Kindness From My Garden

I am blessed to say that I have been on the receiving end of acts of kindness too numerous to count.

That blessing, that forever humbles me, and the theme for September's Ten on the Tenth, Random Acts of Kindness, has caused me to really think about what this means.

More importantly, what does it look like when I am the giver and not the receiver of such acts?

Here is what I think:)

I realized years ago that if I follow that nudge to say or do something special for someone, my personal pleasure ( and theirs) is increased when I do it creatively.

That creativity sends a special message.

My favorite source for that creative inspiration is in my garden.

As I have gotten older, I like to think about what my mother or grandmother would do for a friend (long time or new), in need of a little lift.

It may have been the sharing of a cutting, or a basket of fresh vegetables, or something they baked to go along with it.

They were instinctive gardeners and great sharers, so I know they combined the two.

I am so grateful that I can walk out my door to my modest kitchen garden and gather some of my zinnias, find a vase that I have for just such an occasion, and create that lift for someone else.

My zinnias make me smile everyday in amazement, and I know they do the same thing for others.

I know you do this kind of thing as well. 

Bloggers are natural edifiers and act kindly every time they leave a comment or offer encouragement or send an email.

May I mention one in particular ?

Stacey of Poofing the Pillows is the perfect example of such kindness. 

She has offered me encouragement about blogging , encouraged me to return to it when I slip away for a bit, laughed with me when I don't understand the technology in it all, and has always acted as a friend.

Just reading her heartfelt posts on her love of home, family, and life is a special blessing and act of kindness for us all.

And now to an amazing group of bloggers who add their own special dose of creativity to everything they post and do for others.

Please make sure you visit these ladies for their heartfelt posts on kindness.

Tammy at Patina and Paint

Patti at Pandora's Box

Stacey at Poofing the Pillows

Mary at The Boondocks Blog

Eilis at My Heart Lives Here

Kim at Exquisitely Unremarkable

Laura at White Spray Paint

Katie at Let's Add Sprinkles

Carol at Bluesky at Home

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Zinnias and Ten on the Tenth

I have written often here at White Spray Paint about my love of zinnias and the connection they create to my farming heritage and my father,

my wonderful friends and the Sisterhood of the Traveling Zinnia Seeds, and to who I am.

If I may be so bold, I want that for YOU.

To that end, below is a simple, direct invitation in honor of our (Ten on the Tenth celebration today) printed here just for you:

You are cordially invited to join the

Sisterhood of the Traveling Zinnia Seeds

Why?  Because all women need a sisterhood and gardening is the best common ground for that.

The guidelines are simple and the cost is low:)

You do not have to have gardening experience.

All you have to do is say I'm in so I can imagine you planting your zinnias this spring .

How do you proceed? It is so simple:)

Step I.       

Buy a packet(s) of zinnia seeds. I buy my seeds at Home Depot, Lowe’s, Wal Mart, and at any small town local nursery or hardware store I drive past.

Small town hardware stores are the best. I love shopping for seeds!  This is usually the point I realize I bought too many packets, and I share them with friends.

Step 2.      

Read the planting information on the back of the packet to determine the best time to plant. If I am ever unsure,  I call  the county extension office and ask them questions (they may be screening my calls at this point).

Step 3.

Find the sunniest area of your yard and prepare your soil. I enjoy planting in raised beds because I need to be able to mow the grass around the bed.

For preparing the soil in a raised bed, I remove as much debris and grass as I physically can, till the soil with my trusty hoe, cover the area with newspaper or light cardboard that I have dampened, and then pour in bags of gardening soil.

Note:  I am not a gardening purist. I am a slinger.  

This imperfect method has worked for me , and I can physically do this myself.

Step 4.

With my index finger or the end of a trowel, I draw in furrows.  If you have a raised bed, make sure you draw the furrow the direction of your bed that is shortest.

You need to be able to reach the zinnias in the middle of the bed.

Step 5.

I sprinkle in the seeds by hand and once dropped, I spread them even further apart. I tend to overplant spaces.

Step 6.

Cover the seeds with soil by moving your hand gently back and forth over the planted row.

Step 7.

Lightly water what you have planted. Do not over water.

Step 8.

Start buying small vases at the flea market to share bouquets of your zinnias with your extended Sisterhood of the Traveling Zinnia Seeds friends and family.

