I can see clearly now my cataracts are gone. I can see all obstacles in my way!. 

One of the cataracts was very dense. I was delighted to be able to see electronic signs with gas prices displayed after the surgery.  The less delightful thing was seeing areas that needed cleaning in the cottage. Good grief, the splatters and little dirties I missed!  For the first time in my life I am seeing close to 20/20 vision without glasses. I am so thankful for Dr. Durani, my eye surgeon, and the amazing team at UCONN Medical Center.

Our butterfly meadow is growing more quickly than we had ever thought possible. I was speaking to a East Hartford city worker, James, two weeks ago.  What a nice man:  Picture Flavor Flav, the rapper. Only where Flav wears a big clock as a necklace, James wears an equally large Mercedes symbol.

James told me that he had been working in my neighborhood for over 28 years. He and a co-worker told me that the area of the butterfly meadow for many years was often deep mud which made it difficult for them to park their vehicles as they worked on sewar/water issues. He told me that the house and the garden had never looked so nice.

I filled the meadow with comfortable things. My Dad needed to thin some iris plants. He also has a huge, ancient wisteria tree and gave me cuttings. They are now in my garden. I know that I will treasure them even more when he is gone. 

My wonderful neighbor, Maureen Swift, a spry and slender older woman, provided pinks and lambs ears from her neat, meticulous yard. She is about a 120 pounds of warmth, no nonsense, and humor. The birds brought in a number of local plants. One is called fleabane which sounds unfortunate.  In reality, they are tiny little daisies on a long stem that grows up to about my collar bone area.

I added red and yellow yarrow, stunning scarlet bee balm, milk weed, an elderberry bush, daisies, two peony plants.cat mint, echinacea, lemon balm, stevia, sweet woodruff, and basil. I scatter big cheap boxes of wildflower seed. It I eat some cherries, I scatter the pits there. If I see something interesting that was provided by the deer, the bunnies, or the birds, I don't immediately pull it up as a weed. Many consider fleabane a weed. I find it lovely. 

Yesterday I saw a vine growing which I learned was actually a local type of tiny gourd.  One needs different elevations in a garden. I put an old chair next to the vine and started winding the pale green tendrils around the chair. I cannot wait to see the little gourds.

Bruce and I learned that at our butterfly meadow was once an informal neighborhood dump.  We even found a metal bunkbed set sunk into the area.  I took the sides off and used them for a little entrance are. A pink shade of honeysuckle is now growing over the metal.  We used the slats to prop up plants. While digging, Bruce found numerous little liquor bottles used on airline flights. We just found a blue and white (or used to be white) area rug last week. Broken tools, large tree logs partly burned, cans.  Ever consider a trash can?. We even found a kitchen sink!

Bruce has removed so many Japanese Knot weed plants. Over two years, there must have been 400 big ones. Japanese knot weed was imported into the US by the gardening industry.  The good thing is that the stalks resemble bamboo, they grow very quickly, and have lovely, delicate white flowers.  The bad thing is that they are pernicious, invasive and have rhizomes that spring up everywhere. I am allergic to them. Bruce pulled  one rhizome up and thought it weighed 30 pounds at least.  For every rhizome, there may be 50 shoots. We are both constantly pull up shoots.  

Japanese knot weed reminds me of Hebrews 12: 1 and 2, which talks about, "the sin that so easily entangles."  My salvation is sure in Jesus, but my Christian growth is my responsibility.  I need to pluck out my sins like being judgmental, being lazy, not speaking the truth in love, etc. with the same diligence I pull up those frustrating shoots of Japanese knotweed.