gotta have it!

you want it? I got it… over here!

social media migraine

read all about it over at kimberwidmer.com

A Tale of Two Cities

The best and worst of times. Read all about it over on my new blog.

Home Assignment

What does it like to be on mission at home? Go read for yourself!

hungry?

I'm writing. And if you're reading… head over here. Better yet… stick me in your blogroll. http://kimberwidmer.com

make the move with me

i'm a bit reluctant to delete this blog as i'm afraid all of my five regular readers haven't made the move with me.
i can't promise you scintillating posts, but then if you follow me regularly here, that won't come as a giant surprise.
i can promise you that i'll be trying to post on a much more regular basis. it's a discipline i'm trying out. we'll see how that goes.
there's a whole lot of nothing going on over at kimberwidmer.com. stick me in your blogroll so you'll never miss out… on nothing. ha!

sizzlin times

new post.
on why i might owe the entire southeast an apology.
feel free to follow me in your blog reader… kimberwidmer.com

a story of growth… and pain

read more here!

c'mon over!

come on over and set a spell.
kimberwidmer.com

i've done it.

yep.
i made the big switch.
over to wordpress.
and my own domain.
i'll be posting over there now.
i think.
i have to figure out how to let all my peeps {the ever dwindling number of you} know where to find me.
kimberwidmer.com
clever, huh?
trying to keep it simple.
so while i have no logical reason why i'm moving, i am.
i managed to transfer this blog over.
thank goodness for the magic button.
no to figure out how to change my tagline over there.
somehow "just another wordpress blog" seems a bit bland.
so go on… what are you waiting for?

remember

i have a boatload of work to do before i leave for a week with our church's middle and high schoolers for summer camp. i'm still processing my 48 hours in tuscaloosa. but i don't want to miss an opportunity to share what's going on in my world.
it's sad, really, that images like this have become almost commonplace over the past month.
joplin; oaklahoma city; ringold, ga; memphis… it's almost overwhelming.
there's more i would like to say about all of this, but i still have a job i need to finish tonite and i need to pack.
so i'll be brief. {it's a first, i know!}
please, please, please… don't forget those in need.
i volunteered with Samaritan's Purse. i knew about their shoeboxes for needy kids all over the world… but i had no idea they were in the disaster relief business.
i don't know where you feel comfortable giving… but i do know that SP is a reputable organization that uses its resources wisely.
don't forget.
there is genuine need.
i don't know what the weather is like in your neck of the woods… but in tuscaloosa, it's already an oven. and there's SO much work to be done outside in the blazing sunshine.
water. sunscreen. water. energy bars. food. talents. the need is overwhelming.
but the Spirit… He's alive and well. i saw Him in abundance.
want to see for yourself? go to the SP website… there's all kinds of stories of hope in the ruins.
have a great week, y'all…

growing

the hay bale garden marches on. we've got blossoms becoming real live veggies.

we've got survival after a vicious hailstorm that damaged an incredible amount of homes and vehicles here. i've never seen so many blue tarps on roofs or plastic on sunroofs and rear windshields in all my life. the number of hail battered cars is astounding and the insurance adjuststers and roofing/home maintenance companies are beyond busy. so the fact that we still have a garden is noteworthy!

as i grow my garden, i'm being reminded about what it looks like to be deeply rooted and i'm further encouraged to be in the Word continually. without water, my garden will wilt and die. refreshing myself daily with the Living Water is key. i'm thankful for the reminders my garden gives to me!

 

we even have some tomato plants showing up from the tomatoes left on the ground at the end of last year's season. i have one robust plant and two more that just showed up on the scene. we could be in for alot of tomatoes… but that's okay. last year's harvest was pretty pathetic!

we're growing. becoming deeply rooted. drinking up the water. striving to bear much fruit.

stream of consciousness

high of sixty today in mid-may. brrrrr.
funny how a high of sixty two months ago would send me to find my flip flops and tank tops. now it just makes me want to find a sweater, jeans and a pair of socks.
third weekend in a row of extended family gatherings. our kids called it "easter round 4." graduation celebration this weekend. next one is in two weeks {a bit of a reprieve} for FIL's surprise 80th birthday party {thank goodness they have dial-up internet and haven't discovered my blog… or know what a blog is… ha!}.

