How to prune pampas grass the easy way, without the mess!

Spring is a wonderful time of the year. We rejoice with flowering fruit/ornamental trees and smile to see daffodils and hyacinths blooming. Our neighbors have their gardens tilled and ready to plant. Everyone who owns property has some type of yard work that needs to be tended to. Life is fresh and new again.

Our son Nathan with our neighbor’s pampas grass in background. We transplanted some of this pampas grass into our backyard a few years ago.

Cotaderia selloana, commonly known as pampas grass, is a tall grass native to South America and was introduced to North America, Europe and Australia as an ornamental grass. Pampas grass grows in dense tussocks that can reach a height of 9.8 feet. Each plant is able to produce over one million seeds during its lifetime! The long slender leaves are green most of the year, but they go dormant during the winter. We leave our pampas grass alone in it’s dormant state because it is lovely all year. In the spring we cut it down so that it can start all over. Isn’t that what spring is all about?

Anyone who cares for pampas grass understands that it does require pruning each year. This year my husband Stanley came up with a brilliant idea to make the job a bit easier and more tidy.

For this tidy, easy method of pruning pampas grass and removal, the tools needed are:

1. Strapping tape
2. Chain saw
3. Pickup
4. Rake

Use strapping tape to wind around individual tussocks of pampas grass.

Use a chain saw to cut pampas grass off near the ground. Use the reverse side (or the top side) of the chain saw to prevent it from plugging up.

Because the tussocks were bundled with strapping tape, the pampas grass doesn’t fall all over the place while you are cutting it. 

A pile of strapping taped bundles of pampas grass.

Pampas grass loaded in an antique pickup truck.

My husband Stanley (left) took charge of the pampas grass job, pictured with my neighbor Duane (right) who mows our lawn—it got it’s first cut today!

Actually, the easiest part of the project is if your only role is photographer, ha!

Happy spring! As you prune out what is dead, may this be a season you recognize God’s many blessings in your life and keep Him first in your future. I pray you enjoy His creation and share your faith this spring by planting seeds to nourish and bless those in your life.

Need inspiration? Read John 15.

Remembering Mom is a Blessing. She gave me life, love and shaped my soul.

This year I have a better understanding of sorrow. For one thing, it has been a year since I lost my mother. Losing someone you love is difficult, whether it be to death or any other way people lose each other. But Christian believers know that death is not a final loss. This faith takes away the sting—even though I am sad in the present—I have peace in the promise of eternity together. The gift of faith I received in baptism and through hearing the Word of God allows me to trust that the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ is pure grace which redeems me. It helps me understand sacrificial love.

Curious people love to learn. This is why the adult Bible class I go to after church on Sundays is well attended. I don’t do well at studying on my own, so it really helps to participate in class as a listener. Not that I retain all the knowledge that is available to absorb on my own, but I know the Spirit uses this method to get things into my thick noggin and amazingly allows me to retrieve it when I need it most.

One of the great things about this class is that it offers opportunity for questions about the sermon, is open to and often is side-tracked into discussion about various topics that are current in everyday life. This way I am able to learn about a perspective often not available through the popular news media. For example, I would not have known about the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Mandate. The Lutheran Church Missouri Synod (LCMS) response—the video was informative and interesting. President Rev. Dr. Matthew C. Harrison testified on Capitol Hill before the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, representing my position. I object to the use of drugs such as “the morning after pill” and procedures that are used to take the lives of unborn children, who are persons in the sight of God from the time of conception.

Now, our Bible class is into the third of the past three topics listed below:

1. Isaiah—Book of the Bible (740–861 BC)
2. Witness • Mercy • Life Together Bible Study, Albert Collver (2011)
3. What Happens When I Die?, Stephen Hower (2011)

Ruth Margaret (Olson) Busse

Remembering Mom is a Blessing 
I see her in the mirror
Hear her in a sister
Feel her in the sky
Imagine her in my car
Find her in a photo
I remember her smile,
her discernment,

her grace,

her hug,
her voice,
her wisdom.

