So...growing up I always wanted to be Laura Ingalls Wilder. You know? From the prairie? Well, minus the bugs and critters...and with indoor plumbing. Ha!
Now, 30 years later, I am pretty much living my dream, but with the niceties of indoor plumbing and running water. We live "in the country," surrounded by nice neighbors who are close but not TOO close. One neighbor trades mules, so we always have 4-6 mules running around near our house, which the kiddos love! Across the street they have lots of cows. Normally we like to watch the cows and listen to them, although last night at 3 am when we had the windows open because our air had gone out, I would have much preferred hamburgers to neighboring cattle! They were LOUD. Anyway, I digress! We have about an acre, we don't live in the city limits, and we have big, BIG garden. There is nothing like fresh vegetables coming from God's blessing our hard work to prepare and work the soil. Though we do put a lot of sweat into it, we never forget that God gives the increase, not us! The past few years we have reaped very little due to inconsistent weather, so hopefully this year will be better.
Whether we are able to harvest much or not, I am thankful for our garden in so many ways!
1. It teaches my kids (and me, I must confess!) the value of hard work. The kiddos have their own garden patch this year, and Daddy and I are not touching it! The only thing we did was help get it tilled up and show them WHAT to do. They had to plant it, and they must water, weed, tend, and harvest their garden patch. They are so proud of their lilac peppers, orange peppers, snap peas, and blue corn! They are also old enough to REALLY help in the "big garden" this year, so they are learning that yummy things don't come easy!
2. Fresh food can't be beat. The stuff in the store just isn't the same!
3. The garden is a growing, living, "breathing" proof to me of just how much my husband loves me. He doesn't eat vegetables or fruit (except green beans and potatoes), yet he toils tirelessly in the garden helping to prepare, tend, and weed the soil for our veggies and fruit. What a blessing he is!
4. Tomato tying brings great memories! Who knew that tearing old sheets for tomato ties could be so fun? My kids beg for tomato tying day so that they can run across the yard pulling a piece of fabric loose from an old sheet. Their squeals of delight just can't be beat!
5. Sometimes Daddy will pull out the "tractor" (riding lawn mower) just for fun, and the kids get to ride around and around the yard. I wish I could grab onto those smiles of joy and keep them close forever!
6. Gardening teaches patience and waiting on God's timing. When my son planted his blue corn, he ran outside EVERY MORNING for about 2 weeks waiting for a sprout. When the tiniest green leaf poked its head out of the soil, he came running inside yelling for us to come look because "MY CORN IS GROWING!" In the meantime, we had lots of discussions about how good things come to those who wait... More recently, we have seen tiny veggies on our plants and are waiting for them to come to fruition. This weekend marked our first produce...3 cucumbers and a squash. The kids gobbled up "their" veggies with wild abandon.
7. Picking rocks from our soil can tame even the worst temper tantrum...
8. Gardening is GOOD exercise...and very helpful for weight watchers!
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