The past few days have been filled with flowers, the epitome of spring. I finally have my front patio and back patios awash with flowers and potted herbs and they are the peaceful areas I love to see outside my doors.
I lived in apartments and condos for 20 years, and it's such a joy to me to be able to plant gardens and have beauty all around. Even on a tight budget, one can find flats of begonias, vincas, and impatiens. I re-use pots every year and it takes time to clean them out and repurpose the soil with the organic fertilizer. It's a labor of love, though.
I also have 8 tomato plants, peppers, squash, zucchini, and some green bean plants pushing up out of the soil of my raised beds. I bought some cucumber seedlings at Home Depot and they are all withered, which is a disappointment. I can plant some others, though, just won't purchase them at HD.
Yes, Georgia is awash with pollen right now but we are also filled with flowers and new growth.
the front patio [what we call the lanai]
Michael and I took a ride over to Georgia Perimeter College yesterday to talk to the director of the Gateway to College program. I am working on the application process. If Michael is accepted, he can go ahead and start college next year at GPC, and take college classes that count towards his high school graduation AND give him college credits. It's a terrific program.
Alesia started the program in 2011 but dropped out. Ironically, we found a photo of her in the brochure about the program. She has always been very photogenic.
I explained to the director that Michael is a very different kid. He's getting bored and frustrated with high school, because he's nearly 18 and ready to move on, so he is a good candidate for Gateway.
The director told Michael that the students who are successful in the program are the ones who manage their time well and don't socialize too much.That made an impression on Michael, who told me later than he would be OK with spending some time on homework every day, and utilizing the tutoring services. He has been intimidated by the idea of college and this would be a way to ease into it with a lot of support, which is awesome.
The college tuition is paid, so it's a terrific value. Mike was also sold on the fact that he will only be in class a few hours a day. The Gateway folks also have tutors available to help the kids, which is a huge plus.
So, fingers cross on that. It would be a fresh start for him, a new beginning, and I know he would blossom in a college environment.
