Wednesday, May 31, 2006
The Garden is Life
Have planted a big garden this year. So far it is the best ever. White runner beans, 5 different kinds of tomatoes, summer & winter squashes, hot & sweet peppers, sweet corn, peas, cukes, eggplant, brussel sprouts and lots and lots of onions are what's growing at present. I also have tons of herbs all over the place; in the garden between plantings, in pots all around and in an old herb bed. When I look around, I get a feeling of security and uneasiness at the same time. The security comes from knowing that my family won't go hungry. That my gardens will provide a big portion of our food this summer, winter and into spring. The uneasiness comes from also knowing that one horrendous hail storm or extremely lengthy drought could seriously damage everything that I have planted and nurtured, turning it into compost material. You could call it risky, but for me it is well worth the risk to savor the fresh, homegrown vegetables that are to come. I currently have plans to build a greenhouse so that I can reap the benefits of year-round gardening. Growing & preserving my family's food is part of my identity. When I step back and call up life's true importances, the Garden is there. Always.
First Attempt
I have reading blogs for about 2 years now and enjoy the writing that I find at each one. This is my first attemp at this so it may take a while to get going but here goes. I live in NC, work a fulltime job, teach decorative painting classes part-time and still find time to tend my herb and vegetable gardens. I am slowly but steadily working on becoming more self sufficient and I actually enjoy hanging out laundry; weeding in the garden and canning; drying, freezing the yields from my garden. I love living a simple life and will be writing about just that in my future posts. Simple is never boring so stay tuned....
