~helping to grow the thing that I love the most~

Even though the calendar won't reflect it until mid-September, for all intents and purposes summer is just about over for me.  It's nearly time to return to school and my new 3rd grade classroom just up the road aways, over the Red River and into Oklahoma.  I am more than excited and definitely ready to go.  It will be the best year ever!

This has been a busy summer, even more so than they usually are.  I asked Mike yesterday what it was that we did in June.  I'd totally lost track of everything because each day seemed to blend right into the next.  He reminded me of a few things that brought my recollections all back together.  Time flies when you are living your life.  Just ask someone who is growing older.

This has been a summer for practicing our gardening skills in the rich red soil of our new land. We learned so much about growing things here in this part of the world.  One thing we found out was just how early you can get seeds into the ground here compared to where we have been before.  By late April to early May, my zinnia seeds were up and growing tall along the fence row to the south of the house.  It made my heart so happy to see their beautiful colors and varying heights as they opened up each day.  

The Russian Mammoth sunflowers that I planted to the southwest part of the house grew to be absolutely giant, well at least to me they did.  They too were planted early and by mid-July were totally opened up in all of their yellow splendor.  My tallest one grew to 10 feet in height.  I loved to look at them because they reminded me of Kansas and home.  One of our neighbors is also from the same part of Kansas as I am and he loved to look at them as well for the very same reason.  I love this Texoma region that I live in now but I will never forget the very first place that I called "home".

By mid April I was having a great time buying perennials for our front yard's flower bed.  Mike worked hard to rototill up all of the soil after the old bushes and overgrown plants were pulled out.  Once the ground was ready, I started digging in and planting.  I remember the first few weeks we had to watch for late season frosts.  Sometimes we would have to go out before dark and put sacks and old sheets over everything.  We were fortunate to never lose one plant and now those tiny little things are beautiful and fully grown.  Filling that front bed with flowers provided us a lesson in learning more about the things we planted.  We looked for anything that was perennial, drought resistant, and appealing in its color and variety.  Next year we will add more but for now we are still enjoying their beauty.

These tiny purple French hollyhocks were my favorite new flower to plant.  We got the seed one day at a flower show in Wichita Falls.  I'd never seen such tiny ones before.

My favorite pastime is growing things. Putting my hands into freshly plowed earth is about as soothing to me as it gets.  In the summer I have fun with flowers and vegetables but as the summer comes to an end, I always desire to return to the classroom and help to grow the thing that I love most.

Children.

One week from today,  I will find myself back with them.  I have always praised God for the gift of being a teacher but this year I will praise Him even more!  I have been blessed to be entrusted with the lives and well being of so many young people for nearly 4 decades now.  May the fruits of the labors of so many educators out there be seen in the days, weeks, months, and years that lie ahead of us.

There is a "bumper crop" of children awaiting us all across this great nation of ours.  I can't wait to meet mine.