someone quit at our corporate office. it's a good thing because it's freeing me up to do what i've always done for our business, but it does mean extra work to an already pressed marketing director. having to say goodbye to blogging and blogstalking with any kind of regularity. heavy sigh. i love my OLF.
kids are home from college. at least for awhile. bamagirl begins nursing school in a week, and will be gone the rest of the summer. she'll finish in time to begin rush, which is a huge deal at the university of alabama. last year 1,700 girls went through.

boy wonder is working at the summer camp he worked at last summer. he'll be with 7 and 8-year olds again, which is right up his alley. he has so much fun tickling their vivid imaginations and comes home with the best stories. so many of his close friends work with him, too, making it not really a "job." the pay is awful, but the experience is worth it. and it frees him up in the afternoon to play golf and wiffle ball.

the third annual wiffle ball banquet is in two weeks. they've got a derby theme this year so i guess i'll have to get started on crafting a new hat. can't be the hostest with the mostest with a nekkid head!
i wish i had a computer in the shower. i write amazing blog posts in the shower.

still processing all the destruction in alabama {and mississippi, georgia, tennessee and virginia, too} and wondering how they fell out of the national spotlight in a matter of days because of the royal wedding, the killing of bin laden and the rest of life taking center stage. how a city like tuscaloosa can be classified an E1 disaster… only the third of its kind in the US {the others being katrina and 9-11} be literally forgotten in days. perhaps it's a testimony to how folks just pick up sticks {literally} and help their neighbors and don't sit around and whine about how much their lives suck. the FEMA folks said they've never seen anything like it… after one week, tuscaloosa looked like katrina did after six months. i'd chalk that up to southern guts, but new orleans is in the south, too.

i feel pretty safe just chalking it up to God. he's the ruler and master in this whole thing and it's awesome to see the stories of hope and redemption rising up from the rubble.

i'm planning on going myself next week. bamagirl has orientation on wednesday, then needs to come home for the banquet and the {shhhhh} surprise birthday party. so i'll drive her down, find a place to volunteer while she's in school, and then we'll come back. it'll be a quick mini-mini-mission trip, but i'm glad to be able to do my part to help.

so that's what's on my mind. a jumble of things, but it's okay. i'm used to it.
the photos are from bamagirl's debutante ball… it didn't feel right to blog about such an event in light of the tragedy in the southeast, but it was fun, and we did enjoy introducing our daughter to knoxville. not like they didn't know her already. it was a great evening to share with our family, too. {the first of the five get-togethers in a month!}

mothered {thank goodness} to death

i was the fourth child born to parents in their late 30s. my older brother wasn't even living at home anymore. he was 18 and out on his own. my sister was almost 10 when i was born; my other brother almost four. to say i was the baby of the family is an understatement.
when i was about six months old, my mom had her third back surgery, and was out of commission for months. my aunt took care of me for several weeks while my dad got mom out of the hospital and situated at home. my aunt and uncle delivered me back home to a very relieved mom, but she cried as i screamed watching "my mom" back out of the driveway, leaving me with what i thought was a stranger.

she's now in her 80s and suffers from alzheimers, but she's still a delight and remembers us. i'm so glad i visited her with my sibs last summer.

my sister really stepped up to the plate to help. since my mom was laid up for a significant period of time, she really cared for my needs. she diapered, bathed, and fed me like a champ, and the bond between us sisters cemented for life. despite the age difference, my sister debbie and i remain incredibly close. she was a second mother to me, never made me feel like an annoying little sister and we even shared a room. imagine being a senior in high school and having to share a room {and bed} with a second grader? yep… she's a saint.

my mom with my cousin, sherry

my mom was your typical stay at home mom. she was queen of the castle and kept an impeccably clean home. dinner on the table at six. homemade christmas cookies by the boatload. after school snacks awaiting us as we arrived home. she made sure our lunch was ready and on the table when we'd come home for lunch from school. she was a safe place to share stories and was always available after school to listen. when i was laid up at home for two months recovering from my own back surgery, she was my physical therapist extraordinaire. strict, yet loving. hilarious and snarky. generous with her gifts.
she was the best.

i lost her twelve years ago to a train wreck called lung cancer.

when i left home for college almost {choke} thirty years ago, i ventured far from my home state. luckily, i had a family i had babysat for in the boston area that had moved to a city nearby my university. they became my "home away from home" and she became like a mother to me. she'd come and get me for weekends at their house. i'd sleep and do laundry, eat and sleep some more. just like coming home. her girls were like my little sisters and they loved me just like one of the family. she was there days after i gave birth to my first child and was my doula when i had my second. she has loved my children like her very own grandchildren and has always showered us with her love and affection. to this day, she remains my childrens' pretend grandmother whom they call beebs, and she's my second mother. 

