GARDENS AND CASTLES: February 2012

Friday, February 24, 2012

HASTE MAKES WASTE

HASTE can take many forms: there's 'man-made haste' and there's haste that's 'out of my hands'.

'OUT OF MY HANDS 'HASTE

haste to take action when a calamity comes and a

natural 'alarm reaction' takes place.

unplanned haste when a new-born comes early in life and

lifesaving measures need to be taken

'MAN MADE HASTE'

haste to GET THE BEST

haste to BE THE BEST

haste to FINISH A PROJECT

haste to STOP A PROJECT

haste to GET OUT OF WORK

haste to 'GET OUT'

haste to 'GET TO'

haste to BE FIRST

haste to BE IN CONTROL

haste to BUILD

haste to TEAR DOWN

Even in DAYLILY HYBRIDIZING

we so easily succumbto hasty decisions:

haste to BREED A YOUNG SEEDLING

and easily forget to not stress it with

motherhood the first year

haste to CULL A SEEDLING

not realizing it needs to mature before it's

judged correctly

haste to BRAG ABOUT A SEEDLING

when the full report isn't in

haste to GO INTO DEBT TO HAVE THE BEST

SELDOM DOES HASTE BRING ANYTHING

BUT WANT

HASTE WORKS AGAINST US

PATIENCE WORKS FOR US

With my husband's and my experiences with buying and

selling homes we have seen in reality the effects that haste

brings....

The pitfalls of HASTE WHEN BUYING A HOME

YOU DON'T SEE THE FLAWS

YOU ONLY SEE THE "NICETIES" AND

POSSIBILITIES (especially if you are of the creative bent)

YOU DON'T COUNT THE COST (accurately) you only know

you LIKE it..

and that it fits all our needs for

LOCATION

BEAUTY

SPACE

PRESTIGE

FINANCES

POTENTIAL

When we bought our small Rogers Mn house (on the Crow

River) it fit all our needs, and then some (the river).

WANTS:

TO BE IN THE COUNTRY

TO BE INEXPENSIVE

TO HAVE "METRO PHONE"

TO BE ABLE TO HAVE A HOBBY FARM

TO BE MORE THAN 3 ACRES (3.2 acres to be exact)

You see, the fact that we could afford it and it was in the

country..and on the river..with metro

phone..met all our criteria. We knew it need finishing..

BUT, IN OUR HASTE

WE DIDN'T SEE

ALL THE WORK

ALL THE PROBLEMS

ALL THE UGLINESS

In our NAIVETE

In our HASTE

We 'JUST KNEW' this was the place for us!

Little was I aware

of the depression that would take hold of me

when I REALLY saw

-EVERY DAY-

All the TORN UP

UNFINISHED

UNTAPED SHEETROCK WALLS.

THAT WERE SPATTERED WITH DRIPS

OF DARK STAIN FROM

SOME OF THE WINDOW TRIM

AROUND THE THREE

LONG NARROW,

SCRATCHED

PLEXI-GLASS WINDOWS in the Living Room

Little did I know

how the
RIPPED AND TORN

PLASTIC VAPOR BARRIER

ON MOST ALL OF THE

UNSHEETROCKED WALLS would invade my visual senses.

(our eldest son has a word for that : VISUAL POLUTION and that certainly is what it was!)

Or how the SEVERE LACK OF COUNTER SPACE

with only a FOUR FOOT SINK BASE,

COVERED WITH LINOLEUM,

INSTEAD OF TILE OR FORMICA,

would undo all of my enthusiasm for our

HOUSE OF DREAMS, our LITTLE CASTLE.

Little did I know

the importance

of correctly applying

WINDOW and DOOR TRIM so that the house looked right.

Or that BARE PARTICLE WOOD FLOORS

would give splinters

and wouldn't be pleasant to the eye for long.

After all, I, "The Interior Designer",
I, the one who had a beautiful wool

KARASTAN area rug

could cover up the all flaws and be happy....

Little did I know

that even though the

PRICE WAS RIGHT I would find myself isolated from all my friends and family,

even though they were only a phone call away,

they were miles away and the
HOUSE OF MY DREAMS

couldn't take shape until

(UNLESS !)

I was willing to give up my hobby farm dream

and "willed" myself to drive back into the cities

an hour each way and continue on in the Interior Design profession, rather than entering into my new adventure

that we had spontaneously (HASTILY) taken on.

The Interior Design job would have brought in the monies

to make the house

MORE THAN A DREAM

MORE THAN A NIGHTMARE

MORE THAN A BRIEF SOLACE in the moonlight where I couldn't see all the flaws,

all the ugliness, all the stains and rips and blemishes

of our "new" country home.