This is a very forgiving kind of gardening, and I promise you will be successful.

Why did I name this the Sisterhood of the Traveling Zinnia Seeds? 

Because after my father passed away in 2015, I took the seeds from my fathers’ dried zinnias that were left in his garden and shared them with friends:)

Today I am virtually sharing them with YOU.

Are you in?  I hope so, and I hope you will tell me all about it as the spring months progress.

 My El Paso Zinnias, Fall 2017

*****

Using Spring as our topic this month, the following bloggers are all sharing spring inspiration today at 

Ten on the Tenth.

As always, visit everyone for wonderful projects and ideas.

    The Purple Hydrangea
At Home With Jemma The Bookdocks Blog Exquisitely Unremarkable
Pandora's Box White Spray Paint
Patina and Paint
Poofing the Pillows
Cottage at the Crossroads
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Zinnias in the Snow

This story begins with a conversation that took place in early September of this year, when I called the El Paso County Extension office.

I needed to talk to a master gardener.

You see I was in a bit of a panic.

I couldn’t imagine making my gardening way through 2017 without having zinnias.

It may seem hard to understand, but it was the last bridge too far in a year of monumental changes.

Here is what happened when I made that phone call.

Me:  “Hi- we’re new to El Paso, and I wanted to plant zinnia seeds in raised beds this week, and I need to get some information.”

Him: “Oh dear- I am afraid it is too late in the year. “

Me:  “But I need to do this…I haven’t gone a year without planting zinnias in years.”

Him:  “It is really about the growing and blooming season. Plus the nights and mornings are too cool. I just don’t think it will work.”

Me:   “I just have to…”

Him:  “Oh dear. “

And so I did.

 I walked outside, took the wooden mirror crate the movers had used, and I ripped off the cardboard backing.

There were still wooden slats across the bottom of the crate, but there were about 6 inch gaps in between.

I am a slinger, so I left them in place.

I worked up the soil a bit, dropped the box in place, and filled it with gardening soil.

I then poked a hole in the bed to find the rows that would clear the boards, and I planted my beloved zinnia seeds.

And then they came through.

And of course, the gentleman at the extension office was right.

The nights and mornings were too cool.

But I was right too.

And were they the healthiest zinnias I have ever planted? No.

But what they lacked in perfection, they made up for in perseverance and that kind of ‘vamanos’ spirit I love.

 

And earlier this month when it snowed, I walked outside to check on them, and I found this.

Aren’t they beautiful?

Zinnias and 'Reflecting Accurately'

When I was teaching (high school English), on occasion in the midst of a lesson,

I would think to myself, ‘ I am not going to do this lesson this way again’.


This was all happening in my thinking while I was teaching the lesson.

Why?  Because it didn’t feel right, or because it didn’t sound as interesting as I thought it should,or because my students weren’t ‘getting it’.

This kind of teaching mental gymnastics happens in classrooms daily.

In teaching lingo, this is called 'reflecting accurately'.

Now to my zinnias of 2016.

They look pretty, I am enjoying them as I always do, but something

is a little off.

At first, I couldn’t quite figure out what it was, and then I thought of this.

I have shared this video before as my zinnia gardening inspiration.

I am not going to separate my seeds by color again.

I thought that would make things so convenient in cutting zinnias for bouquets.

 I won't separate the colors again-

not because it isn't beautiful, but because it isn't natural,

it isn't working, they don't 

get it, and they don't like it-

just like my students.

Here's to 'reflecting accurately'.

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Zinnia Garden 2016

Welcome to our second Garden Party, hosted by your friends at

Thoughts of Home and Share Your Cup.

We look forward to seeing your latest gardening projects. 

Please join me right around this corner in my

Zinnia Garden.

It’s no secret that I love zinnias, and it is a real blessing that they thrive

in Zone 9 here in deep South Texas.

The hard rains this spring have been a blessing , but my zinnias have had to battle to stay upright.

They may seem fragile, but they are strong-

and beautiful.

This spring I added a few more places to rest after long afternoons

of gardening.

From this small patio area off my garden shed , I can

look at my zinnias, and across the backyard, I can see

my tomato bed.

This small patio is out of Mexican pavers, and the recent rains have

tested its endurance.