Resolutions Worth Keeping (Goals to Strive Toward)

Formality on making a New Year’s resolution hasn’t been a tradition for me. I take promises very seriously, so I’m extremely cautious about making them. At the beginning of this year, I’m striving toward numerous things that make life meaningful and are worthy of achieving. Many baby steps (in no particular order) go a long way.

1. Get enough sleep.
2. Approach conflict discussion with gentleness.
3. Don’t pick unnecessary battles.
4. Clear clutter regularly, not letting it build up.
5. Simplify.
6. Read the Bible, spend time with devotions and attend studies with wise people.
7. Pray—invite, listen and allow the Holy Spirit to stir and comfort me.
8. Savor each bite of food I take and each drink I swallow.
9. Inquire about and carefully consider opinions of people I respect.
10. Ask for help when I can’t figure it out myself.
11. Teach and share knowledge and skill.
12. Understand there are often numerous ways to accomplish the same end result; what works best for one, may not be what works best for another.
13. Dream.
14. Plan.
15. Read.
16. Learn something new.
17. Weigh and balance priorities.
18. Say yes.
19. Say no.
20. Stand up for someone.
21. Take a stand.
22. Lovingly rebuke.
23. Exercise.
24. Have confidence.
25. Take chances.
26. Dismiss situations beyond my control. Keep calm and carry on.
27. Be thankful to people who are kind and to God for all blessings.
28. Be generous.
29. Splurge a little.
30. Save.
31. Conserve.
32. Create.
33. Walk away from a TV show I don’t enjoy and find a better way to spend time.
34. Participate in conversation by putting a greater emphasis on listening than speaking.
35. Celebrate victories.
36. Enjoy live performances of music and theatre. Visit art galleries.
37. Take a vacation.
38. Laugh.
39. Fight procrastination.
40. Keep a reasonable, comfortable level of contact with special friends and relatives.
41. Take interest in meeting new people.
42. Eat fish frequently, veggies, beef for dinner, enjoy fruit, chocolate and coffee often.
43. Pay attention to nature’s colors, textures, shapes—rejoice in the beauty of creation.
44. Focus.
45. Relax.
46. Let people know I care about them.
47. Smile more.
48. Upcycle and repurpose rather than waste.
49. Confess sins (including the failure to meet each of these goals). Seek to improve, hope for the best.
50. Trust in the Lord.

How to spend less time in the kitchen; creativity allows time and opportunity to save money

My kitchen is in the center of my home, literally. Geometrically and figuratively speaking, it’s much the same, yet, a bit different in mine than it was in my parents home. It is the heart and soul that binds our family in special ways. Maybe it was a Minnesota thing—we didn’t consider “lunch” as a meal (it was a coffee break with a snack/dessert)—but if we had called it a meal, we usually had five per day:

1. Breakfast
2. Morning Lunch
3. Dinner (not lunch)
4. Afternoon Lunch
5. Supper (not dinner)

As I reminisce, I see blessings of eating and gathering near the kitchen. Some of these traditions have been important to carry on to my home and into the future.