my MIL with her daughter, dana

twenty six years ago, a fifth mother entered my life. she's the mother to my husband, selfless, generous and a precious example of sacrificial love. she welcomed me into the family with open arms and has never let go. kind, careful with advice and quick with laughter, meeka {a name given to her by our son} is a living example of motherly love and affection.

the Lord has blessed me beyond what i deserve. many people can't even say they have one strong woman in their lives. i've been more than blessed by wonderful mothers. they've all been wonderful examples for me and have all inspired me to be the best mother i can be. my greatest desire in life is to pour in to others what has been given to me. may i never tire of the desire to breathe life into others.

life in a vacuum

i remember the day my mom was diagnosed with lung cancer.
my world was crashing around me, and as i looked around, everyone else's life was going on as if nothing happened. how can you be laughing… don't you realize my mom is dying??
i got the call when i returned home from church that sunday morning after thanksgiving. dad is gone.
what??
i remember that long drive home… the world around me functioning perfectly while i was a jumble of thoughts and concerns.
i feel the same way now. and i'm not even in the tornado zone.
but my daughter is.
and i see life around me… oblivious to the hurt and suffering in tuscaloosa {and other parts of AL, MS, TN, GA, and VA}.
i'm sure there's a lesson here, although i'm too thick to fully understand.
life does go on.
you can choose to sit in your junk and despair, or you can get up, thank God for your blessings and move on.
i'm thankful we're going to have an opportunity to help there. i think this will give me the chance to move forward. because right now my heart is stuck. i'm thankful for the outpouring of help there. God is so good. and His people are so resourceful.
God is good. all the time. He is so very good.
we just want to dig in and be His hands and feet.

this is me. watching life go on… and wondering how i fit in to all of that.
thank you, that is all.

Praise You In This Storm

photo by bamagirl

i haven't been able to write. i haven't been able to collect my thoughts. my heart has been a tornado of emotions for a week now.

bamagirl returned home friday morning, having spent the night in gadsen with friends the night before. she arrived home, quiet and still somewhat in shock. by saturday night, she was ready to pack a small bag and head back on sunday, and she would have if her car hadn't been in the shop {completely unrelated to the tornado… miraculously, her car didn't have a scratch on it. not. a. scratch.}. she left monday after we filled her car with donated clothing, water and groceries.

tuesday, it rained. a miserably wet and cold day. she worked through the greek system at school and fed people and then went out with friends to offer their services in a neighborhood. in her words: 

"what a humbling experience... words and pictures cannot describe what has happened here, but I know that God is in this town more than ever! We need him in the calm just as much as in the storm."

 alabama has this bitter rivalry between schools. UA's Crimson Tide vs Auburn Tigers. bitter is putting it mildly. when alabama won the national championship two years ago, the ones cheering against UA the loudest were from auburn. and alabama returned the favor with glee as auburn weathered the cam newton drama while winning the championship. venom reigned in the state of alabama. 

but not now. i've never seen a group assemble so quickly and mobilize forces more effectively than the Toomers for Tuscaloosa facebook group that is 80,000 strong. a house divided has become a house united. it's been awesome to watch.

april has been a fantastically destructive month. floods along the mississippi. fires in texas. tornadoes throughout the southeast. people are hurting. so many have been affected and as we look at the destruction, it can be overwhelming. we can all help in some way or fashion. we can donate resources. we can give blood. we can pray. we can encourage. 
and we can praise Him in this storm. may He get all the praise and glory.

from high to low in less than four days

i've been editing pictures from our epic weekend. waiting till i got back from atlanta to post about our daughter's debutante ball on saturday.
on the way home, we were wedged in between bad weather. and by bad… i mean black skies and huge hail. mayhem ahead in knoxville, and golf-ball sized hail in chattanooga. our daughter, in tuscaloosa, had been in a basement in a neighboring sorority house for two hours, and was snarkily tweeting about good times in basements #sarcasm.

