Dare to be a Daniel

Daniel made up his mind not to do anything that would not please God February 27

Daniel 1:8

But Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the portion of the king’s meat, nor with the wine he drank…

▶︎ LISTEN TO THE DEVOTIONAL

Bobby Richardson played second base for the New York Yankees during some of the greatest moments in that team’s history. A devoted Christian, Richardson was made fun of by some of his teammates because He would stay in his room and read his Bible or attend a prayer meeting while they went out partying. We live in a society that continues to mock and ridicule Christians. How we need more godly men and women with hearts set on the Lord and committed, like Daniel, to not let the culture defile them. An old gospel song by P. B. Bliss says it best: Dare to be a Daniel! Dare to stand alone! Dare to have a purpose firm! Dare to make it known. Let’s determine to stand as godly men and women of purpose and not be swallowed up by our secular culture. In other words, let’s dare to be a Daniel! Prayer My Lord…. I desire to be a “Daniel….La” in my own sometimes humble, sometimes bold ways as I stand up for what is right and just and good in your name. I share your truth when a window opens for me to do so. I am not afraid to do so, but remind me when these opportunities come, to look up to you and ask for your help with the right and best words. Thank you Jesus for my relationship with you and for bringing me any encounter with a human soul who wants to know more about YOU. I am so honored to declare your blessed name Jesus Christ, my Lord and Savior God.  Amen

Peace…..among the nations

Dearest Lord…..let your peace go ahead of us when we go out and stay by our side when we return.

Our poor world is crying out for your peace. Peace in our nations and peace in the hearts of all men. We all need the assurance of your eternal peace. We know that if we claim you as our Lord and Savior God, you will give us the peace that surpasses all understanding. Please bring the conviction of goodness and peace to all of mankind. We are in desperate need. Help us. In Jesus name we pray. Amen.

A Creative Gardening Tip

Hello friends…. “How does your garden grow?”

A Tip  for Growing Seeds in Citrus Peels

This is a creative idea, and a simple way that can help you grow seedlings.  

At my house we eat grapefruit every morning. You can use a half of a grapefruit citrus peel as a seedling pot. Or a large orange works too. 

Grapefruit is one of our favorite fruits so I have a ready supply for this project. Grapefruit peel itself is a good nutrient fertilizer, and the use of grapefruit peel as a seedling pot can not only add nutrients to the soil, but you can directly bury the grapefruit and the seedling right into the soil.

Carefully scoop out the remaining fiber inside the half peel. Poke four very small holes in the bottom. Now fill the rind with potting soil, either purchased or homemade; add two seeds and tepid water. Gently water. Just a few drops should work and start the germination process, because the peel has some moisture in it. Add a few drops every day. You can use a muffin tin to hold the rinds in place. Place under an indoor grow light or in your most sunny window. When your seeds attain some height, thin to one plant per peel and allow to grow some more – until it’s time to transplant. If needed you can add a little more soil to give your seedlings a stabilizer. Its fun, creative and the citrus aroma is an added benefit.

“Contessa” says: it’s a good…and fun thing!

My “special” Morning Prayer

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Dear Father, this morning I pray for healing in our world. At this moment other lands are being invaded by turmoil. We ask for your mercy on the peoples of our world. We all need you dear God, now more than ever. These “times” are in your hands. Thank you for your mercy and your grace. We ask for your forgiveness. We rely on your strength and your power to give all peoples of this world your protection. Thank you for fighting for us and all nations. Amen

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Gardening Today / 1007 block of Beverley Drive /Ongoing Project (REVISED at 7:30 pm – 2/28, Monday)

Today we continue with our great client on Beverley Drive. Weeding, edging, trimming the boxwood hedge, planting and transplanting and finally “dressing the beds.” It is a labor of love. We will be here several hours. Our client is away but we have a carte Blanche to do our thing.We just took a before video and later today or tomorrow we will post a video of our completion.

BEFORE

Video feed inoperative now. Photos attached later.

Earlier today we arrived at this location which is one of our fantastic ongoing clients. So much work has been done here. We always post “before” videos but we had a snag with our supplier, WordPress. We are not sure what caused this snafu as yet,  but here is the video from 10:30 this morning prior to doing any new work.

BEFORE (REVISED at 5 pm  – 2/23 – Wed)

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AFTER (REVISED at 8 pm – 2/25 – Friday)

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Today we raked the entire front and side yard. Cleared the new “perimeter” edging of any leaves, transplanted some daffodils and pansies and spread 8/3 cu ft bags of hardwood bark mulch.  4 hours total today.

On Sunday we will finalize this “spring clean up.”  There is a small bed to the right uf the front door and we will plant Pansies, fertilize the new Hydrangea and mulch the bed.  Stay tuned…..

FINAL (REVISED at 7:30 pm / 2/28/ Monday 

Today we transplanted and cut back Pansies. Fertilized the new Hydrangea and mulched this bed. Sprinkled Blood Meal  to deter squirrel activity. Stabilized the Urn/evergreen  planters with weights so they won’t blow over and watered everything.  A beautiful sunny day and a great completion. Our homeowner is very happy and her yard is spring ready.

