Sunday Letter: 03.06.22

Dear Sunday Letter friends,

Isn’t it incredible how we can go from being buried in ice one week to admiring spring blooms the next? Our crocus is blooming. Daffodils are celebrating the sun. Tiny ephemeral blossoms are now appearing in the grass.

I admire these first bloomers so much. They are hardy and determined and oh-so-welcome in late winter. And this past week’s warm weather? Yes, yes, yes! I spent most of the past three days working outside, trimming eight rose bushes, shaping our redbud and Japanese maples. I did lots of deadheading too. John cleaned out several beds and filled a ton of debris bags. We waited as long as we could (for the insects), but with the Arkansas Master Gardener State Garden Tour quickly approaching and a lengthy garden to-do list, we have to work when the weather cooperates.

Naturally there’s more cold weather coming this week (including snow!), but with only fourteen days until spring, we can handle it. (knock on wood)

Mystery of the Christmas Money

A few weeks ago, John bought an art book online. When it came in the mail, there was a check inside the cover. A $1,000 check with the notation Merry Christmas! 

Someone had misplaced his $1,000 Christmas check. Yikes. That must have been awkward.

The lady who wrote the check lives in North Carolina, and even though the check had likely been cancelled, I wrote her a short letter (using a Gracie Lee notecard of course) and returned the check to her. I thought she (and the payee) might want to know what happened to it.

Something like that can drive a person mad.

Mail Fun!

When I was a kid, I wrote letters All.The.Time. Letters to friends I met at camp. Letters to my Australian penpal. During summer, I wrote letters to classmates who only lived five miles away—ha. If I was away at camp, I wrote to my sister (and she to me) even though I probably made it home before said letters were delivered.

The point is, getting mail was FUN. And it still is.

This week I received three pieces of fun mail.

I received a thank you card from the sweet little Girl Scout from whom I bought cookies.

Two rules to live by:

1. Never say no to a Girl Scout selling cookies or a Boy Scout selling popcorn.
2. You can’t buy too many boxes of Girl Scout cookies or tins of Boy Scout popcorn.

I believe these things wholeheartedly.

How cute is this?

Also, I received a letter from my ‘Covid’ penpal in Mountain View. You may not remember her, but we began corresponding when she wrote to tell me how much she loved Gracie Lee.💕

And third, I received a card from the lady in North Carolina. She was grateful to have the mystery of the lost check solved.

The card she sent me was perfect, almost as though she knows how much birdseed we buy annually. You know, in this life we cross paths with many people, sometimes in life-changing ways, and sometimes fleetingly. I believe even the fleeting moments matter.

The Season of Henbit

Henbit is one of the earliest bloomers of spring. It’s an important early season source of nectar and pollen for honeybees.

Did you know henbit belongs to the mint family? Did you know all parts of the plant—leaves, flowers, and stem—are edible?

It’s true.

Henbit has a slightly sweet, peppery flavor, a little like celery. This wild edible is also high in iron and fiber, as well as Vitamins A, C, and K.

It’s funny how we decide whether or not a plant is desirable or considered a weed. I bet our ancestors foraged lots of weeds using them for both medicinal and nutritional purposes.

I’ve been known to showcase henbit in a crystal bud vase.

Villines Farm in Boxley Valley (Newton County) grows and sells a gourmet salad blend at our local grocery co-op. The last bag I purchased, included a couple of henbit stems.

Look how fresh.

Definitely farm to table and super local!

Since I’ve learned this, I’ll never look at henbit the same. (This knowledge might come in handy if you become lost in the forest or decide to go on Naked and Afraid or if food prices continue increasing.)

Things Momma Says:

Do we have to have a near-heart attack during every Razorback basketball game?

***

It’s been a great week with fabulous weather. Getting my hands in the soil again does me a world of good. Still, I feel a bit guilty for my good fortune. Let’s all continue praying and sending good vibes to the Ukrainians who are in the midst of an atrocious nightmare. If you are like me, this is always in the back of my mind. And sometimes it moves to the forefront.

Now tell me, what’s on your agenda for the next few days? I have lots of writing-relating tasks to accomplish. And, on Saturday (Mar 12), I’ll be signing books during the grand opening of Arts on Main in Van Buren. Come on out, Sunday Letter friends!

Grace Grits and Gardening
Farm. Food. Garden. Life.

I realize I add this song every year when the daffodils bloom, but I can’t help myself.