A Strange Friendship

After several weeks of doing little but work on sewing projects for others, it felt great to be working on one of my many projects today. I don't mean to sound selfish, but that big stack in my sewing room does have to be attacked at some time or another. Today I worked on a brown corduroy jacket. It will be lined with a pretty red floral.

I also made bread for the first time in ages! I made up a new recipe that uses molasses, olive oil, and flax seed. May sound strange, but it turned out really tasty. I also made Tizza for lunch.

Oh - I suppose I ought to explain what Tizza (tease-ah) is. Well...It's our own family name for my creation of "tuna pizza." I make the crust like for regular pizza, top it with a sauce of cheddar cheese, mayo, butter, and anything else that sounds good, and then add canned tuna and onions on top. Baked until the crust is crispy, it makes a great lunch.

Anyway...it felt good to be back in the kitchen after an absence of several weeks. I had made a few dishes during that time, but not really done real cooking.

I also stepped out to visit the garden, which I'd neglected to do for several days. I discovered that frost has finally gotten my hardy marigold plants. Remember this?
This was what my marigolds looked like back in May. They were the first things I've successfully started from seeds. What a feeling - to nurse life out of tiny specks! Out of fifty seeds, about ten survived to be transplanted to the garden, and only two plants survived the drought of this summer. They were small and scraggly.

Several weeks ago - maybe a month - Dad removed the tomato plants from the garden. The marigolds had been planted at the shady bases of the tomato plants. When the shade was removed, I was thrilled and surprise to see my two plants abound forth in new growth. (I think there's a lesson in there somewhere, don't you?)

Before they 'passed away' this week, the two plants were each about a foot across, and had 50 or so blooms between the two of them. Brilliant orange and deep green lit up that little corner of the garden. They were absolutely gorgeous.

Those marigolds taught me something this summer. They were out there every day, and I could see them growing and changing before my eyes sometimes, ...or suffering and dying at other times. They were beautiful. They were hardy. They started small. They depended on me for water.

I can't quite put my finger on what it was they taught me, but I know I'll not soon forget my first experience with seedlings that I grew myself. I kinda developed a special feeling for those little plants. They were mine. ...Yet not mine. They were gifts...from Someone I know.

All in all, I'm gonna miss them.