• My mother and father utilized our home as the communication hub of the seed business they built together.
• Business management required mental and physical energy derived from nutritious meals and “lunches”.
• Mom was an excellent chef, baker, business woman and homemaker. As I remember, she was always preparing something delicious or teaching us how to bake a cake (and other goodies) and help with clean-up. Food is a blessing in itself, but it means so much more when it is served with love.
• In the winter months, it was a great place to thaw out; and a comforting place to chill in the summer.
• Back then, there was no competition with a computer for passing time.
• Much of the food we ate including pork (until they stopped raising pigs), vegetables and fruit was a product my parent’s farm.
• My family of eight required a lot of food, economically prepared.
• No fast food restaurants existed in the area.
• Eating at a restaurant was a luxury which was reserved for extremely rare occasions. The concept that luxuries are indeed not necessities makes me cherish the fact that we were so happy without them. Perhaps, that is the secret to a content life. We learned that if you can’t afford something, don’t think about getting it until you earn enough to afford it. We also learned that it was a sin to covet things others had which we did not. The amazing thing is that I didn’t realize that I was missing a thing!
• My parents had learned a healthy work ethic and self sufficient ways from my grandparents; they carried out many traditions, yet, we also enjoyed modern conveniences such as frozen pizza [which has become a “staple” in our diet as my son jokes].
• Meals were a family event, shared together around a table without distractions.
• Meals started with the prayer, “Come, Lord Jesus be our guest and let these gifts to us be blessed. Amen”. After the meal we prayed together “Oh, Give Thanks unto the LORD for He is good and his mercy endures forever. Amen”. At some point it was decided to pray both prayers before the meal instead of one before and the other after. This often catches others off guard, because it is not a common practice.
• It was customary that a meal was followed by scripture readings and a teaching story from a devotional titled Portals of Prayer. After this, we prayed The Lord’s Prayer together before moving on to the rest of the day.

Times change. It is easy to lose our way and forget about important traditions. We choose what becomes the heart and soul of life and it is easy to forget to keep God in the top of our priorities. Most people do not have the opportunity to live on a farm, earn a living by working the land, build and run a business from home. We are called to various vocations which, when adding the commute, occupy many hours of our day.

If the New Year is a good time to make resolutions, here are a couple that are worthy of the effort:

1. Strive to be a careful steward of God-given resources and time.
2. Strive to remember the Creator and the giver of all good things. 

Tips to make the most of time in/near the kitchen, as brief as it may be. Be creative!

• When I shop, I choose, primarily, items that are on sale—advertised to draw people into the store. I don’t spend time reading ads. Sale items usually are displayed well enough to find. I don’t allow much time to shop—that way I leave the store before buying too many items that don’t have price reductions. I stock up on the “deals” that fall into the basic nutritious food groups. I plan to be spontaneous and experimental in using my purchases. At certain times of the year, I shop during my lunch break and leave everything in the car until I get off work later. Other times, my husband drops me off after church and I shop while he fills the car with gas and stops at the car wash.
• When there is something in the fridge and I experience “chef’s block” (at a loss for how to make it into a meal), I Google the item (along with the word “recipe”) for inspiration. I don’t worry about following recipes exactly as they’re written. Improvisation is an ingredient of creativity. Occasionally I go and buy special ingredients that weren’t “on sale” or ask my husband to pick something up while he’s out and about.
• I make more than is eaten in one meal, almost always. 
• Unless it “calls me” right away, I skip a day before serving leftovers again, to break it up.
• I explore new ways to serve leftovers, especially when I only have enough to half-fill one person or not quite enough for the whole family. For example on the first day: chop chicken breast to stir fry with frozen veggies and serve with steamed rice. The second day, open a can of cream of chicken soup. I have leftover cream that I used in quiche a few days ago—there’s more than I can use in coffee—and I don’t have time to use it for another recipe, so, I use the cream instead of milk or water with condensed soup. Mix it all up with chicken/veggie/rice leftovers.  Wha-la! Instant “cuisine” is what I call creative leftover dishes. Serve a little shredded cheese on top of the savory soup and some crackers. Or slice cheese and serve on top of crackers. Or, spread a bit of cream cheese on those crackers. I guess you realize that cheese is a staple in my diet. Rich in protein, calcium and comfort, too.
• Frozen pizza is made extra special by adding seasonal veggies (such as zucchini) and other goodies.
• No gender discrimination in my kitchen—men/boys are as welcome as women/girls to share in food prep and cleanup—big difference between my parent’s kitchen and mine.
• Roast a big chunk of meat or make extra meatloaf. Slice leftovers for sandwiches, adding a little dijon mustard and fresh leaf lettuce to make it better.
• Stock up on a variety fresh fruit that is “on sale” and add a couple pieces to brown bag with a sandwich for a  lunch.
• Eat a brown-bag-lunch on the way to the post office, library or while reading a book in the park during lunch hour. Save the luxury of “going out” as a treat for very special occasions. Save the brown bag to use again tomorrow (unless my banana peel went into it).
• I save money by brown-bagging and utilizing each and every scrap of left over food in creative recipes I invent. This justifies a weekly splurge on a fast food meal from a drive-through which I am fortunate to have in the neighborhood. This takes place on Sundays after picking up groceries, gas, and a car wash. We eat on the way home to make more time in the weekend for relaxation and enjoyment.
• When considering options for entertainment, let the kitchen take center stage. It might be easier to invite friends to meet at a restaurant (sometimes that is best), but inviting friends into your home is a warm gesture and often is more enjoyable than going out. If time is short or if the list of guests is large, don’t hesitate to ask others to bring something to share. Often they will offer and feel good about contributing to a meal. Inviting friends to your home is great inspiration to take on house cleaning and offers the benefit of accomplishing that task.
• Remember valuable lessons you learned from parents. Do things different than they did to fit your own lifestyle and schedule. If you weren’t nurtured in a Christian atmosphere—until the day you die—it is not to late to receive the blessings gained from getting involved with worship/education by attending church and reading devotions. Find ways to pass spiritual gems on to your children. Proverbs 22:6 says, “Train a child in the way he should go: and when he is old he will not depart from it.”