BUT SINCE

I had given up the Design job to be an

'at home' wife and Mother

I had good motives, good reasons,
and good enthusiasm for the task ahead:

to create a hobby farm
one that would give us
milk and eggs and produce.

we added Dairy Goats,which ended up being out total focus ,

(showing them in three states )

Chickens,
(had 100 new babies in our bathtub before an abode was

ready for them

-HASTE MAKES WASTE!!-

Ducks, (the fox took one-a-day until they were gone)

Geese,

Rabbits,

Irish Water Spaniels

and a plethora of garden vegetables (greatly enhanced by

the goat and chicken manure).
We became

too busy

and too poor

to finish

'THE HOUSE OF DREAMS'.

OUR HASTE to have a hobby farm

BLINDED US from seeing the

WHOLE PICTURE.

REALISM WASN'T A PART OF IT, ONLY

DREAMS AND POSSIBILITIES.

OUR HASTE

OUR LACK OF WISDOM

OUR LACK OF EXPERIENCE

OUR ENTHUSIASM FOR A 'GOOD DEAL'

TAUGHT US MANY LESSONS,

AND A BIT MORE WISDOM.

When we decided to sell it 3 yrs later

and look for a more 'finished' house and more

acreage and full sized barns, and metro phone I experienced

AN UNEXPECTED

YET BITTERSWEET EXPERIENCE.

BITTERSWEET

BECAUSE

the new buyer took up my offer to draw up the blueprints

for them so they could finish the house. I had always visualized the gem it could be, we just weren't able to

create it. They could, and did!

BUT GOD ALWAYS

HAS SOMETHING GOOD IN MIND

WHEN WE MESS UP....

In our case it was meeting my dear FAITHFUL FRIEND EVY in our new location, just outside of the city of Rogers, Mn. Now even 33 years later we are still close friends...even though we keep on moving farther and father away..she has been FAITHFUL and I have been her grateful recipient. We started out when our sons were both in Kindergarten together and we went to the same church. She was so truthful...and TACTFUL ..I still remember when she told me she wanted to be my friend but she had so many friends she didn't know how she could fit me in....she was so right..but for whatever reason she DID and we have gone through many trials and testings and lots of
joys and experiences together.

Truthfully, because she has a great sense of humor, I think she actually liked coming out to the 'farm' and enjoyed observing all the "critcher"-her word-love it!- things going on in our world. I remember very distinctly when my hubby Dick asked me to call her (a nurse) to come out and give our goat a pelvic 'cuz the goat was having difficulty birthing! Did she do it?? Of course!!! She loves a good laugh and it became a great story to tell.
We have gone the whole gamete...and now enjoy more sedate times like her mentoring me in water coloring...she sends me notes in the mail with pure white envelopes water colored with flowers all over it. In the past and still at times now, she'll bring down bags and bags of leftovers-
clothes or trinkets...I take them all ..I have NEVER met anyone so generous...she has hooked me a rug, that sits at the edge of my bed to keep my feet warm from the old hardwood floor recycled her slipper and hand knit me new ones, sends me articles on Daylilies from the Minneapolis Trib ....the list goes on and on!

Besides that, she is still our 'resident nurse' always ready with a helpful answer when we have an important question about something medical. Also, if I am low on money and we want to go out to eat...she knows the best restaurants to hit and ALWAYS has a coupon so that we eat like queens and
spend like paupers! NICE!!!
AND
because this Blog is supposed to be about HASTE I have to say...I don't remember time when FAITHFUL

FRIEND EVY was ever hasty (although I  am sure she would disagree with me because I am not with her at all times)..she's quite wise and very pro-active.....so I always have to remember that......

even though the Rogers House

       WAS VERY BITTERSWEET................

IT REALLY WASN'T.

BECAUSE...

  I GAINED

A LIFE-LONG

LOVING
FAITHFUL FRIEND EVY
  I guess being hasty isn't so bad after all!!!

Here is a picture of the daylily I have named after her taken a few years ago...

  FAITHFUL FRIEND EVY of course!!!

For you daylily fans the parentage is:

FOLLOW THE FASHION X POINSETTIA LOVE

Actually, I wish I was 'more hasty' in moving "her" in a better spot so "she" could 'come into her own' with better soil. "She" was moved 2010, late summer and suffered, so hopefully this Summer she will show off again!

Monday, February 6, 2012

BARBED-WIRE FAITH

Hi there! I hope all of you are doing well and can receive a bit more faith after your allowing me to share this with you.

RUFFLED STRAWBERRY PARFAIT X UKN

I was sitting in my chair where I do my reading (and my watercolours,at times) and I turned to II Cor. 4 and my eyes fell on the 8th verse and it really spoke to me. There are a lot of people out there that feel like what Paul was saying, and there are many times in my life that I have definitely felt that way. Here is what Paul said:(I use the Amplified version because it expounds on all the Greek and Hebrew meanings of the words given).

"We are hedged in

pressed in every side

(troubled and oppressed in

EVERY way),

BUT NOT

cramped

crushed.

We suffer

embarrasements

and are

perplexed

and unable

to find

a way out.

BUT NOT

DRIVEN TO DESPAIR.

We are pursued,

persecuted,

and hard driven,

BUT NEVER

STAND ALONE.

