. One of the tomato plants is looking sickly. I have no idea what's going on. I trimmed wilting proximal branches near flowers, but it doesn't seem to be doing any good. Might have to let this one go. One of the other tomato plants was looking peaked earlier today. Hhmmmm....
I discovered this little bug on a spinach leaf. It can't be good.
Overall, it's been quite an enjoyable project, in spite of some of the losses. Hopefully soon I will be able to enjoy what it produces.
I took members of my Vestry out to the Whitecaps game last night as a gesture of appreciation for all their work. My youngest member is 16, and had never been to a baseball game! That's tragic. I think there's a theme for each day. Last night the theme was Mardi Gras. At one point the mascots came around with beads that they threw into the stands. I caught one! I never catch anything at a baseball game. I gave the beads to my young Vestry member. Might as well make her first game special. In the thrid inning a foul was hit towards us. I caught it! Can you believe that? I've always wanted to catch a ball. I thought about bringing my glove, since we were going to be in a good place for a bad hit. But I figured fouls never come near me, so I left the glove at home. Ah, Mr. Murphy, they're laws for a reason. I gave the ball to my young Vestry member too. Might as well make her first game magic. After the game (which we won 4-0), I took her down to meet the players and get the ball signed. There were a lot of people there and only two players. I called out "Hey number 8! You're my favourite player!" He look right past all the other people, right at me, and said "Really? Thanks." "Would you sign this ball for me?" I followed up. I tossed him the ball and said to write "To Emily" on it. He did, and signed his name, and tossed it back again. As we were leaving, my novice baseball fan asked me if I knew that player. I've no idea who he is, I said. I didn't have time to wait for all those other people to get their stuff signed. Ah, young padawan, there are ways of cutting through the crowds to get what you want. Lessons learned.
I find I'm doing a lot of these sorts of things lately - Mothers Day, graduating students, Fathers Day, now this. I've got two parishioners departing to another (warmer) state in a few days as part of a permanent relocation. I think it's important to recognize groups and individuals for all that they've shared with the community over the years. I think it helps build a stronger community when we intentionally show how much every person is valued. To do that as part of a Sunday liturgy gives it greater importance, since we've called down the Holy Spirit as a community joined in love and affection with one another in God. I combined a couple prayers from the BCP at the end to give it a more formal feel. Here it is. Adapt and use it if you need something like it. Liturgy of Farewell
As Betty & Jim come forward, the Congregation sings:
This little light of mine I’m gonna let it shine
This little light of mine I’m gonna let it shine
This little light of mine I’m gonna let it shine
Let it shine. Let it shine. Let it shine.
Celebrant: Today we offer a special blessing on Jim and Betty as they continue their journey begun, traveled, and ended in God.
Congregation: Your life with us has been a blessing.
Celebrant: We thank you for your many years of ministry.
Congregation: We thank you for your many years of friendship.
Celebrant: We pray that God will continue to light your way along new and exciting paths.
Congregation: We pray that your light will continue to shine in your next community.
Celebrant: Let us pray. O God, our heavenly Father, whose light brightens all of your creation, and whose presence we find wherever we go: uphold Betty and Jim; surround them with your loving care; protect them from every danger; bring them safely to the next path of their journey. Direct us, O Lord, in all our doings with your most gracious favor, and further us with your continual help; that in all our works begun, continued and ended in you, we may glorify your holy Name, through Jesus Christ, the light of our world. And the blessing of God almighty, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, be with you always.
I did a really effective liturgy for Mothers Day, so now I have to have something equally effective for Fathers Day. I've been surfing around various web sites for ideas. TEC doesn't seem to have anything specific for either of these days. With thanks to several inspiring sights (whose names I can't recall) that got me thinking on the right track, I submit this liturgy I created for anyone else to use. Paying it forward is my thanks for the help of unknown creative liturgists.
Fathers’ Day Liturgy
(All fathers are invited to come forward.)
Celebrant:Lord, on this day set aside to honor and remember fathers, we give you thanks for our dads. We thank you for the men who helped to raised us, who were our fathers in childhood. Whether birth father, adopted father, older brother, uncle, grandfather, or stepfather, we thank you for those men who held us and fed us, who taught us, cared for us, and kept us safe and secure. We pray that our lives may reflect the love they have shown us.Let us pray.
Celebrant:We pray for the men who fathered us into birth, for the men we have called father and dad.