Happy New Year! 
Cheers!

Who’s your role model? Take the test…

This time of year, inspiration surrounds me. To name a few blessings:

• Only 5 blocks to a walk in the countryside; beautiful sunset; mid 50°s on a calm, mid December day.
• Traditions… an Advent worship service sermon focusing on peace. Special pink candles that mean “Rejoice! … the Lord is near,” based on Philippians 4:4.
• Music in the air and cards in the mail connecting Christians in celebration of the real reason for The Holidays, better known as Christmas.
• A perfectly good reason to compliment a neighbor who’s made the effort to decorate his home with lights.
• An email from a friend with a quirky equation quiz to identify your role model. Here it is…

Using simple math, find your role model. Mine wasn't a surprise... How about you?

DON'T SCROLL DOWN YET! FIRST, do the simple math below. 

THEN, scroll down to find your hero. Do not scroll down until you do the math!

It is truly remarkable just how accurate this is!

1. Pick your favorite number between 1 and 8. 
2. Multiply your choice by 3. 
3. Add 3. 
4. Multiply again by 3—I'll wait if you need a calculator. 
5. You'll get a 2-digit number… maybe 42, for example. 
6. Add the digits together (example: 4 plus 2 = 6).

Now remember this final number and scroll down.

scroll down

scroll down

With that number, see who your ROLE MODEL is from the list below:

1. Albert Einstein 
2. Paul, the Apostle 
3. Mother Theresa 
4. Bill Gates 
5. King Solomon 
6. Theodore Roosevelt 
7. Babe Ruth 
8. Winston Churchill 
9. Jesus Christ! 
10. Peter, the Apostle

I know, I know... He has that effect on everyone, and one day you will meet Him! Believe it! The Savior has come and He will come again.

P.S. Stop picking different numbers! He is the Way, the Truth and the Life! Now, sit back, relax and enjoy your day! 

Clear the Drawing Table

I have a drawing table which gets used for much more than drawing. Great lighting, access to music and all of my favorite tools are there. If there is room on my table, it is where I’ll:

• Create and stamp a greeting card when I need one.
• Pile bills until I pay them.
• Pile papers to file and save.
• Put photos in albums.
• Sketch in sketchbook.
• Paint with watercolor.
• Wrap a gift. 
• Balance the checkbook.
• Fill out forms.
• Fix things.
• Take care of things to be mailed.
• Look through things for inspiration.
• Do things for family.

