Wobbly

 

Hi Friends,

Last week I was feeling wobbly, very wobbly.

The news of Operation Epic Fury made everyone feel wobbly. 

Our son is currently serving in the Wisconsin National Guard. He has several friends that he served with in Djibouti, currently  deployed in Kuwait.

We have an extended family member who is also stationed in Kuwait.

A friend has a son who is a pilot, is currently flying missions in the Middle East.

 

While feeling wobbly, I remind myself of the following...

 

When sadness visits your fortress and will not say when she is leaving, still hope.

When it doesn’t work out how you planned, still hope.

 When you are holding broken dreams in your hands, still hope.

When what you believed to be true and trustworthy—is not, still hope.

When fear is running amok through the halls of your soul, still hope. 

 When the culmination of losses have added up and it would be foolish to keep betting on life, still hope.

When betrayal has poisoned the well, still hope. 

When you can no longer make out the shape of goodness in the world, still hope.

 When you feel uneasy, even frightened, for tomorrow, still hope. 

 When you have lost your radiance and struggle for joy, still hope.

 When you cannot remember the last time God crossed your threshold, still hope.

Farrell Mason

Hello March and it is the Hodgepodge

 

I spy green.

 

Hello Friends,

It is Wednesday and that means it is time for the Hodgepodge.

Joyce asks the questions.

We answer the questions.

 Click here to join the fun!

 

 1.  As the saying goes, 'March comes in like a lion and goes out like a lamb.' Did your March come in roaring or like some other animal? Every month carries with it certain feelings, which is why some people love and anticipate December and others dread it. How do you feel about the month of March? 

If you ask my husband he will say our March came in like a lamb. We woke to 6 degrees, no wind and sun. I on the other hand decided it came in like a lion, because it was 6 degrees. My hopes is for 55 and sunshine March 31st.  

March is the start of mud season here in Wisconsin. It is dirty. The dogs paws need cleaning and belly too. Our shoes get full of mud. We get full of mud. It is just a messy old time until the mud is gone.

It also can be winter and spring all in the same day, which can start to drive one a wee bit crazy when you have spring fever. 

 2. Where in your life are you a lion? Where are you a lamb? 

I will roar like a lion to protect my family.

I am a lamb to creatures that have been abandoned.

The below photo is of Ernie, our rescue dog. He was a mess when we adopted him.

Slowly, with patience and love he started to feel safe.  

 

Patience, love and daily training Ernie has become a gentleman. 

 

 

 3. The Hodgepodge lands on National Pound Cake day.

Do you like pound cake? Yes, I do like pound cake.  

 If so do you have a favorite flavor? I like vanilla and lemon pound cake. Let's play this or that-

• pound cake or layer cake? layer cake
• pound cake or cheesecake? pound cake
• pound cake or angel food cake? angle food cake
• pound cake or brownie? brownie
• pound cake or pie? pie 

  4. What makes you feel childlike wonder right now? 

 

Starting seeds.. the joy of watching a little seed sprout and as the season goes on it grows and grows and grows. 

 

 5. What's one thing you need to add to your wardrobe to get ready for spring? If you're in the southern hemisphere, then answer for fall? 

 

Some new sneakers, tennis shoes, trainers, walking shoes ... hee hee, not sure what you might call them, but you get the idea, new shoes. 

 

  6. Insert your own random thought here. 

I found some jelly beans made with natural juice. 

Me oh My... they are good!

I am happy I purchased two bags.  

 

Wisconsin Cotton

 

 

This growing adventure starts back in the winter of 2024, when my friend L gifted me a package of cotton with seeds for my December birthday. She and her husband had gone on a road trip to the South. On her way home to Wisconsin she picked me up my birthday gift. The challenge was, Carla can you grow cotton?

In early June of 2025 I placed the cotton seed ball in to a big pot in my greenhouse. My hope was the greenhouse would replicate enough southern heat to trick the cotton into thinking it was not in Wisconsin, but really in its home of Missouri. 

Look, we have growth. 

 

Cotton Flowers

The excitement of having cotton flowers, oh boy, one step closer to having Wisconsin cotton.

Late autumn was setting in and I needed to button up the greenhouse. I brought in all the plants I planned to try to save during the winter. The cotton was one of them. We still had to make it to harvest.

December 2025, it is looking good, two pods of cotton have formed and will soon be ready for harvest. One for my friend L and one for me.

 Wisconsin cotton boll sitting in my window sill. I started the cotton in early June and harvested two stems in mid December. 

It worked. 

 ♥

Carla