We are struck down

to the ground,

BUT NEVER

STRUCK OUT

DESTROYED.

How could Paul say that, even after all that he had been through?

IN FACT

how can we

EVER

say that and mean it!??

There's only one answer and that is JESUS...

the kind of

FAITH in Jesus

that acts like

BARBED-WIRE

BARBED-WIRE FAITH

THAT

KEEPS THE ENEMY

OUT

AND

KEEPS THE ENEMY

FROM TOTALLY DESTROYING US;

Paul was fully aware that he needed that kind of faith, even in his DARKEST HOURS

-and there were many of them-

PAUL KNEW

because of his Faith in Jesus,

that even though troubles would come

he would make it through,

because he was serving Jesus,

and not serving

the enemy

that wants to

ROB KILL and DESTROY

all of our

HOPES

AND

DREAMS

AND MOST OF ALL

OUR FAITH.

As I was thinking about this, for whatever reason, I visualized those toothy daylilies with all their barbs and fangs and sharp edges. I was thinking that if they weren't such soft material they would be dangerous and would definitely hurt someone. That's when the term BARBED-WIRE FAITH came to me.

OH LORD,

MAY OUR FAITH BE AS

DISTINCT AND BEAUTIFUL

AS THE TOOTHIEST OF TOOTHY DAYLILIES;

WITH FANGS AND BARBS

TO KEEP OUT THE ENEMY.

MAY WE HAVE BARBED-WIRE FAITH

ENOUGH

TO RAISE THE FENCE EVEN HIGHER

THEN THE GIANTS

THAT BOMBARD OUR LIVES THAT

WILL

SEE IT,

AND

FEAR IT,

AND

GIVE UP ON

THOSE ATTACKS ON OUR LIVES.

AND LORD,

MAY YOU BE GLORIFIED AS WE WALK OUT THIS WALK OF FAITH.

THANK YOU FOR NEVER GIVING UP ON US

OR LEAVING US

OR FORSAKING US,

EVEN WHEN WE FAIL

TO LIVE UP TO EVERYTHING YOU WANT US TO BE

LORD, MAY YOU INCREASE OUR FAITH

SO THAT IT HAS ALL THE BARBS WE NEED

TO TAKE ON THE TASK OF SPIRITUAL WARFARE AGAINST THE ENEMY
OH LORD, MAY WE ALWAYS BE READY IN THIS WORLD THAT WE LIVE IN !

AMEN

"Prayer Vigil" (WESTBOURNE NIGHTLY PRAYERS X RUFFLED STRAWBERRY PARFAIT)above and same cross on left "Prayer Vigil Too"

above left (BARBARA DITTMER X UKN) "Babbs" toothy tomato red, long bloomer

Cerise red "Big Sis" with one greenish tooth(an anomaly) couldn't resist sharing it. Sib to "Truth" (below towards end)
out of RUFFLED STRAWBERRY PARFAIT

(COSMIC SENSATION X GOD SAVE THE QUEEN) above and to left and the two below

The two purples(one above and to left) are out of (COSMIC SENSATION X SEIZE THE NIGHT) two of my favorites! Two years to first bloom

DENTAL ACADEMY X HEARTBEAT OF HEAVEN above

seedling below (Grand Palais sdlg x Big Blue sdlg) "Toothprint"

closeup above of sdlg (MAJOR MITCHELL'S HEADDRESS X G G (DEBBIE'S VOWS G'CHILD)) and full pic below

THREE IN ONE (FOLLOW THE FASHION X STARTLE) an excellent parent

(RUFFLED STRAWBERRY PARFAIT X SEIZE THE NIGHT) below

(TRULY ANGELIC X RUFFLED STRAWBERRY PARFAIT) look for those horns, sparse but awesome!

ONLY TRUTH SETS YOU FREE

a RUFFLED STRAWBERRY PARFAIT sdlg Registered 2012

("Truth" x COSMIC SENSATION)

(WESTBOURNE NIGHTLY PRAYERS X RUFFLED STRAWBERRY PARFAIT) the cross of most of these below and to the left

SO,FOR YOU WHO ARE STILL READING I WOULD LOVE TO SHARE WITH YOU A NUMBER OF THE TOOTHY DAYLILIES FROM THIS LAST SUMMER 2011. YOU MIGHT NOTE THAT SOME HAVE ONLY A FEW, AND YET THE DAYLILY IS STILL VERY PRETTY AND COMPLETE...

..MAY WE REALIZE THAT IN OUR WALK OF FAITH WE MAY NOT ALWAYS NEED A GIGANTIC AMOUNT OF BARBS TO DAMAGE THE ENEMY; MAY WE FIND OUT IN THIS WALK OF FAITH THAT WHEN WE STAND FIRM WE MAY NEED ONLY A FEW BARBS TO KEEP THE ENEMY OUT! OH LORD, MAY IT BE

(WESTBOURNE NIGHTLY PRAYERS X RUFFLED STRAWBERRY PARFAIT) parent of those below(a long cross, most are toothy offspring)