Editorial- Feb 2009

February
It's actually beyond the appropriate time to think about ordering seeds for the spring garden and the summer plants. The high school called the other day to see if I would be part of their annual early horticulture class, which gives me access to the greenhouse, where the students make sure my plants are watered through the week. Last year I attended this class and really enjoyed it. The camaraderie of the mostly lady fellow students digging in tidy bags of dirt was pleasant, and folks shared seeds and seedlings readily. I brought home far more than I planted!
The temperatures are expected to hit 16 again this week, and we just got out from under a week of frozen water lines and drain lines. Daily life is much more pleasant when the clean water flows in and the used water flows out, but after living off the grid for all those years, we handle these minor inconveniences easily and have figured out ways to keep the usual routines going in spite of them. And we had additional help in the fixing this year, for which I'm thankful. We might make some progress now!
Those two paragraphs tie in with the thoughts of preparation and living in the moment. They both work together in a functional balance. I'm here, now, living in the anticipation of the Lord's appearance, and I'm busy laying up treasure in heaven. But I'm also here now, living today and enjoying the moment. While I'm not always doing the balance right in the garden or the water lines - as in, with some advance preparation, we'd have never noticed the cold weather's potential effect on our house systems, and the weeds in the garden got ahead of me last year (again), I hope I'm doing the living part right. Water lines don't disturb me whether they are frozen or working, although working is certainly more convenient! There's still always the grocery store for vegetables if my ideals of growing most of our own food fail (as it did last year) and I can always work toward improving the garden planning and working harder or smarter. But life is full of joy and anticipation, day by day. Until the Lord steps in with something else wonderful, which He does so beautifully from time to time, it's hard to think how it could be better!
I hope this finds you all well!