I must say that, at least a dozen times a month. Maybe more, especially when I see a new quilt pattern,a new book by one of my favorite authors like Loraine Snelling, a new seed catalouge or a container of delicious sweetrolls in the grocery store.....Oh what joy they bring for the moment. Like my beloved horses. I must have been extreemely happy for months and months because I was so busy with them. Horses can make everyone very happy!
Dick even bought me Ginger my 12 year old Shetland Pony. What a delight ful surprise. It was at Christmas time and she was only 6 months. Now she is 12. Our small grandkids would ride her after she reached the age of 2. Nuggets my old pony was retired because of her age and sore feet.
GINGER GIVING A VERY HAPPY GRAND CHILD A RIDE
I spent so much money trying to make her well. But she slowly let go, too tired, too old, and too sick. One day in this horrible struggle we were experiencing, it dawned on me, who was I saving? me or my very old Nuggets. It was still cold, even if that the calender and the weatherman were telling me it was spring. My old girl had the diarrhea so every morning I spent combing out the messy tale and washing her up and drying her so she would not get chilled. Her ribs were starting to show more and more inspite of the best feed I would give her along with the best hay. My hands would be freezing from the wet, but I deligently cleaned her up and brushed her so she shined. I just could not accept the fact I was going to loose her. It was her time, she had given me 10 beautiful years of joy....happiness, and her struggle was getting to be too much for her. I was thinking only of my own feelings, dreading the pain of her death. I cried many a day as I gave her the medicine, and washed her little but and tail. I would not let go. But when that day of recognition came and I saw what I was doing, I made the decision of what my duty was. She was suffering much, much more than I was. Her body was shuting down and I called the vet to come and give her a peaceful death. I numbed my mind and let go......"Duty Lies" is a quote often stated when we resign our selves to an unpleasant task.
Live according to your means. Cultivate generosity. Don't spend what you don't have. Act your age.
Boy or boy! How many times have those words echoed in my ears the past two years. Duty taking place instead of what I want, comes to what I need.
ONE OF THE TWO GREENHOUSES I HAVE
The hardest thing for me to decide was to shut off my greenhouses permenately. The cost had sky rocket because of fuel. Retirement brought a more discaplined living the past 7 years so "Duty Lies came in, we quit the gas company and they removed my gas tank. That was about as permenant as you can get......
I use them to start seeds and make cuttings. I just won't be able to do it in the greenhouse surrounded by flowers and green growth in mid winter.
"Duty Lies"... again.
Notice the covers of the containers are on tight and I have also put masting tape on them to make sure they are air tight. The picture below tells you how to plant the seeds
Here are some pictures of how I started my seeds in the green house. First of all you need a container. The picture shows a plastic container from the grocery store that held donuts. I wash and bleach everything I use so their is no chance of contaminating the seeds, of course that is after the donuts are ate.......^_^ I use man made soil for seeds, which I bought from a garden nursery. You can do this in the house also, I used the greenhouse because it was where I had things set up. Placing the seed soil into container, sprinkle the seeds on top and then cover the seeds with soil depending on what your seed package tells you for depth. Some seeds need light to gerinate so you would not cover them but press them down.
Water them so they are damp not soggy wet. Place the cover on. The container with its matching top will seal tightly and keep the soil from drying out. It is like a mini greenhouse. If you do not have lights you could put it in a window area so it gets sun and will stay warm. Using two shelves of plain old floresent lights from a hardward store will do. They are easy to put up by snaping the shelf into a metal piece that comes with it which you will also find in a hardware store. The bottom shelf's light gives off enough heat to keep the shelf above it warm. Make sure you read your seed package to see what temp. you should keep it at. Perenials that come up every year, might have directions to put it in your frigerator for a few weeks before you put it under heat. That process is called stratification which insures that the seed would germinate, (grow). Not all perenials call for this but always check for tempeture. Annuals usually do not need this process. 
Keep a close eye on your containers and see if the little seedlings are up every day. You do not want to crowd them with the top on. When you see these two leaves up you will know that the time is near when the second leaves will pop up. That is when I transplant them to larger pots like you get your plants in at the garden nursery. They can be bought at the hardware store also.
The seedlings in photo on right are too small, keep them under the light, and put the top cover back on until the second leaves apear and are out completely.
The whole process is so simple you really do not need a greenhouse. So you see what I thought I had to have was not what I really had a need for, it simply was a want not a need. When I became aware of what duty called for I found I was just as happy planting seeds the above way than doing it in a greenhouse. I also do not have all those months of hard work, watching out for bugs and spraying insecticide on them. I hate to use any chemicals so this is another plus.
In life it seems the process of doing something you love is the joy, the happiness. It's not owning lots of stuff, living in my means also brings me joy because there are no big bills out there stairing me in the face long after the thrill of buying something. Guess its the Duty and recognizing what my life is all about that makes it so pleasant. Peace comes and worries disapear. We each have a destination that we were born for and it is up to us to find it and do it...... "Duty lies"
Spring is getting closer.....May all your dutys be pleasant this week.....
Kate
