Dancing

Last summer when I saw my physician, she was not satisfied with my 20 minutes of exercise, three or four times a week. “You need to exercise 30 minutes a day, six days a week,” she pronounced. So I dug out some ballet exercises from my memory banks and added them to my calisthenics, hand weights, and stretches.

Gentle Reader, I am not young, and I don’t enjoy exercise. It’s a struggle. However, one day after six months, it occurred to me that maybe, just maybe, I was strong enough to actually dance.

I will admit that I tried it when my husband was out of the house, with only the dog for an audience. I lit the fireplace and turned on the music of “Soundscapes,” channel 857 on Direct TV, and then I began to dance. It was a slow, interpretive ballet with no impressive leaps or pirouettes, but it was dance. It felt fantastic!

So now I exercise in the morning, so I can dance in the afternoon.

What next?

Hope

Every year I eagerly await the appearance of Rose Geraniums in the nurseries in June, and every year I grieve when they die in autumn. I never tire of their lovely scent.

Last fall I decided to take a cutting to see if I could keep it alive through the winter. For months it showed no signs of rooting, yet it remained fragrant. Then in January, it finally began to put out roots and new foliage. My dilemma, Gentle Reader, is when to plant it. Will it survive?

All I can do is hope.

February Garden

One day last week, we woke up to a winter wonderland. By noon the snow was gone. The violets and violas didn’t seem to mind. Later in the week it was warm, and I said my prayers in the garden. Then yesterday – snow again. Praise Him for the gift of change!