Celebrating the Order of May

My two favorite seasons are surely spring and fall. After months of looking at garden magazines– and watching my favorite show this year “Love Your Garden” which showcased building incredible gardens for deserving persons in the UK – it’s now spring! I love the energy of the light, being able to open windows, and getting the yard ready for planting. Both Paul and I have shared experiences of living on farms – he in South Dakota and me in North Dakota. He remarked this weekend that the ritual of preparing the soil and planting the crops always seems to restore a sense of order for him – that God has granted us another year, He is faithful, and we have the promise of new life.

And it is indeed a time of rejoicing. Yesterday, we gathered as a family to celebrate the dedication of our newest granddaughter, Magnolia Carimona Carlson, affectionately known to all of us as Mia. Along with her parents, Jenn and Luke and three dear brothers, Mia handled the ceremony beautifully and we are so thankful for her and all our wonderful children and grandchildren. Jenn ordered a cake for the event, and it was heavily inscribed with: Congratulations, Mia, Happy Birthday to Papa Paul, Congratulations to Tim and Krista (14^th Anniversary), and Happy Mother’s Day! Adding joy to the event were the two great-grandmothers, Nana Jan and Grandma GG. We feel tremendously blessed!

This week’s painting is a commissioned work. Overlook on the St. Croix, 7” x 10” painting on 300 lb. watercolor paper, recalls special times spent at her grandparent’s home on the beautiful St. Croix River.