the struggle to put down roots

     Welcome to this Wednesday morning dear friends and family.  I hope that wherever you may be this day that all will be well for you and yours.  It's the pretty early morning hours here in Montrose, Colorado and a quick check of the weather app on my phone says that the temperature is at 37 degrees now.  We'll be moving upwards towards a high of 55 degrees today.  It's clear and 30 back home in Hutch and it wouldn't surprise me a bit to know that in my back yard on East 14th Street that there are all kinds of bulbs beginning to make their appearance for this year's blooming.  Don't give up hope everyone because spring time is waiting on us, just around the corner only two houses down.  I love it!


 


One of only about 7 giant Russian Mammoth sunflowers that I planted along the fence row here in our front yard at home in Montrose, Colorado.  I'd planted thousands of seeds (ok, ok maybe only a hundred) in mid-April last year hoping they would be alive and thriving by the time I moved here for "good" in the summer time.  Alas, hardly any of them lived but the ones who did make it stood tall and thrived, even during the windy summer mornings.  They helped me to remember my home in Kansas and the lovely life that I had enjoyed there.  I'm determined to plant them again only this time, I've got some changes to make to ensure their viability.  I can do it!

     Mike and I spent some time the other evening pouring over seed catalogues as we tried to decide what we would like to plant in a garden this coming spring and summer.  We have received so many of them in the mail all during the past few weeks of winter, so many that we just simply couldn't even look at them all.  Both of us do like to order from the R.H. Shumway book because of the nice variety of seeds, many of them heirloom ones.  If the deer around here don't help themselves to too much stuff, we should have a plot of earth filled with potatoes, onions, cucumbers, corn, peppers, banana melons, green beans and herbs of all kinds.  We'll see how that all works out but at least we are dreaming of it and it is that "dreaming" that helps us to see that things do work out for those who can wait for it.  More on that later :)

 

     It soon will be time to bring back home the dozen plants that are sitting alongside the north east window in my classroom at Olathe Elementary.  The Christmas cactus and geraniums have graced the bookshelves there all winter long.  The kids have loved having them there and several have even taken to keeping them watered for me as the days have gone on.  They notice every new bud, each brilliant color that has come forth and I like that for them.  Plants are good for us and beneficial in more ways than we can imagine.  I've always loved growing things and I have regret that last summer I was too overwhelmed with homesickness and a new life to really enjoy doing that.  This summer will be different, I know it will be.

 

    

 



     The first six months of my time here along the Western Slopes were a real struggle for this "flatlander" girl who felt about as uprooted as she could be.  Putting down roots in a brand new place, far from what I used to know nearly did me in, many times.  Fortunately for me, I had friends and family who understood exactly what I was going through and they cared enough about me to pray me through some of the roughest of times.  Mike stood right beside me, telling me over and over again that it was "ok" and that in time, it would be even better.  "Baby steps, Peggy" he would tell me and you now what?  He was right. 

 

     Little by little, the reason for me to come here all along has been shown to me.  I realize more and more as each day passes by me that life here along the Rocky Mountains will never be the same again as life on the plains of my beloved homeland of Kansas.  Yet again, it's not supposed to be anyways.  As a person, I have grown and begun to change a bit.  I see perhaps a new direction to go.  I'm very fortunate to be close enough to travel back to Kansas from time to time and Mike encourages me to do so whenever I feel like I want to.  I figure I'm pretty blessed.

 

     Well, it's time to go.  Soon enough the first school bell of the day shall ring and the "18" will be looking for me to greet them at the door of our classroom.  I plan for it to be a good day and hope the same shall be for each of you my dear friends and family.  So many of you have asked how I'm doing here and if all is "ok".  My answer is that I'm alive and well.  I'm growing in spirit and learning to somehow anchor my roots to the soil of the Centennial State of Colorado.  I have lots of people on my side, in Kansas and Colorado, and a whole lot of places elsewhere on this earth.  What more do I need in life?  Nothing. 

 

     Love you guys one and all.  Please take care of yourselves this day. 

 

 

 

We may "look" mature but we are really kids in our hearts.  I hope I am just like my good friend, Leroy Willis, because truly I don't ever want to grow up.