{source AP}

she texted us a few hair-raising picture of tornadoes. that she took{not the one above, however}. ummmm hello… aren't you supposed to be in a basement, and GAH, those seem awfully dang close!! she assured us she was safe.
her phone was low on battery, but she kept us apprised of the situation. no news is no news, right?
we arrived home, put our things away and began to check emails, etc. it wasn't long before we were scrambling to get our things and head to the basement. armegeddon was breaking out all around us. green skies, blowing winds, rain and hail. lots and lots of hail. BIG hail.
{i'd post some epic pictures here of what used to be my garden. and lawn. and the hail. but i sold my cameras, and i'm in between at the moment.}
then i got a call from the girl. one of those ugly cries that only a mom can understand.
moooooom… everything is gone!
{sob}
wait. what? everything? ohmyword… your apartment gone? your car?

no. no. it's fine. but everything else, mom. it's a war zone! everything is gone!

and there you have it. from a beautiful deb on saturday to surviving an epic tornado and enduring the aftermath.
this is life. the hard part.
now the interesting part will be to see what she does with it. finals start monday. she has papers to write and exams to study for and her mind is a million miles from a library. no electricity, no internet. no interest. how the end of this semester shakes out for the students at alabama remains to be seen.
i'm praying that God's people are able to move in to this situation and love with the hands and feet of Jesus.
Lord have mercy… Christ have mercy…

living water

His words are so powerful. His Salvation so wonderful. His grace so merciful.
Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them.” John 7:37-39
 For the Lamb at the center of the throne will be their shepherd; ‘he will lead them to springs of livingwater.’ ‘And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.’ ” Revelation 7:16-17

water. 
it's life's most basic need.

so incredibly thankful for the ministry of charity:water. for their quest to give safe drinking water to the billion people who are plagued with the consequences of drinking filthy water. is it so cool that they are giving living water in the name of Jesus?

i have a garden. and i water it with my hose. of course, i would never think of drinking nasty hose water. gah. {shudder} but it is potable water. and i spray it onto my garden, use it to play with my crazy dog who attacks sprinklers for sport, and wash my muddy shoes with it. 
drinking water. 
the same stuff that people yearn for in developing countries.
please take a few moments to watch these… you'll see the dire need for clean water and the amazing ripples of life that come from one clean source.

then watch a village come to life through the gift of water. through the organization aptly named living water.



this easter, as we consider the sacrifice, the love, the miracle, and the blessing of the gift of the Holy Spirit in us… won't you consider giving the gift of living water to others… in our daily lives, for sure… but for those in desperate need?

what the hay bale??

well. it's in.

fertilized.

planted. 

staked.

stalked (that would be my "helpers").

and watered.
now we wait.

that crazy dog of mine… need to just leave her in when it's watering time. she goes absolutely crazy.

i've had to get after them for digging in my flower planter. grrrrr. for the life of me… they have an ENTIRE yard!! gah!
so far they haven't come back to it. maybe it was the linda-blair-360-venom-spewing i did. scared the hay bale right outta them! ;)

a must have… or not

i remember seeing the infomercial for the snuggie.
a snuggie? really? that's pretty lame.
and then about three million people promptly went out and bought one. or one for everyone in their household.

then there was the commercial for the hoodie-footie pajamas.
oh dear… are they serious?? $99 for pajamas?? and it comes with a little velour short set and a do not disturb sign.
uhhhh. awkward.
and those things flew off the shelf too.
clearly i'm no judge of must have items.
clearly.
that's why i'll probably be buying stock in the SlobStopper.
yes, you heard me.
SlopStopper.
or perhaps better know as the adult bib.
totally not kidding.

you might want to follow my blog now… you know, before i get so famous/rich. you can say you knew me when…
…or not.

just wait

so thankful for a DVR that records what would certainly be "appointment tv." much like my thursday nites used to be B.DVR and i was obsessed with ER. {ohhhh how i miss that show. thank goodness for grey's anatomy}

but i digress {surprise, right?}

the hubs is not a fan of "serial tv." he hates shows he has to show up for every week to know what's going on. this is why he loves hawaii five-o {wraps up, for the most part, each show, although there is a running sub-plot going on}. first of all, he doesn't have to show up every monday night at 10 to watch it, and secondly, it's our go-to show for dinner on tuesdays. yes… the cardinal sin of eating dinner in front of the tv. i'm sad to report that now that our kiddles are gone, we do this…when we manage to eat at home for dinner…which oftentimes is less than twice a week. i know. i know. bad us.

the other night, the hubs and i watched parenthood. it was the hub's second time, so he had a small inkling of what was going on… so he wasn't completely lost. the episode revolved around a 16 year old "good girl" deciding to have sex with her boyfriend. complete with a butt-dial to her parents during… ahem… "it."

awkwardest butt-dial ever.