I’m an excellent procrastinator. I’d rather blog or do anything creative than do paperwork, pay bills, clean and file. This means things pile up. Part of my brain tortures me for having to look at unorganized clutter. I realize my brain is divided into two hemispheres and each has unique characteristics. I am blessed to have both left and right brain qualities! As they miraculously work together, they balance out conflicting traits and motivate me to action. I cleared off my drawing table this week (ok, I admit, almost completely clear). In the process, I found a gift item that I’d cleverly hidden nearby and had been looking for it over a month! The wonderful emotional state after accomplishing a task is so much better than the guilty feeling of putting things off. I’ve decided I shouldn’t let things in this space to accumulate so long (ok, I admit, almost everything in this space). Today I added Clear Drawing Table into my iCal with an action to send me a reminder every month. My special space is ready to tackle something. So I better quit blogging and get busy. Besides, my husband wants to Google something in this computer space :-)

Life: A Celebration of Ages in a Nutshell

What is your first memory? Which days in your life will you never forget? Life happens so quickly, yet each day has 24 unique hours. That is 1,440 minutes of life in one single day! When I was a child, I learned a saying, “today is the first day of the rest of your life”. Simple, yet profound. Now, each Sunday morning our Pastor greets the people with, “This is the day that the LORD has made;” and we reply, “let us rejoice and be glad in it.” (Psalm 118:24 ESV). There are plenty of moments to be sad, scared, frustrated, sick, confused, hurried, stressed; as well as times to be happy, courageous, creative, exercising, helpful, entertaining and resting. The Bible verse offers a simple truth that allows me to make the best of every situation: focus on something to rejoice and be glad about in the day that is given to me :-)

• 9 months–0: I don’t have memories of what was going on before my birth, but there is plenty of research to back up the fact that I was a precious living human being from the time of conception and during the months Mom carried me. Preborn babies respond differently to various types of music for example. I am very thankful that my Mom was NOT pro-choice/pro-abortion, but she was pro-life! A good website for information on that is Lutherans For Life.
• 0–4: Baptism was the highlight. I received the gift of faith, forgiveness of sins and peace with God by the working of the Holy Spirit. At this point God looks at me through Jesus Christ’s death and resurrection. The Holy Spirit led my parents to bring me to worship—surround me with Christians—and provide me with daily devotions to develop wisdom and a strong spiritual foundation throughout my childhood. The physical, spiritual and intellectual growth during this period of time is amazing! One specific memory I have (when I was short enough to walk underneath the dinner table) is when I hit my head on a corner of the framework at the gap where additional leaves were added to accommodate a large family.
• 5–9: Kindergarten was the most wonderful year! I decided I wanted to be a kindergarten teacher when I grew up. I changed my mind, but I found a great friend who has that occupation! Working on the farm, with tasks like picking rocks, chopping thistles and pulling weeds were introduced during this period. Creative growth flourished in these early years.
• 10–14: Lutheran Island Camp in Henning, Minnesota is a great memory. 4-H also provided benefits of a wide variety of social and educational experiences.
• 15–19: Working in the fields, detasseling corn and a factory job, building computer parts for airplanes. Appleton High School, dance line, theatre; Alexandria Technical College…so much education and some fun, too.
• 20–24: A move to Brookings, South Dakota, starting a professional career as a graphic designer in a printing company. Marriage!
• 25–29: A move to Kansas! Two babies!
• 30–34: Two children!
• 35–39: Two adolescents!
• 40–44: Two teens!
• 45–49: 
  Two young adults! Loss of parents. I was the mother of the groom and gained a new daughter-in-law!

Life has seen many changes in 49 years. Had I kept a diary, I’d be able to tell exactly when computers came into daily living. Technology has connected me to email, Facebook, Twitter, Blogspot, Pinterest, Google+ and my own online shop on Etsy (not to mention to the many ways it changed my graphic design career). But the most meaningful changes involve family and friends. Life holds enormous blessings within the circle of loved ones…which reminds me of Skype!