Rite of passage and Finish Line

The past week of April was pretty busy and exciting. I was counting the days until Graduation from my trainee program to become a Placer County Master Gardener. Heather( her daughter, actually) had a great idea to have each of the trainee bring a bloom from their garden and we could make a bouquet for our trainer as a gift. Boy did we get quite the reception. Each bloom and stem were so beautiful and three main flower arrangments were made. I would hand the stems and suggest a color or which vase to go in and Roxi did her magic arranging them. Kivein, the trainer said they were "Spectatular" We have develpoped a great community of Master Gardeners of 2022 ready to go out and change the world for the better with research based information for home gardeners. Not a small momemt has passed and it is timet o volunteer through newpaper article writing for me. I feel so priviledged to be able to contribute through the Auburn Journal through the Master Gargener Program. Before all the excitment of graduation for me, we had a wonderful Sweet Sixteen Birthday party for Celia at home! She had 11 friends over, some were in and out of the party;) but mostly they learned to know each other and had a great time forming their own little friend group by the end of the night. They have a group text and seem to have had a blast, making references to that night still a week or two later. They played Just Dance and made smores. They had tons of food and cupcakes and loved to jsut talk abnd be in Ceias room. I was so pleased she was having such a great time and that she was so spoiled. She loved each of the gifts and they were just what she liked. For going to a new school this year, she sure has grown in friendships and hopefully she can see the good that has come from all this growth. Spence had his 24th Birthday just 3 days after Celia. I brought over her balloons and sign and many cupcakes for him to enjoy. Spence and I went for a ride and he chilled in the back of the van like it was a limo and loved holding two popsicles in each hand as he surveyed the foothills. I saw a ladybeetle next to the icecream freezer in a gas station in Loomis. I was excited since convergent Ladybeetles are the subject of my first published article representing as a Placer COunty Master Gardener coming out May15th in the Auburn Journal.

Coming and Goings

Just like the waves of the sea, time with my older children ebbs and flows. After seeing MOnterey and its beautiful bay, I ponder. I am so happy to have spnt a great amount of time with all of them this April. It was a bit weird to have one child home for Easter after such a full house this month. It makes me feel grateful for each sunrise, each rainy day, each meal with my beautiful family. Maybe I am becoming more acustomed to change, but more likely I am having hope. I hope they keep coming home and our ties and friendships in the family will continue. I pretty sure they will. Our routine includes seeing Spencer on Sunday, Bri and I each and every Sunday. Well, sometimes we switch it up. Bri was out of town for Grandma Jean's funeral and Emmy was in town. It was nice to have both my girls go on that ride. When Bri was back, Joe and him took Spence. Yesterday, I couldnt wait for it to be my turn to see my boy. Im glad it was Easter and we could spoil him! Spoiling comes in different ways for each of us. I love going for walks, eating with my family, dancing and talking for hours. Seeing new sites on car rides is quite up there on my favorite list of activites. While the fam was in town, we went to Davis and I loved going and seeing the UCDavis public garden. I'm graduating this month and see the All Stars in the garden there felt like such an inspiratiopn for what we are trying to accomplish as Master Gardeners. I'm very excited to write for the Aubrun Journal in May and to help out all I can in Placer County. I have a few trips planned for the summer and I think this year is just going to be wonderful. There will be challenges, I'm sure, but highlights will be there and blessings will inevitably abound. I have really enjoyed carpooling with Heather and attending events with her. I'm glad she is in my group for presentations and Im sure we will use each other as a resource for troubleshooting situations. We already have as I was looking up appropriate fungicide for gray rot on a california coastal redwood. With all the changes, Bri is a constant and always there for me. We make a great team. I suggested we have a salad bar for Easter at my moms and aggreed to bring a pasta salad. For whatever reason, My contribution was lacking in flavor and color. Bri chopped up some smoked gouda, added some green olives and summer sausage, and it made the dish great. I know it seems silly, but we have different strengths and it compliments each other. I imagine this will only get better and stronger as we get older, so the changes in our famnily dynamic will be wonderful and exciting to see know he and I will be a constant. What a great truth.

Winter chill is necessary

It is amazing to me that learning about horticulture and arborculture gives me insight into family life. Fruit trees need winter chill. We all go through seasons and cycles in life and the trees are not an exception. The number of hours my apricot tree need to break dormancy is 300-800 hours. The equavalanrt time in days that it is continously exposed to below 45 degrees Faraenheit or below is 12-32. How many days have been bad, cold, and unbearable days? Fruit trees need this time to be dormant. The tree will only break dormancy after some warmth for natural growth processes to begin. This chill is essential for the tree to perform OPTIMALLY( in the best or most favorable way). I wonder why as parents we try to shield our children from hard times or growing opportunities. Yes, it is hard to watch. Yes, we went through it, but some(myself included) want to keep our children from having to go through this winter chill. I am going to try to be less concerned when I see that chill going on. I don't need to take it upon myself to remove this chilling time. I was floored in my gardening class to learn of the flight of the Monarch butterfly. Specifically, the route to the East Coast from Mexico. On their flight, they will eat milkweed and breed on their trip. These butterflies continue to the site on the East Coast that has been there for generations. Actually, a few generations pass on as the trip continues and the Monarch return to the same spot in Mexico. They know where to go, its in their genes. I did hear that some planting of the food they eat was going on in Florida. The Florida visitors of Monarch got lazy and stayed a while in the warm weather and did not fulfill their potenial and make it back to Mexico. I bring this up because it was the ease of the way, that got the tradition removed. One might say tradition is bad, but I believe it it amazing to do what has been done for generations and keep that alive. The Monarchs are gorgeous and so wonderful. Their numbers are reducing. They are not living up to their full potenitial and great Wonder. I am learning to be more careful and diligent with all parts of nature and this world including my family life. Our winter chill includes; lost friends, broken down dishwashers, obstacles in motivation in education, supply chain delays, War, Viruses, and lack of faith. Spring is here, it is now time to grow from these challenges. Pruning, fetilization, education, and caring for others is a wonderful way to make this time beneficial for all. Our neighbors and friends are going through so much as well, it seems if everyone is suffering in some way. I hope to bring comfort and happiness to others in this growing season after the necessary winter chill.