Little Voices

The garden is mostly completed! I say mostly because I need to replant some of the wildflower seeds, but otherwise everything is in the ground and the bark mulch laid. There are a few disappointments--several of the bare root plants have not come up, but for now I'm just assuming that they are slowly doing their thing underground and will show their faces later. The rest of the flowers seem quite pleased to grow. And our little tree has never thrived. We continue to water and fertilize it but it seems to have run out of strength. But you know what? That's ok. It is a special tree that we have cherished, but it does not seem to be destined to grow there. (It may still surprise us, but it is looking less and less that way.) Maybe this is God's small whisper that through circumstances beyond our control, some little lives are not meant for long on this earth. Sigh. I did want to share how things look so far, though. The plants are still small and not everything is blooming yet, but it is exciting to have everything in place.

The view from the left..

The view from the right..

And below a closer view of the center. We told Katya to smile, but lately she tilts her head back at an odd angle and kind of frowns when we say "Smile!" I don't know what she's thinking. I think if you click on these pictures you can see them larger.

So that's how things stand now! I thought I'd post links to the posts that have "before" pictures here and here. Much has changed. I think I'm happy with the results!