In this corner I can lounge with my feet up on one of 4 wrought iron chaise lounges

I found at the flea market years ago.

And then there’s the fountain I put together out of fountain parts.

I always look for fountain parts at the flea market.

Do you?

In addition to my beloved zinnias, four of my favorite plants are here as well:

pink begonias, Aztec grass (seen above in the flower bed border), airplane plant, and a Kimberly fern.

I wish you could sit here with me.

In gardening, there are always questions to ask and stories to tell.

Just link below to share your gardening stories too and visit the other hosts.

Art and Sand
At Home With Jemma
Poofing the Pillows
White Spray Paint
Decor to Adore

 

An InLinkz Link-up

First of the Season

First zinnia blooms of 2016

In 1963, a young man of 37 took his harvested cotton

to the Kleberg County Farmers Co-op gin in Ricardo, Texas.


I wonder if he knew that morning that his cotton would produce the first bale of the season?

The newspaper clipping I found recently said ,

“The bale weighing 540 pounds was grown by Jim Mills, whose farm is located between Ricardo and Riviera.”

That young man was my father. 

I so enjoy knowing deep down in my heart that I am a farmer’s daughter.

I too have some of my own season firsts happening right now in my yard.

These are my first zinnia blooms of the season , and these are my tomatoes.

And If the two tomatoes I spotted today that are slightly pink ripen this weekend,

I am going to have my first one of these for the season.

Best Sandwich Ever

*Spread Hellman’s Mayonnaise on a slice of bread

*Add a slice of cheddar cheese

*Top with slices of vine ripened tomatoes

* Sprinkle with sea salt

Enjoy!

**********

Linking to:

Share Your Cup Thursday

 

 

Sisterhood of the Traveling Zinnia Seeds

My father’s zinnia seeds I saved and planted in February 2016 are growing!

This band of zinnia planting sisters came to my side last fall when my father passed away.

And just a few months later,  when I was gathering the dried zinnia seeds from his zinnia garden,

I shared them with these wonderful women.

And when I could, I gave away packets of zinnia seeds, and I talked about zinnias whenever anyone would

listen, and I encouraged starting a zinnia garden.


It was all because of him.

And now for the update.

I have 3 raised beds and things have taken a great growth spurt.

And these are my friend Debbie’s from seed packets I gave her-

And these are Anna’s from Papa’s seeds,

And Mary Jo’s from Papa’s seeds,

And Fran’s from Papa’s seeds,

And Mary Kay’s from Papa’s seeds,

And my sweet cousin Susan’s beautiful zinnias she is growing this spring,

And finally, my friend JB’s zinnias, sprouting from last year’s seeds- just like Papa’s did year after year.

All women need a sisterhood and gardening is the best common ground for that.

I am so grateful for mine.

Raised Bed Gardening Tips

Zinnia Garden 2015

 

It is that time of year!

As soon as this latest cold spell ends, I plan to prepare my raised beds and do my spring planting.


This year I will plant what I always plant- zinnias and tomatoes.

Without a doubt, the results are one of life’s greatest pleasures.

Here are the steps I follow to get ready for planting.

 

1.  Look up.

Walk your yard and look up.

You are looking for sunlight. 

This is something my father taught me.  My seeds’ growing season will be a disappointment

if they don’t receive at least 6 hours of full sun throughout the day.

 

2.  Clean up.

The soil that is in my raised beds now grew last year’s crop.

I need to till it by hand, remove any debris, add in new bags of gardening soil (I use Miracle Gro gardening

soil), and till it by hand again.



3.  Hold the soil loosely.

There is no packing in raised bed gardening.

I liken it to the folding we do in mixing cake batter-

the gentler the better.

 

 4.  Check the temperature.

I live in zone 9 (note the arrow above).

The planting season for zinnias in zone 9 begins in March and ends in August.

I begin planting at the end of February after colder weather is not expected.

5.  Continue walking the yard.

In South Texas we have been blessed with a few rainstorms this past year.

Everything of course grows after a good rain-

including trees .

Before starting your raised bed planting this spring, make sure the sunlight you are counting on hasn’t

changed.





This will be your reward.

*****

Linking to:

Tweak it Tuesday at Cozy Little House

Tuesdays At Our Home