...hitting, "reset"

in Spring...

there are signs of rebirth
that you come to expect...

such as the return
of the cherry
blossoms...

and the blooming of annuals...

planted in the gloom of winter...
sending down roots and waiting...

just waiting to smile up at the warming sun...

a bit tattered by the recent storms...
but now availing themselves...
of the full bounty of sunshine...


then there's the regeneration you never expect to see...

an apparently dead fern sending out new growth...

the "annual"lobelia,[Crystal Palace], blooming for the 5th season...

the thriving begonias I almost threw away last fall...

but since deciding to plant them anyway...
I have been treated to quite a show all winter...

there's any number of lessons to be learned there...

as there is in the persistence of the few stubborn iris...
who seem not at all interested in blooming...
then suddenly show spikes with buds...
though the once crowded beds...
now have only a few spikes of blossoms...

the lemon tree, a Meyer lemon...
[hybrid of an orange and a lemon]...
has ripe fruit, ripening fruit, developing fruit...
open buds and still closed buds all at the same time...
reminding me that for every thing there is a time...
which may some times, be all at once...

the mildness of February...
had encouraged these "Johnny Jump-ups"to start blooming...
the recent storms battered them a bit...
but the warm sunshine has made them smile...

and is making me glad that I spent the money in January...
planting the bud-less plants during the cold gray days...
so I could enjoy their cheer now...

these cherry tomatoes will give cheer of a different sort...
what with cherry toms costing $3 to 4 a pint...
and will taste great too...

these are a few more cherry toms...
as well as some Beefsteak hybrids for the back yard...
I can't afford the cost of water for a lot...
but I can grow a couple of plants...

I hope to add a couple of heirlooms later...
maybe even some green beans...
I also had a couple of squash starts that a hungry snail ate...

I finally got my roses pruned and am being rewarded...
with prolific numbers of buds on the ones I did first...
especially compared to last year when I didn't prune them at all...
so I never had much in the way of continuing displays...

and then there's this...

my flowering cherry tree in the front yard...

the storms messed-up the blossom displays in the back...
for both the cherry and the peach...

Mother Nature is hitting, "reset"...

and so am I...

my Chapter 13 bankruptcy has been filed...
my court date will be after Easter...
but I've already made my first payment to the Trustee...
which will continue monthly for 3 years...
at which time all my debts, except for my 1st mortgage...
will be gone...

I'm still hoping to modify my 1st mortgage...
as it is literally 2/3rds of my fixed monthly income...
[it should be only about 30%...]
if I can convince the ever-evasive WFB to modify it, even a little...
it will be a tremendous difference to me...

the difference between just squeeking by each month...
with little or no reserves...
and being able to build some modest reserves...
for emergencies or needed expensive repairs...

the lawyer's fee is coming out of the Trustee payments...
which is a good thing...
meaning that my meager funds will not have the burden...
of added obligations...

I just had my taxes done...
and the refund will cover the tax prep fee...
as well as my property taxes...
leaving me enough to service my car...
and replace my back door which has fallen apart...

AND...

a nice beginning of my cash, "emergency" fund...
since I no longer have any credit cards...

hopefully, I'll be able to add to it, bit by bit...
so paying my property taxes in December won't be so stressful...

the good news is that the significant financial losses...
that were reported to the IRS last year...
had a carryover this year, hence the refund of all taxes withheld...
and there will be the same carryover next year too...

insuring that the same income level will generate a similar refund...

there will be a carryover for 2012 too, just not quite as much...

what these regular infusions of cash will do for me...
now that I'm used to living on so little...
will be to allow me to take care of those home & car maintenance chores...
that I always used credit for, but never quite paid off...

so you could say that I've hit the "reset" button myself...

after all the years of stress and agony with a fruitless job search...
the crushing debt, the specter of homelessness...
the shame of my careless lifestyle being shoved in my face...
and the realization that I was, "poor", old & living on a fixed income...

I've finally figured-out how to live on very little...

it's not easy, having to be so careful with money...
but there is a satisfaction in controlling myself...
and watching the faithfulness of God in providing for my needs...
is really quite a joy...

it's also become apparent to me that besides learning to do with less...
my physical condition needs my attention...
as the arthritis has really hampered my mobility lately...
and I've come to realize that I probably couldn't have kept many jobs...

so, as I have slowly learned to deal better with my financial constraints...
I am learning how to best heal and improve my aging physical self...

not to mention the emotional & spiritual growth...

I am so grateful to God that He's lead me to this place...
and that His grace will lead me along His path for me...

not too many people my age get to hit,"reset"...
with positive results, that is...

and now that many things seem to just be "falling into place"...
the unbounded grace of God, just blows me away...

Thank you, Jesus !

God is good, indeed...