Normally, I do not get sick. If I do, it’s pretty mild. But at the moment, I feel pretty yucky. I think a lot of families have battled one sickness or another this season. Instead of getting out of bed early today, I’ve decided to write. It is so easy as a mom to do too much when we are down, and I’ve been doing just that all week.

Last night, I felt overwhelmed when I realized our car needed gas. It was comical, really. But one more thing added to my to-do list just felt like too much. Hopefully, I can handle whatever comes my way with grace today.

Welcome to the blog, friends! We’ve made it to Friday. I hope the weekend holds lots of good things for all of us.

I hope to work some in my gardens. (If I feel better, that is.) This year, I am concentrating more on perennials, flowers, and herbs, which really bring me joy.

Last week, I separated and transplanted 24 little Rudbeckia (Black Eyed Susan) plants. There is a problem area in my yard , where pretty much everything I plant dies. I think Rudbeckia might be a good solution since it is a hardy native plant. I’m keeping a close eye on them, and so far, they are doing good.

It is an amazing feeling to get new plants simply by separating them or by finding volunteers growing. I love this. It feels like I hit the jackpot whenever I come across a desirable native where I did not plant one.

My Purple Coneflowers are a prime example. I purchased a single plant when we lived in South Carolina five years ago, and then dug it up twice when we moved. That poor plant. But it was a trooper, and its seeds started to sprout and grow in the walkways. I dug up those little seedlings, and planted them in more appropriate places. Now I have thirty Purple Coneflowers or so, and likely more will appear this year.

The frugal bones in my body think this is amazing!

On the other hand, I am constantly battling Comfrey and Lemon Balm, which pops up everywhere, and outcompetes the other plants  growing in the area. I keep an eye on them, and remove them when I need to.

This is the stuff I love. I really enjoy creating a garden full of self-seeding perennials, especially for the pollinators.

Tomorrow, four White Trillium roots are set to arrive in the mail. I have no idea if they will take root, but there is a patch of wild ferns growing at the back of our property, and I’m going to plant them there. I think it’s where they’ll have their best shot.

I’m going to amend the soil with compost, because I read they like rich, organic soil. When we lived in the mountains, Trillium grew all over our yard. I took them for granted. And oh, how I miss them. We live super close to the mountains now, but not exactly in the mountains. So we shall see how they do.

My yard is my oasis. I like to just spend time with my plants. I fell in love with gardening over two decades ago, as soon as I moved to my first home. It was unexpected, really. But yeah, it is the best!

I hope you spend some time doing something you love today, dear reader. Thank you so much for stopping by!