Lesson 857: Labor of Love

 

Happy weekend, Readers.

Looks to be a beauty!

The work I put into my flowers

from all that I learned in Master Gardener

is starting to pay off.

I'm seeing some beautiful blooms

as the result of my labor--

the milkweed came up

and we have some good bee activity!

I learned something about labor

from Dr. Gladys McGarey.

She's the 103 year old woman

who has been offering up advice 

about a well-lived life.

Her book,

and her interviews found on podcasts

and YouTube within the last year

are excellent.

Her well-lived life

has a set of easy to remember 

words to live by,

as they all begin with L.

Being a teacher,

and encouraging you to do your own reading,

you can find them on your own,

but here are my two favorites:

laughter

and

labor.

“Laughter without love is cruel. It's mean [and] cold,” McGarey says. 

“But laughter with love is joy and happiness.” 

"Labor without love is drudgery."

Yet labor with love is pure bliss!

Just like me fussing over my seeds.

I could easily buy a cheap zucchini

at a local farm stand.

However,

my joy couldn't be contained as 

I ran to retrieve my camera to capture

this one,

hidden beneath a giant leaf.

To give you some perspective,

here it is next to my big, old, lumpy foot!

                                                               Every year I spend most of July

cleaning and organizing my home.

This week I gathered every cord in the house!

We've been matching them to every device

and every charger.

It is a laborious task,

but a true labor of love.

To have organized and fully charged

technology in today's world,

makes life go much more smoothly.

Smooth sailing at the Lamp Post

means a Happy Home.

That's why I chose Happy

to be my coffee of the week

(and because there was an Ibotta rebate on it).

Again,

I don't know if it is all that magnificent 

as the rectangular recycled plastic container claims.

They did get my dollar

for the clever wording

even though I can't taste any sort of fruity or chocolatey "finish."

It still takes like coffee to me.

Clever barcode

and partnered with a good organization.

Eloise will definitely give Happy coffee

another brew through.

Baseball is certainly a labor of love.

It's a great game,

but when the team is riding high,

they play long into the season.

We are on our third weekend 

of away Legion tournaments.

Slippery Rock,

last weekend St. Mary's where we earned a spot in the top 8

for the State Championship!

We met up with some old friends to celebrate at

this great restaurant in Ridgway!

This weekend the state tournament begins

in North Allegheny.

Sam, Jake,

and the rest of the team left this morning

to stay together in the college dorms of LaRoche University

in Pittsburgh.

We gave them a heartfelt send off!

Good luck, boys!

Eloise