As i cleaned the kitchen last night, i thought about words beginning with G. There's green, like in the green glow right after a rain, or like the vibrant green of the English hillsides by the sea, or like chartreuse, one of the greatest colors, with an awesome name. Vermillion's a nice name, too, though...
There's gay rights, something that's always been extremely important to me. Oppression in any form is abhorant to me anyway, and to make that call based on who someone loves? Makes no sense to me at all. i think love between consenting adults in any form should be celebrated. There's enough hate out there.
There's gossamer. Hard to write a post on that. Really, i just like the word. i also love "sycamore". i love how both roll off the tongue. See how my mind works? i follow a path and then forget where i started. It's no wonder i find it more difficult to write than i used to.
i went through many a word, and then came to guilt. Ah, guilt. The gift that keeps on giving. i intended to write about it, to talk about my own guilt, to ruminate on how best to overcome it, but you know what? i don't want to write about that. To write about it feels as heavy as...well, carrying around guilt. So i won't.
Instead, let's talk about gardens. My dad is a gardener, and passed on the know-how and desire to plant, to care for and to reap the rewards of a yearly garden. i have had a garden every year for the past dozen years or so, except for that year we lived in an apartment. Every year i look forward to selecting which vegetables and flowers to plant. i almost always do a fairly small garden. As the main gardener in my household, it's easier to manage.
Dad almost always comes down to help me set up. It's like a ritual. We plan our space, till, add humus and manure as needed. i absolutely adore the actual planting. i treat the plant with care, even talking to it as i place it in the ground. Don't laugh; plants have an energy, too, and my vibrations can affect it. The best feeling is at the end of the day, when you get to sit back with a cold beer and see all your hard work. i even like getting dirty, makes me feel closer to the earth.
After tending, comes the excitement as things start to grow, then bloom, then bear fruit and thrive. Being able to pick much of that night's dinner is very satisfying, not to mention delicious. There's not any tomato in any grocery store i've found that tastes a bit like a tomato picked fresh out of your own garden and eaten straight away.
When the thriving takes over, there's canning to be done. i don't do tons of canning, but the onslaught of cucumbers pretty much requires putting up some pickles, and i might do some salsa when the tomatoes are too many to eat fresh and not rot.
Right now, my yard is overrun with spring perennials. i have never seen so many daffodils in one place, except maybe a public park. My landlord is a super woman, i swear. There's also hyacinths and tulips, and a couple of things i'm unsure of. i don't know yet where the vegetable garden will go; this is our first full summer at this house. Maybe by the storage building, in the side yard? i'll have to get on that, soon. Onion sets are already out. There's work to be done.
Showing posts with label garden. Show all posts
Showing posts with label garden. Show all posts
Friday, April 8, 2011
Saturday, September 6, 2008
Garden collage...

My garden this year was definitely an improvement over last year's, but the ongoing lack of rain (despite the rain we got from recent hurricanes) really stunted it. i tried my best to keep it wet enough by watering almost everyday, but it just wasn't quite enough. Even still, i've managed to pick a few cucumbers, some tomatoes and a few squash. The biggest crops (as usual) were the peppers - jalepenos and New Mexico chiles. i got in some late season cukes and tomatoes, so i may see some yield from that before the first frost.
The flowers also did well, and my marigolds have exploded. i first planted the seeds 4 years ago and haven't had to replant since. Every year they come back up, even popping up in the yard all over.
The tomato to the left is a Mr. Stripey, the most prolific of all of this year's crop.





These pink and yellow snapdragons are my favorites of all the blossoms in my garden. Their colors are stunning, and they are such a joy to me everyday.
Thanks so much for stopping by! Hope you all have a creative and joyful day!
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