Tuesday, February 22, 2011

The Miracle Tree

Was the weather absolutely gorgeous where you were this past weekend? It was here, and my thoughts turned once again to the plans I have for our yard and gardens. I'm still trying to figure out where a fig tree could fit into all of this, but I'm not sure there's room for it. Even one fig tree would take up a lot of room.

The warm promise of spring just around the corner always exhilarates me, and I find myself thumbing through gardening catalogs and driving to my local favorite nursery to wander through rows of trees, shrubs and flowers while I plan and dream and re-plan and dream some more.

Every year, spring seems like such a miracle to me, and I'm always thrilled to see what decides to grace our garden again each year.

Speaking of miracles, did you know there's a real miracle tree? It's called the Moringa tree. Although it's a native to the Himalayas, it grows in a range of climates and can truly save lives. The Moringa tree bears fruit and its leaves can be brewed into a tea or ground into a powder to be added to food. The fruit and leaves contain a surprising range of vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and -- get this -- every amino acid humans need (Source).

Tuesday, February 15, 2011

A replenishing place

Hi, Friends,

Do you have a place where you go to renew your spirit or rejuvenate physically and mentally? For my husband and me, that place is the NC mountains. Even this time of year, when there's still snow and ice on the ground -- not to mention salt and sand on the roads -- we love being there. How I feel when we're there and when we've just come back is like the tree in this verse from Jeremiah:

Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord ... For he will be like a tree planted by the water, that extends its roots by a stream and will not fear when the heat comes.
-- Jeremiah 17:7-8