A Pretty Perfect Plant

Look closely at the photograph. Each one of the bell shaped flowers first appears cloaked in bright pink. The petals will fade to white before dropping. Replacing the blooms will be berries which will ripen into luscious purple balls about the size of a jelly bean.
I first spotted this variety of blueberries, named ‘Sunshine Blue’, at Roger’s Gardens in Corona del Mar. Blueberries are not traditionally a Southern California crop. Most varieties prefer colder winters than we have here. However, ‘Sunshine Blue’ thrives in our mild winters.
I confess: I snuck a taste right there in the nursery. I bit into the juicy purple globe. The tangy sweetness burst in my mouth in a way no ordinary blueberry from the grocery shelf ever had.It was like tasting Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony.
For those concerned with space, Sunshine Blue fills out into a well behaved dense mini-shrub, about 3’ around. Because she likes slightly acidic soil, and I prefer not to bend over unnecessarily, my blueberries are potted up in glazed pots filled with azalea potting medium.
Compact. Neat. Flowers. Superior and abundant fruit. These attributes make the dwarf blueberry- vaccinium corybosum 'Sunshine Blue' a very desirable addition to the suburban garden.

100% True

My insurance agent, John Forbing, forwarded this anonymously authored list this morning. I hope if you ever have need of insurance services, that you do business with someone so thoroughly decent as he and his wife, Dianne, are.

1. There are at least two people in this world
that would die for you.

2. At least 15 people in this world
love you in some way.

3. The only reason anyone would ever hate you
is because they want to be just like you.

4. A smile from you can bring happiness to anyone,
even if they don't like you.

5. Every night, SOMEONE thinks about you
before they go to sleep.

6. You mean the world to someone.

7. You are special and unique.

8. Someone that you don't even know exists loves you.

9. When you make the biggest mistake ever,
something good comes from it.

10. When you think the world has turned its back on you
take another look.

11. Always remember the compliments you received.
Forget about the rude remarks.

Good friends are like stars.
You don't always see them,
But you know they are always there.

The Best Tool in the Garden

The best tool is observation. If I had been a little more observant I would have seen the soaker hose. My boot would not have caught under it. Instead I flipped forward onto the sidewalk and bounced in to the street. Fortunately, I did not hit my head. I kept my wits and rolled back to the curb.

A very nice young man stopped his truck to help. Next on the scene was my neighbor, Chuck Price, who heard the Good Samaritan’s call for help. My husband heard the commotion and was right behind him.

My arm is broken. But not my spirit. It will take a little getting used to.Right now, even typing this short entry is difficult. So from the awkwardness and pain, I will receive lessons in prioritization.

Within the week I expect to adapt. This is an opportunity to catch up on reading. And an opportunity to really thank the Lord for my many, many blessings.

This is just a temporary inconvenience.

Road Trips

The last family roadtrip was when the boys were in high school. We drove from Diamond Bar, California to Casper, Wyoming with voices in the backseat chanting, "Are we there yet?"always. And asking when it was my turn to drive, "Does Mom have to drive?" Followed by the grumbling assertion that, "We'll never get there."



Through the California deserts, the mountains of Arizona and the canyons and inclines of Utah, "Are we there yet?" became a mantra which varied only in the loudness and intensity with which it was delivered by two brothers certain there parents were put on earth as some kind of punishment. From time to time, the thought that may be in the olden days, one of the reasons people died young was because on the wagon ride out west, some parents just could not take, "Are we there yet?" one more time...

Then came the great unending flatness of the Great Plain of Wyoming which tested our resolve to drive to my sister-in-laws. For six hours the road was flat and straight. The scenery was as interesting as if it were the largest piece of paper in the universe.

We came to the first turn in the road. The magic began. There were antelope leaping near the road. In the distance, a double rainbow arched to our destination city, a place where big bucks ambled across the main street. We weren't in L.A. any more.


We not only got there. We went on to South Dakota. Driving through some of the most scenic parts of the country, places where Dances with Wolves was shot, where the likenesses of our greatest Presidents were dynamited out of the mountain rock.
The grandness and vastness enthralled me. I told my husband that I could live there.
He looked at me straight in the eye and said, "You- here? You would not make it past ten days of being snowbound in the winter."

Looking back, this was one of my favorite trips. If you think about yours, I think you will find that life is richer when we take it all in, including the imperfect parts.

The Uplifting Power of Music

"Music is a moral law. It gives soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination, and charm and gaiety to life and to everything."
Plato

"Kirk Gibson's home run during the World Series for the Los Angeles Dodgers, reaching out over the plate to hit it -- and him hobbling around the bases and pumping his fist. What an unbelievable moment."
-- Tony Rose , Reynoldsburg, OH, from CNN Sports on the greatest 20 moments in televised sports moments.

The hometown paper had previewed the World Series in 1988 with a prediction. The Los Angeles Dodgers may as well stay home. They were going to be rapidly over-powered by a team of giants from up the coast: the Oakland Athletics.

I was in Dodger Stadium when the gimpy Gibson crushed the destiny of the 1988 Oakland A's and the "Bash Brothers" Jose Canseco and Mark McGwire with a single swipe of the bat.

In the interest of full disclosure, my brother-in-law was a relief pitcher with the Oakland team. And to see someone you love, someone who is a good and decent person perform at that level is a personal thrill that defies description. That being said, aside from the personal connection, my greatest sports memory was not about sports. It was about music.

It was one year at Anaheim Stadium. Fourth of July. My husband and I had a tailgate party with Marshall Hill and Karla Adams. We were strolling in to the stadium when we heard a voice that stopped my heart. There was a young man in jeans and a baseball jacket who sang the National Anthem like I have never heard it sung before or since. We had no idea who he was. But I called the Angel's press department first thing the next day to find out.

I invite you to click on the line below and hear one of the great baritones of our time. The incomparable Davis Gaines

YouTube - Song on the Sand - La Cage - Davis Gaines

HAPPY NEW YEAR

"...the future is an opportunity yet unmet, a path yet untraveled, a life yet unlived."- Pastor Greg Laurie