watching it beside the hubs made me even more aware of the interchange between the dad and the daughter once the mom had made dad aware of their daughter's activity. it was absolutely gut-wrenching to watch the dad unable to make eye contact, avoid interacting in every way and literally being able to hear his heart break in two. i cried for his brokenness as he sat and watched his daughter's innocence wilt away.

i guess the parents handled it about as well as you would imagine a hollywood family would. they were open and conversational about it before, during and after. they weren't overly "judgey." the mom justified the daughter's behavior based on her own premarital sex activity and even praised the daughter for having a first time that was "better" than her first.

ugh.

it's not like i was expecting them to tell the daughter about God's plan for sex inside of marriage. i'm not that naive… and i guess from the world's perspective, talking openly, not judging and talking about protection is "responsible parenting."

ugh again.

i'm thankful that our kids have been given open discussions about sex since they were 7ish, much to the horror of the rest of the family. but we wanted our kids to always hear about sex from God's perspective, not from information gleaned on the playground,sleepovers, or God forbid… the media. we've had an open dialogue about guarding hearts, protecting future wives for their husbands, honor, restraint and how God mad sex to be wonderful… but within the confines of marriage. we've encouraged our kids not to date in middle/high school {both waited until college for their first serious relationships}. to not look at dating as acquiring some sort of trophy… but to look at it as an opportunity to be giving, serving, loving the other person.

it's far too early to wave the victory flag yet. the moment i smugly assume that our parenting has netted us two virgins on their wedding days is the minute i'll be sitting here with egg streaming down my face. let's just say i'm still having the sometimes awkward conversations with our kids about "it." it's a continuing dialog that i'll not stop having until they say I Do. those two words need to come before the word IT.

{and…let the record show that the pregnancy test in the previews for next week's finale will be assumed to be hattie's… i have a sneaking suspicion that it might be her mom's!}

a little pre-easter panic planning

easter is in two weeks. well, actually, less than two weeks… but who's counting {12 days}?
not only did i volunteer to have easter brunch at our house, but we also have bama girl's debutante ball the night before.
yeah. i think i need to get my head examined, too. ie what the heck was i thinking?
so in preparation for said event, and also while i continue to crank out the work/new menus/social media blitz/have endless meetings, i need to wedge in some cleaning {including the windows, blech}, easter decorating {which requires finding the land of easter in the attic… an expedition to be sure}, mani/pedi, hair for the girl, menu planning, pre-prepping as much as possible on saturday… not necessarily in that order. and i'm sure i left a bunch off the list.
we do have audience participation… MIL is bringing dessert {hopefully not something drenched in coconut which the kids abhor… all the kids… not just mine} and the SILs will bring a dish to share.
mind you, this is not me complaining. i love to have the family over. i'm really looking forward to the dogwood ball. it's going to be a wonderful weekend.
this is me having a small panic attack. me planning. me trying to be ready.
but if you know me even a tiny bit… you'll know that me + planning isn't found in the same sentence ever very often.
feel free to share any cute easter decor/table ideas. i think if the weather is nice we'll eat outside. probably several small tables since we have almost 20 in the fam. feel free to chime right on in. i'm all ears.

on a roll… or at least i was…

oh dear… i've been MIA for a week now. and after i was back on a good blogging roll, too.
no time to write, no time to blogstalk, no time to do much other than work work work!!
it's been a really crazy, yet enjoyable week. much of what i've been up to has taken me out of my office, and that's been a really good thing. it's spring!
i've had dinner with potential franchise clients, i've been out in the stores implementing a new menu… which for me means taking down the old panels and replacing the new panels which i've already priced {tedious work, for sure!}. i get to see our associates in the stores, talk with our guests and add to my never-ending list of more things i need to design for marketing. at times it gets overwhelming!
i also took a day "off" this past week to spend with jennifer mckinney. yes…that jennifer mckinney… mckmama herself.
she and her family are traveling RV-style across the southeast, stopping in various cities to offer up photo shoots for individuals and families. i literally squealed in delight when i learned she'd be coming to our little burg on her way to charlotte, and immediately emailed to ask her if i could hook up with her while she was here. {i also shamelessly wanted to hook her family up our little city's [and my family's business] culinary "invention" from 27 years ago and a fan-favorite ever since. imagine my surprise when i discovered that she not only fed her family petro's for breakfast, but also posted an awesome photo of said activity on her blog!}

not only did i get a chance to hook up with the mckphotographer, but she let me assist her for the day, which she told me she normally doesn't do. as a budding photographer myself, i wanted to watch and learn as much as possible.

