Free and Easy

The title pretty much sums this past weekend for me.
Friday evening I joined a few of my neighbors for a fish-fry and we had a good time. Josh, who helped me build the garden beds that I will talk about below, has a big fryer and did an excellent job -just like he always does!

Saturday I was up bright and early. The weather has been incredible in south Alabama for about 10 days or so, maybe longer. It's so tough for me to stay inside with such great weather.

I ended up going ahead and planting my carrots, cantaloupe, midget cucumber and regular sized cucumbers, beans, peas, and watermelon. Sure, we could possibly another slight freeze within the next month. -I'll pay for the consequences, and they will be cheap. About $5 worth of seed total for all that I've planted!

Additionally, I prepared the spot on the back property line where I will plant 4 rows of 20 Silver Queen corn! I'm super excited to test the waters on growing the corn. This variety is by far my favorite!

Not only did I plant veggies and these fruits but I also acquired a Navel orange tree, about 4' high, and also raspberry and blueberry bushes. These were planted on the south side of my house to keep them out of the cold north wind during our winters, plus they will all get absolute full sun. Also this gives me my own little grove of citrus and fruits there because I already had a Satsuma tree there.

And for good measure, I went ahead and planted about four daylilly plants in my front yard to give some color there. They are right at the base of my water oak that shades the yard very well.

OK, I'm not done yet! I've never covered up the fact that I love pine tree and pretty much any tree for that matter. -except crap myrtles. Well, I transplanted over a dozen longleaf pine seedlings to my backyard and put them in coffee containers for them to mature before putting them in the ground later this spring. Longleaf are about the slowest growing pine grown commercially for timber so these really won't be enjoyed by me at my house but whomever lives here a few decades from now.
Yah, I didn't stop there. While digging up the pine seedlings I also snagged about 5 small oak tree saplings. I placed them in containers and will plant them in the yard somewhere. Yah, I'm probably going to run out of space later this year for more plants!

My aunt Gale gave me some sunflower seeds and I will line the back yard with them to give some color. Also I'm going to add wildflower seeds in with these plantings and there will be plenty of color!

Here are some pictures of the raised garden beds. You can also see the pine seedlings in their containers.

The lumber that is up against the house will be used to build the stand for my rain barrel which I am going to move to the back of the house to use as irrigation for these beds. You can also see the dormant blueberry and raspberry bushes on the side of my house in the 3rd picture. They are between my gutter's downspout and the sewer tank thing that is a faded green.

Thanks to Brett Long for building the top "seat" for these beds. It really is so much better for me to sit down and work.

Well, just thought it was about time for an update on the happenings around the yard! Hope everyone is enjoying this great weather.

In His name,
-Matt

When You're Smiling

I really find that I desire to write a blog entry much more often than I actually publish one! Today I just found myself in a situation where I had to write about once I got home.

As life does to us humans, God really has given me a place that makes my heart smile every minute I'm there. GrandJoe passed away last summer and I've written about him in a previous entry. I documented his life to a small degree and the impact his Service in the Navy has had on my life. Well, ever since he went to Heaven it was laid on my heart to get involved in some type of volunteer work. I've always desired to do some work like this at some level and I knew at heart that this is as good a time as any. Even with all I have going on, no permanent job after this month and my back issues, God just has spoken so clearly to me that if I can't find time now for spending time with His children then I'll always put it off until sometime later.... and you know how that goes!

OK, so the point is, GrandJoe visited a very nice 'nursing' home pretty much every weekday before he got too sick to go. This really gave Meme and Aunt Gale a break from him being at home full-time and truly was a blessing. The Snook Center is the place I speak off. They have multiple wings to the building but in the core of the building they have a "Promenade" with a Soda Fountain, Barber/Beauty Shop, and Post Office and they regularly play music from the 40's and 50's; everything harkens back to the Good Ole Days! The Snook Center is known as a memory care facility so most of the residents have a form of Dementia or Alzheimer's and they are very well cared for. I say most because I've met a few exceptions. There is a lovely couple, the Shirley's, whom only the husband has slight issues with memory. More on them later!

The past two weeks I have been twice to just sit with some of the residents and give them someone to talk to. Eventually I think I will start playing cards or board games with them. For now I'm just trying to get to know them so they do not cast me as a stranger. The first visit I talked with some of the workers and they just went on and on about how great GrandJoe was and that they sure missed him. One regular volunteer told me that he was her absolute favorite that had ever been there. I'm man enough to admit that she made me cry!