We will add a hanging metal planter with a coir liner. It’s right by the front door and once Geraniums are available at the nursery we will plant it up. Also three (3) Begonias for the Garden Etagere. And once the Boxwood hedge starts to turn green we will hand trim at our homeowners request. It’s been great fun…..and a labor of love.

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“Contessa” says….. it’s all good. 

Rose Bushes – Pruning in Feb and March

Hello Garden Friends,

Every day I take an early morning walk. Most of us are still enjoying a first cup of coffee or tea. I see so many Rose bushes that are filled with last years branches and end of summer/fall dead buds. Sad for me, because I know that if pruned back they will bloom so much more and even better in the spring. The great news is that now is the perfect time to prune them. You will be thrilled if you do. Do not be afraid. Trust me, they will grow larger and better and you will have a more lovely bush. So….. just go for it.

If you need us we can come and do them for you. We are taking appointments and working now in February. It’s been nice actually,  and we have made great pre-March progress. So don’t hesitate to give us a call. 703-548-1882.

Please notice in the first photo below that we have cut the bush back closer to the ground. It will not hurt new growth at all. Cut near or just above a new nub or thorn. Cut on  the diagonal. You should see green inside the cut. This tells you that your bush is healthy and ready to grow. The bush below is roughly 24 inches high, but was twice that size before we completed our pruning.

Photo #2 shows you the location and angle of the cut.

Photo #3 shows an emerging bud and the angle of the cut.

Do cut your Rose bushes again around the end of September. You will have another full bloom during the months of October and November and often into December,  now that we seem to be enjoying our Virginia winter towards the later half of December.  In fact, we usually garden up to about Christmas, and we often see Rose bushes still showing very robust blooming. 

If you have any questions about Rose bushes we are happy to speak with you. Please call us anytime, even if you just want us to come and take a look to advise you.

Thank you my gardening friends…..

“Contessa”

Tips – for my gardeners

Good Morning my gardeners,

It is time….. to start saving these three things for your garden; egg shells, herbal and black tea bags and coffee grounds. Did you know they supply your plants with precious nutrients.

Calcium:

The calcium from eggshells is welcome in garden soil, where it moderates soil acidity and provides nutrients for plants. Eggshells contain a large amount of calcium that they can be used almost like lime.

Pests Deterrent:

Used tea bags and coffee grounds are a great way to prevent pests from eating and destroying your garden. Simply bury the tea bags or sprinkle the coffee grounds around your plants. Another way is to brew the used tea bag again for a weak tea that can be poured over the leaves and around the plants.

Our photo includes coffee grounds scooped out of a K-cup and the tea bag is a mint probiotic green tea bag.(our daily fav) We suspect you will reap a great benefit from it. It’s as easy as “pie” to save these beneficial additives for your garden. And it makes you feel like your are using your waste as a benefit.

“Contessa” says…..it’s all good.

Protecting Your Gardening Tools

Hello Gardening Friends:

I have offered this informative post prior, but if you prepare this helpful idea now you can use it throughout your gardening season. My sweetheart….. reminds me that folks often forget things I have posted,  and sometimes a refresher is helpful. He helps keep me on target, and he often sees things from the perspective of……a client.  I can get so caught up in execution I forget to offer tips on basics.  I hope occasional reposts are helpful for all of you.

I will begin posting some helpful reminders of projects I work on and perhaps they will inspire you to do the same,  After all…. a gardener is perpetually thinking about “spring” so keep your mind focused and satisfy your own indoor boredom with your spring ideas. It can’t hurt and it gives you a head start on things you want to accomplish for your new gardening season – 2022.

Check in with me each day this week. I’ll post my ideas for spring gardening prep. Feel free to call or txt me if you have ideas you’d like to share, and with your permission I can post them here. I often get in conversations with my gardening folk and comparing notes is so fun. Love to hear from you.  Txt 703-548-1882

“CONTESSA”

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What You’ll Need

• 10″ Terra Cotta Pot (weve used an aluminum tub)
• Clean Sand
• Mineral Oil

Begin with  a simple terra cotta pot. The aluminum one I used is about 14 inches in diameter.

Paint it a pretty color if you’re feeling fancy.

Next, working in a large bowl or bucket, mix together enough sand to fill your pot with some mineral oil. You want to use enough oil so that your sand is fairly evenly coated. It should stick together but still have a “crumbly-ish” texture. Place your favourite hand tools down into the sand when you’re done with them.  Each time  they’ll get a little sharper (kind of like when you use sand paper to sharpen kitchen scissors) and they’ll be coated in just enough oil to keep them rust free! It’s magic.

For those of you with a tool collection that is smaller, a terra cotta flower pot will do the trick. It’s heavy enough not to tip over and can easily sit right near your front door –  indoors without getting in the way.  And the habit uf taking care of your tools will become second nature “it’s a good thing.”