 Happy Fall!
Clearly, my little garden does not provide us with substantial food year-round. Also, my husband and I live in the burbs, not the countryside. But I hold what I know is a romantic view of rural living and I respect those who work so hard to feed the masses. I love the following prayer. I don't think we have to be farmers to appreciate it. Wishing you a wonderful, bountiful season ahead! ... from Rural Life Prayer Book Good and generous Lord, You have once more brought the year full circle, through planting and growing and ripening to harvest time, and autumn. We thank You for the sun and the wind, the rain and the dew, the minerals of the earth and all the plants that grow and all the beasts and birds of farm and field. We marvel at your wonderful ways of bringing food from the earth for our good. Dear God, help us to use Your rich gifts as You want us to. Teach us to share them with our neighbors when they are in need. Make us see, in the marvelous succession of seasons, and in the growth and ripening of our crops, the merciful, generous hand of Your divine providence. Help us to realize, too, that if we keep Your commandments and live according to the inspirations of Your grace, we shall also reap a plentiful harvest in the autumn of our lifetimes; a harvest that we will be able to enjoy forever and ever, where no rust can destroy nor blight any least part of it. Amen.
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 September! Yesss! My favorite gardening time is nigh upon us! We are racing towards fall despite the extreme heat and humidity! This morning, I spent a wonderful time in the garden. I weeded, pruned, fertilized, and watered. I was hot, sweaty, muddy, and wet by the time I stopped, but I loved it. I felt like a real gardener again. I’m going to try to do a little every day.
I’ve had an epiphany. I’ve been at war with our sprinkler system since its installation ten years ago; we had it installed when we first moved in. It’s never been enough. No matter how many tweaks, additions, changes, improvements – call them what you will – and no matter how much money we have poured into it -- a ridiculous amount, I might add -- one area or another goes without water. Plants die, seeds fail to sprout, edibles wither on the stems when we’re not looking. Do you see where I’m going with this? Gardeners should always be looking. Why have a garden if you’re not going to spend time in it? For a gardener, it’s a joy to be out there. So – crazy thought -- why not water the raised beds myself? Imagine that! I don’t think it’s unreasonable of me to expect our sprinkler system to work. But it is unreasonable, not to mention stubborn, to deny myself and my plants to spite… what? The sprinkler system? I did ask my hero if he might consider attacking the problem himself rather than hiring it out again. He agreed! But Joseph is busy…so busy. I will be watering with the hose until he has time. Once he’s solved the problem (which he will if it’s at all possible), I will continue to monitor and not be a baby about watering my plants myself, as gardeners and farmers have done since forever. Watering issues aside, I’ve ordered more seed packets! In case you missed that post, I’m currently obsessed! In all my years of gardening, I’ve sown plenty of vegetable seeds but very few flowers. This summer, irritated by the poor performance of bedding plants, I tossed some zinnia seeds around and they grew! I became a seed monster overnight! I plan on buying very few potted plants this coming season. It's just so fun. |
Our GardenFor years, my husband and I worked at creating a series of gardens on our four-acre lot in a rural, Texas subdivision west of Houston. I have to say, it was a fantastic experience. Now, I have a pocket garden on a golf course. Archives
June 2024
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