Today's visit really went beyond just them asking me questions and the whole time I really asked them things and got to know them better. To see them light up when they remember things from decades past is such a joy. They are the happiest bunch I've ever been around!

One resident, Mrs. Shirley, remembered me from the previous week. It turns out she has no real health issues but is simply there because her husband has the dementia and she didn't want to live away from him. It's just about the sweetest thing you could imagine. She has to be the kindest and sweetest lady I've ever known, family excluded.
Today we discussed all sorts of things. Her husband played the trumpet. I can't recall what his actual profession was when he was younger, but I know his family was big into music, and that his father played the"bass fiddle." -I'd never heard it called that before! Well, after about 30 minutes of sitting at the table with them during their afternoon coffee, one of the staff members put on some music and it was a Louis Armstrong album. Mr. Shirley remembered every lyric from every song! This really made my heart smile because it was just the same with Grandjoe. He couldn't remember how to use a screwdriver or what day it was, but by gosh, he knew every lyric from songs back in the 40s and 50s!

It just so happened that Mr. Shirley's band would play a lot of Louis' songs back in the day. He then told me how he met Louis one night at a music club down on the Causeway - it's the non-elevated road that crosses Mobile Bay between Spanish Fort/Daphne and Mobile. He went on and on about how accessible and nice Louis was. The fact that a man of his popularity during that time would let a young guy backstage between sets just to talk music and trumpets was a thrill for Mr. Shirley. And you know, to have him tell this story and hear it from him, he made you feel like he had met the President! Mr. Shirley was humbled by Louis' kindness that night. He said that after this meeting he started giving free trumpet lessons to children there in Mobile.

I just can't put into words the joy I get from those of previous generations talking about the past. GrandJoe was a blessing in my life even if he couldn't remember who I was.

So, in honor of him I will continue to go visit the fine folks at the Snook Center at least once a week for an hour or so in the afternoons. It's the least I can do!

Thank you so much for the prayers and thoughts regarding my back and job situations. These prayers have been felt I assure you! God has a plan for me regarding a job. Next week I have an interview with the Chief of our GIS department at the Army Corps of Engineers for a Fed position. 432 applicants and there are four of us within the department that are interviewing. I'm continuing to pray for God's will for this and I will gladly accept either outcome. It's been my dream to work in this department for years and if it's meant to be He will keep me here.
On the other hand, we've tweaked my pain meds and it's working decently this week but I go back to the doctor in a couple weeks to see about further injections/meds changes too. Thank the Lord for health insurance. My bills for the two rounds of injections alone were enough for down payment on a small house! :)

As always, may the peace of the Lord, Jesus Christ, be with you all.

On My Highway

I suppose it's time for an update.  There's been some goings on that should be mentioned.

First, the past few weeks have been very little fun physically, mentally, and emotionally. My Faith has strengthened more every day and so spiritually I've been much better. Without the details of the ailments of others, it's worth mentioning that there really are many others going through tough times and they have been continually in my thoughts and prayers.  Lately it truly has been living one day at a time. This really isn't just a saying when you live it. Those that deal with chronic pain or other major health issues unfortunately understand it all too well.

Last week was my second round of injections in my back, and it was for steroids placed within the joints. Hopefully the combination of the previous nerve blockers, these steroids injections, and my daily medication I can get to a more manageable amount of pain.

So enough of THAT. Last weekend I made two raised garden beds so that I can begin growing some of my own veggies. It will be nice to have another project to keep up with around the house. My neighbor Josh really did the majority of the building for these beds.

Mainly, the thing that stands out throughout the past month is my faith that God has something planned for me. Sure, there's been times I really wanted out, and who wouldn't. I'm not able to do normal things like I used to because of my back, even simple things like reaching for something off the shelf at Lowe's yesterday made me hurt for the next 10 hours. Additionally, I'm faced with no job after the end of this month. But what has sustained me are the promises that God has made for my life. I just keep leaning on Him and He bears all my burdens. His power is made perfect in my weakness.. and boy there's lots of them!

I'm also really getting tuned into the happenings of Bay Community Church here near my home. This has been quite the journey the past two years to fully embrace everything that goes on there. The only thing I really just didn't love was the music worship, but God has broken me down and I've learned to tolerate it... I just love old Hymns! Bottom line is Jerry speaks THE word of God and that's all that matters. His messages are always spot on and I'm so on fire with what is happening. They have some exciting events coming up and I'm looking forward to joining in some capacity. Later this week I'm attending their class for those wishing to know more about the church and then join if they want.

As always,
Godbless!