I am C Renee and I am The Garden Frog Gal. She was just an idea stuck in my head until a few months ago when I took up trying to sketch her out. I am winging this whole dream building thing I got going on so bear with me as I try to put together this website and get back to creating, inspiring, and gardening without the rules.
So to be honest, I am quite complicated and over time I will reveal who I was and lessons I learned to get to where I am today, whatever day it is. With this being said let me start by saying I am just now discovering or maybe it is re-discovering who I am.
This journey started October 5, 2021 . Through my healing from a very toxic and mind numbing relationship (after my very amicable divorce 6 years ago), I found out I am not who I thought I was. A year and a half of healing and losing 70lbs in 4 months, crying and sleeping for a couple months, losing a few very precious keepsakes (he kept them along with a lot of other personal belongings), and realizing that through a year and half long journey that my life before this was a result of coping with how my brain works and why I am the way I am. Funny thing to say now…but the best thing that ever happened to me was losing everything and living day to day selling what personal belongings I had, making money randomly, and wondering how I was going to pay my bills.
It’s working out because here I am working my dream.
So let me say that I am a lover of all things green and beautiful, animals, wildlife, nature…I am finally finding happiness one day at a time. I try to spread a smile or kind word to a random stranger. I also taught my sons to be kind and caring and help someone in need. This world needs more of us to stand up and be more kind spreading joy and love. For this gardening community I am building that is just part of the philosophy and mission statement.
My 2 sons, Jay and Marshall, are my pride and joy and they show me every day that I am a good mom. My oldest son, Jay, has started his own hotshotting (cross country deliveries with a 40′ trailer) and he is a Marine Veteran who served right out of high school in 2008. My youngest Marshall is married and currently serving in the Army in Kentucky. My daughter in law is now my personal assistant/right hand woman and I adore her. I needed someone to tackle this computer stuff because I am not built for sitting down and staring a screen and so one morning I woke up with this crazy idea to hire her without being able to pay her. She agreed. Crazy, huh?!
My family also includes my beautiful 11 year old Australian Shepherd, Sierra, and Gerdy Mae, my 12 year old Jack/Fox Terrier mix with me. Cannot forget about Babykitty who is now 14 and an Army cat living with my youngest son and daughter in law. Oh and Yes, my furbabies sleep with me and they love their human siblings.
One day I do plan on having chickens, Muscovy ducks, and other animals too. I miss my cats so that is on the “wish list”. Maybe rescue some other critters as well. Only time will tell. No rush.
Since I was a little girl I was always different. Weird. Loved the outdoors. Loved playing in the woods and picking wild violets and making May day baskets. My grandparents had this Magnolia in their home that I would sneak and climb to one of the horizontal branches and sit there and take in the fragrance of the large, pink blooms. I will plant Magnolias.
There is a lot to me. I am still healing and, as I grow my dreams with this website (and Facebook/social media), my ideas for this and for my life may sound a bit crazy. My dreams include my memories. The memories of standing in the rain on a hot summers day or the feeling of lush green grass under my feet. The smells of childhood between the lilacs and magnolias. The flavor of a ripe tomato straight off the vine just wiped on your shirt to remove any dirt or bugs. Or how about the sounds of tree frogs, birds, and crickets in the spring forecasting the weather and waking up the Earth. As the quote goes “to plant a garden is to believe in tomorrow”.
My ideas, my dreams, and my creativity come from lots of things- ie walking through The Home Depot or walking in the woods. My ideas can be born from a problem I encountered or just my speeding mind thinking about how could I repurpose something in to something useful and/or beautiful. I love creating solar lights from junk and stuff and scouring yard sales for anything I could make a garden decoration, light, basket, bucket, etc for the garden.
I have crazy dreams and many revolve around what can it do for me, my family, the community, and most importantly Mother Nature, Source, God. I am not about saying I want to be a millionaire; but rather I would be able to give away a million dollars.
Money is a means end- to pay off my debts including my outrageous student loan debt, finish my tiny home, get my dreams going, and be able to give at least 50% of my profits to St. Judes, Shriners, Wounded Warriors and any legitimate veteran service of this US, and to small community churches, schools, and gardens. Eventually it could be the world but for now- I have big plans; and have no idea if this is going to work or not. Oh and cannot forget the salary for my new personal assistant who is doing the tasks that I just can’t do. This is all about family.
Eccentric, unique, weird. I accept it all now. I did back when I was in school too because I always knew I was different and years later I have some very special friends, whom I’ve known many years or most of my life, they got me through this healing journey by reminding me who I was way back when. I am living my authentic life. It may not be understood from the outside; and that’s okay because I have no clue what I am doing either at 57.
I do no for sure that I love my family and friends, I love nature, and I love plants. I love this Earth. Gardening just makes me happy. You don’t have to have a green thumb to grow a plant but you do need faith and a positive attitude. Water, sunshine, and dirt help but neglect and bad attitude can kill anything including a plant.
No negativity here. We can help each other through “this thing called life” and cheer each other one and lift each other up as we become true spokesgardeners for Mother Nature one plant, one windowsill/garden at a time. I plan on helping everyone who checks in here to see what it means to be a real gardener.
There is no prior knowledge or experience needed just a positive attitude and willingness to be open to new things and new ideas.