All: God grant them joy.
Celebrant: We pray for expectant fathers.
All: God grant them patience.
Celebrant: We pray for new fathers experiencing changes they could not predict.
All: God grant them confidence to trust you for the future.
Celebrant: We pray for all men who have assumed the father’s role in a child’s life.
All: God grant them satisfaction for a job well done.
Celebrant:We pray for the men those whose arms ache to cradle their own children, for fathers who have borne the pain of losing a child.
All: God grant them hope.
Celebrant:We pray for foster fathers, step fathers, and fathers by adoption.
All: God grant them true happiness in the mystery of fatherhood.
Celebrant:We pray for all who have been deprived of their fathers, through war, violence, imprisonment, addiction, divorce, or separation; for those whose fathers have left home in search of work in another land.
All: God grant that wounds may be healed, and families are mended together.
Celebrant:We pray for our fathers who, by their words and actions, have shown us the face of our heavenly Father.
All: God grant them guidance to continue to teach us your ways.
Celebrant:We pray for fathers who have laid down their lives for their children.
All: God grant them eternal peace.
Celebrant:
We pray to you this day our heavenly Father, for the men who are our earthly fathers.We thank you for the gift of these men in our lives.We thank you for their strength and integrity.We honor their patience and sacrifices.For all fathers, living or dead, those nearby or those distanced by miles, disease, or division, grant that they all may be embraced and strengthened by the loving arms of God, the one Father of us all.
Hi from New England. The weather is great, wish you were here.
Dawn run yesterday morning. Tangerine sunrise. Air thick with pine. Mourning doves crying. Mist on Lake Estes. Perfect... no?
Later: walk along Marginal Way; lunch with parents and sister at The Oarweed in Perkins Cove (local beer, steamers, lobster roll, bluberry pie); sunset fishing on the lake. This is living.
I found a flower and a few buds ready to open on one of the tomato plants. I've got cherry toms and regular size toms, but I can't tell which of these is flowering. We had a bunch of rain the other day and the tomato plants shot up. I'm going to have to tie them to their stakes soon. I simply giddy.
I'm headed back to New England next week for a few days. I don't know what I'm going to do without my garden. We have coffee together every morning. Maybe there's a surrogate garden where I can spend a few quiet minutes each morning.
The garden is coming along pretty well I think. There are however, some plants that I think aren't going to make it. The eggplant is still green but it's gotten no bigger. The peas went in too late according to my secretary. They should go in as early as April. They're yellowing, limp, and fragile. Ah well. Live and learn. On a positive note, the swiss chard ("chaaahd") is growing bigger than the tomatoes. I think I can pick and eat some of the leaves now.
This morning, to my delight, I found the first strawberry flower. Isn't it pretty? The perfect little flower for a perfect little strawberry. I can hardly wait. Remind me to tell you the story of the single strawberry on Groundnut Hill.
A film crew came to the parish to shoot some scenes for a music video. Pretty cool, huh? I think so. They left the space pretty much as it always is, only adding lighting effects. Our parish banner was in the background. I hope it makes it into the final cut. The broom that somebody left behind it, on the other hand, I hope gets edited out. Ah well. They said we'd be listed in the ending credits. It would be great if we could add the video, or a link to it, on the parish web site.
The garden is coming along nicely... I think. I really don't have a lot of experience with gardens. House plants fear me. Weeds love me. I've always wanted to have a garden and grow my own vegetables. I planned to try this when I first came to St. Collegetown. Now I have a beautiful fenced-in back yard with lots of good light and plenty of room for a garden. The in-laws came for a visit and brought two kinds of tomato plants from their garden in MN. They've got a awesome garden. I love that we're growing the same tomatoes.
I've got the aforementioned tomatoes, sweet basil, swiss chard (which sounds more exotic with a Boston accent), rosemary, spinach, peas, eggplant - not sure if that one'll make it - chives, romaine, strawberries, summer squash, zuchini, and rhubarb. In other words: a full house.
When I was just a pup, my sister Trish and I planted summer squash in Maine, in a little garden we made together. Trish, these are in memory of that time.
The romaine was planted as seed. I think these little ones are the beginnings. It's so exciting. This is way better than growing grass in the seminary back yard!
Next year I might move the garden a little to the south. There's a tree that casts more shade than I thought. I think everything will be okay though. In the Fall I want to collect the seeds for planting next year.
