One Thousand Gifts

I was looking back through my journal and realized that there were many gifts I had not yet recorded here.

These ones are from early October, when I made my first foray into planting bulbs in the garden.

181. Soil's blanket of warmth protecting newly planted bulbs from frost.
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182. Time of rest, strengthening, growth within.
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183. Willing service.
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184. Life enclosed in a small package, awaiting spring for fulfillment.

I'm excited to see what will happen with these bulbs. We carefully selected a mixture of tulips, daffodils, crocuses, and snow drops in a variety of colours that we thought would buoy our spirits when spring drew them from the ground.

Hours were spent in the front and back yards, digging, mixing in nutrients, and planting the bulbs. And then, that very evening and the next couple of days, we had to chase squirrel after squirrel out of the garden. They were digging, too, but in a counterproductive way, removing bulbs from the homes we'd given them.

Dear Man and My Girl located some unused chicken wire in the garage and pegged it securely over all the bulb plantings. That seemed to work to keep the squirrels out, so, now we wait for spring to arrive to see what the results of our efforts will be.

As I've written before, this year has seen a tremendous amount of snow - almost 250 cm of snow already, and we're only half way through January. I can guarantee that, by the time these blossoms show their heads, we'll be ready for them!