googling

here are the roses and elderberries after tenny and i got through with them

this is how big my peas are

here is the yellow delicious apple tree after we severely cropped it and below is the crab apple tree in full bloom. it smells divine and as you walk by you can hear a million bees having a feast.

many years ago i heard, in a relief society lesson, a story about a spinster who lived with one of her siblings because she had no way of supporting herself. i assume this woman lived long enough ago that as an unmarried woman she had very few options and so lived off the charity of her family. the story was told, i believe, either by a niece or nephew because he or she called the lady "aunt". the storyteller, maybe i will assume she was a niece for ease of syntax, said her aunt, in spite of living what may have appeared to be a depressing life, was always happy; her nephews and nieces, whom she helped raise, loved and admired her for her cheerful and positive character. this particular niece asked her aunt once how she remained so happy even though she had no husband, children or home of her own. the aunt told her (and this is the point of the story) that she had tried during her adult life to do six things every day that she felt gave her purpose and self-respect. here is as much of the list as i can remember:

everyday:

1. get some physical exercise

2. get some mental exercise

3. do something for some one else

4. do something for yourself

5. do something you don't want to do that needs to be done

6.

i can't remember what the sixth thing was. i have thought and thought but i can't remember at all. i thought i could maybe google it and find the list. you wouldn't believe the lists of things i found. 10 things to do to make yourself happy, 6 things to do to make your man happy, 6 things to do if you're not happy with your belly, 6 self indulgent things to do, 14 things to do to be happy on earth day...and on and on and on. maybe if i could remember this woman's name i could find the list, but i don't even remember that. have any of you ever heard of this person and her list? or maybe somebody has an idea of what the sixth thing could be that if done every day could help make you happy.

so while i was in a googling mood i looked for the words to the 7 brides for 7 brothers song "spring, spring, spring". i did finally find it, but in the process discovered other interesting stuff, like for instance did you know that there is a musical of the scarlet pimpernel? i didn't. i don't know if i like the idea of that either.

other things going on: tenny and i did yardwork on saturday. we pruned some fruit trees, lopped off the elderberries to 2 feet, pruned the roses and dug up an ash tree and a peach root stock tree that were both trying to grow in the garden. i was pretty wiped out on sunday from all the physical exertion on saturday and i'm still a little stiff today, but it was good for me and good for the yard. i need to do more of it. and, as usual, i got things totally backwards on my post so it "don't make no sense". how could expect anything else?

p.s. thanks to tenny for getting my playlist back playing and for putting the new song on for me.