Hello, God. It's me, Mara.

You know, Lord, it's amazing what one can find out about plants, all sorts of plants named from A to Z, found in books, on computers or even from friends! How about alpine currants, (yum!), beautiful baby's breath, lovely canna lilies, beautiful yellow/gold daffodils, our neighbor's hardy pink hibiscus, and remembering mom's lovely pink and red impatiens! Thinking back to long ago, how about auntie's jacaranda tree! Wow! Rhubarb is special to many folks, too, especially the pie that our mom used to make! Violets were also special flowers to several family members - oh, how lovely violets are in the spring. We recall an out-of-state friend who had a most beautiful red and white zonal geranium!

But enough about flowers, how about some vegetables in our "garden?"

This isn't the right time of year to plant a vegetable garden, but along came an article entitled "The Vegetable Garden" (author unknown); now this garden will fit most anyone, at any time ... so here goes:

First plant five rows of peas: patience, perseverance, promptness, purity, preparation.

Next, plant three rows of squash: squash gossip, squash criticism, squash indifference.

Then plant five rows of lettuce: let us be faithful to duty, let us be unselfish, let us be loyal, let us be true to obligations, let us love one another.

No garden is complete without turnips: turn up for important meetings, turn up with a smile, turn up with good ideas, turn up with determination.

Plant these four items to make everything count for something good and worthwhile in your unique vegetable garden.

Thank you, Lord for all the lovely things You grow for us to enjoy. We read in Numbers 24:6, NIV: "Like valleys they spread out, like gardens beside a river, like aloes planted by the Lord, like cedars beside the waters."

Love, Mara