9May 07
The Garden of the Lord
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What a wonderful way to think about the little places on earth God has given each one of us to beautify and be stewards of. Well 
Spring has hit full throttle across the Virginia Piedmont. Hints of summer can be found everywhere as leaves reach full maturity, Spring flowers lose their pedals, and temperatures rise. Most of us across the U.S. have probably mowed the lawn once and those timely weeds are well on their 
way. Like many of you, we are enjoying immensely the cooler temps and chances to stick our fingers in the dirt. We are grateful to Mom and Dad for 
instilling into each one of us an eagerness to work in the yard.
One joy of ours this year has been the frequent trips to Culpeper where we continue to work on beautifying our piece of property. An unexpected blessing has been the frequent accompaniment of friends. Last week the Staddons headed south with us to the land and helped water 
the fruit trees. For young trees, the recommended amount of water each week is up to 5 gallons per tree. This calls for a fair sum of water and much team work each trip down. In addition, we gave them a tour of our land and shared part of our vision. And of course, a trip anywhere with the Staddons would not be complete without some sort of family game. With tree stumps to dodge, ground hog holes to hop over, and cedars & brambles to hide behind, our game of capture the flag was extra exciting.
“For the Lord shall comfort Zion: he will confort all her waste places; and he will make her wilderness like Eden, and her desert like the garden of the Lord; joy and gladness shall be found therein, thanksgiving, and the voice of melody.” Isaiah 51:3
May the Lord be your comfort as you and your family work in your “garden of the Lord” and may joy & gladness with the voice of song be found therein.
I really like those pictures. I’m so glad we could come. You are so right about seeing spring come. I have been mowing grass now and helping Michael plant Butterfly Weed and Angel Trumpets. Well, God bless your work!
Hmm, those plants sound unique. Are butterfly weeds the big tall stalks with a huge purple flower? I’d venture the plants are among the favorites of honey bees. Happy mowing!
Watering plants can be hard work. I experienced this just yesterday, when Michael and I watered the strawberry plants and holly bushes. He planted them in a sort of oval around his hives so that when they grow bigger they will form a hedge and act as a wind-breaker for the bee hives. I thought that was a really ingenuitive idea. Anyways, I was surprised how long simply carrying buckets to each tree and pouring the water in a trough uphill of the plant (so it didn’t all run off down the hill – remember, we live in WV
could take. It sure made we grateful for how often God does the job for us!
While Jonathan planted the seeds and Daniel watered the garden, David and I washed the car! That was a refreshing thing to do in the warm, spring weather. From all the pictures on your post, there is no doubt that you are the Wilkes TEAM! Keep up the good work!