i didn't ask too many questions {at least not about photography} but watched her work her photo-magic. her personality is as light as her footwork… she's never still for long.

it was a great day of learning, of spending time with a new friend who i felt like i've known forever, and a chance to meet her son, Stellan, the one whom i've prayed for over the past two years.

it's funny how life in blogdom is… you read about someone for so long, and when you meet, it's not awkward, but actually the most normal, natural thing you could imagine. while it sounds so sketchy to meet someone you met on the internet… i find that it's like embracing a friend you haven't seen in awhile.
it was a super rewarding day, and thanks to jennifer, i found a new treasure in my own little city. a beautiful botanical garden hiding in a corner i don't normally go. it's a beautiful oasis where i plan to practice my own budding mckphotography skills!

must i repeat myself?

 i was reading anna's blog, an inch of gray, yesterday and chuckling over how her husband gave her a waverly ivy patterned coupon holder as a gift upon her completion of her master's degree. she also shared some great stuff about being a thrifty decorator and how our tastes change over the years. case in point: ivy. mauve. geese.
what used to elicit sighs of contentment now trigger our gag reflexes. for reals.


i then left an incredibly long and witty comment {i'm hilarious in my own mind… i crack myself up. ask anyone. i'm the first to laugh at my own jokes. it's humilating.} and hit publish your comment and then smoke came out of my computer {slight exaggeration} and my comment was lost forever.
i'm sure that's never happened to you. i'm sure you've never navigated away from a page the second you realize there's a word verification to fill in juuuuuuust as the screen disappears.
if that has ever happened to you, you probably feel the same way. oh… i can't repeat that one. it was a once in a lifetime comment.
oh grrrrr. it's not like i was supposed to be working anyway and now i have to spend more time screwing the company out of my productivity?
so i left another comment. but all it had was the gnashing of teeth and wailing that comes from a comment falling off a cliff.
oh lawd, could i get any more dramatic?
anna's post, while informative about decorating, really made me think about husbands' lack of gift giving skills. not all the time, thank goodness, but sometimes i really wonder what they're thinking.

my sister got a can of pringles for her first mother's day. her husband thought it was the perfect gift because they are her favorite. i think her baby was all of four weeks old and he gives her flipping potato chips. i really think they must have compared ideas ahead of time because my husband gave me a pair of flip flops for my first mother's day. they were wedged into the baby swing with our five month old son. i think i remember crying. but it wasn't out of joy.
i would hear about husbands giving their wives jewelry or flowers after giving birth. i got a pat on the head and a ride home. at least he carried the baby.
but perhaps the best gift was the set of matching tires i got for my college graduation.
the boy is nothing if not practical.
i'll never forget it either.
i was celebrating with friends after work, and i left my car there in lieu of driving home in a far-too celebratory manner. i came back to retrieve my car the next day. i opened my car and noxious pent-up new tire rubber fumes belched out of my sun-warmed car and about knocked me over right there in the parking lot. yes. the boy had surprised me by putting them in the back seat of my car. {he's thoughtful that way}
i was so excited i puked right there in the parking lot. i'm sure the tequila i'd had the night before had nothing at all to do with that.
to this day, the smell of new tires makes me nauseous. seriously. and my kids? it's like the smell of fresh cut grass or something. they love it.
they probably love the color mauve, too.

my little "helper"

thankfully, it's been raining pretty regularly, which means i don't have to spend too much time watering my soon-to-be-garden.

we've been faithfully fertilizing our garden with an all purpose nitrogen {34-0-0} which also contains some sulfur and iron {for those of you taking notes}, and watering twice daily.
emma, our mini-dachshund, isn't as fond of the rain because that seriously cuts into her thrill of trying to attack the water.

she has water radar and no matter where she is in the house or outside, she just knows when the faucet has been turned on and makes a bee-line to the hay bales because she knows it's party time.

it cracks me up. she even jumped up on a hay bale to attack. that wasn't so funny. i'm particularly enamored with hay bale gardening because just maybe, it'll keep our varmints out of our business. they steal produce like no one's business.
we've ordered our plants from some company online {trying something different this year} and they'll arrive once the nursery thinks it's safe to plant. we've had some delightfully warm, almost summer-like weather, but upon the arrival of spring, it's as if mother nature remembered that spring is spring, and 75° is just too dang warm for march. we even had a bit of frost earlier this week.
i can't wait to start planting… but it'll still be awhile. we have a bit more fertilizing to do to prepare our "soil."