You Don't Have to Ask Me Twice...Er...Three Times...

Or, The Return of the Prodigal Blogger

It all started with a head of broccoli. Well, two heads. The ones pictured above. I came to my husband with them, all excited and said "Look! These are the largest broccolis I've ever grown!" To which he replied "Wow. They're as big as the ones you get in the grocery store. I hope you took a picture of them for your blog!" Hm. Eyes down, feet shuffling I told him I really wasn't doing my blog, hadn't posted to it in months. He was disappointed with me. He said I shouldn't give up my blog and disappoint my readers too. "What, all three of them?" I thought. But I never started this blog to get readers, I started it to write about my life as a gardener and to enjoy the fellowship of other bloggers and to try something new and exciting in my "golden" years. Well, I walked away from that conversation like a sulking child wrestling with my conscience. Maybe I really should discipline myself to get back to the old blog but I wasn't ready to think about it yet. This was two days ago.
Then, today, what should I get but a message from the very first person in blogland who encouraged me when I got started and whose blog I have loved, Annie's Granny wondering if I was OK and saying she missed me. Aw, wow. Sniff-sniff. Thank you Granny! You are such a caring person, you put me to shame! Thanks for asking!
Here's the deal: I'm OK. Pretty OK. It has been an up and down year here in the land of the wooden nutmeg. My older son got divorced which has been tough on us, but to make it even more tough it resulted in his moving to Florida. I have been struggling with lonliness for family and disappointment with how some things have turned out. All the younger generation have moved far away and the older ones have moved even farther. None of the young ones seem to want to have children. Thank God I have a large and loving church family so I don't wallow in depression, but there is no substitute for having your own family nearby to love, share with and cook for. I am coming to grips with the changes slowly but surely. I am not a wallower, but I have my moments. On the joyful side, my younger son who lives in New York City got married and we had a great time at his wedding where the far-off family members got together again like in the old days. Ah, that was nice.
I also turned sixty this year. Not that I mind it, but it is part and parcel with this feeling that I have to refigure what my place in life is meant to be. And those are my lame excuses for not keeping up with the blog! I had every intention of documenting this gardening season from the very first seedlings that I planted in February. I even took all the pictures to post them and redesigned the look of things. But I let myself be consumed with the day-to-day minutiae (and my new ipad mini which takes up way more of my time than it ever should!!!) I also had my share of writer's block, because sometimes I really don't think I have anything interesting to say! I stopped reading blogs too, mainly because if I read them I'd feel guilty about not writing mine. And that won't do, because I miss all the great bloggers who share their gardening and their lives and their encouraging words of wisdom!
So there's the story. I will post an update on the garden (which is doing great!) in a day or so. I am looking forward to catching up with everyone else's gardens. Now I am off to lunch with a friend who is the queen of upbeat and positive and try to learn from her!