And the day came when the risk to remain tight in a bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom.
…..Anais Nin
I took a cutting 4 years ago from a rose-bush that was grown from a cutting 40 years ago which originally came from a 100 year old rose-bush. We should all bloom like this.
A garden is always a series of losses set against a few triumphs, like life itself.
—May Sarton
Maybe that’s why I love gardening so much. A metaphor for life. My life. As a child, I loved my father’s gardens. The fall was beautiful, the beds were filled with chrysanthemums, his favourite. This year as a retiree, gardening has become less of a pretty hobby ( can we say only flowers) and become a passion.
After my second retirement, I was talked into doing a maternity leave at our local food bank. When resource development is your gig , you have to finely craft your message and marketing. You need to really understand what you will be talking about. I learned quickly about food security. This has turned me into a passionate “farmer”! ….the funny thing is…. when I graduated high school I wanted to hitchhike across Europe looking for a pastoral lifestyle to embrace.
So today I have the pastoral lifestyle and the means to learn to produce from my space. What fun.
I have added a greenhouse, and an indoor area for starting seed early, built large raised beds as well as rototilled the back area by the creek to plant potatoes. I am now channelling my Irish ancestors and tilling a very large potato crop. I have over 60 plants yielding 2.2 to 6 kilo each. Never one to embrace moderation I over planted seeds inside and now have 30 tomato plants, 20 pepper plants, and enough squash plants to make my neighbors run for cover. I asked friends to come and shop for free in my greenhouse.
So far I have put squash out too early, we had a light frost. The potato patch is huge and now that the plants are up I know I will have more that we can eat; potatoes. I have squash planted everywhere. I am counting on global warming to help all my tomato and pepper plants! I am not sure how to companion plant…will learn as I go. I am putting this year down to a “learning curve” what works, what doesn’t , and how to fix it. Just like my life.
I still do love the flowers, and natural garden, like hope it is enduring.
Posted in Doings, Nature, Thoughts
Tagged fiairie garden, food security, garden, greenhouse, modern farmer, spring
Yikes, and my last post was “the jaws of winter”, WHAT happened? Nothing out of the ordinary just life. I definitely have been occupied. (I am trying this word out because I have developed a disdain for the word busy). It has become the word for a rampant viral disease. We infect others by our smug use of the word. “LIKE OMG I AM/HAVE BEEN/WILL ALWAYS BE SO BUSY” ITS A STATUS.
It was a tough winter for Oma who has lived with us for 15 months. After a very bad bout of Norwalk she went to live in a seniors residence. Her care was far more than we were capable of.
My babysitting/nannying gig for the two youngest grandchildren is joyful and tiring. I counted my hours for a week and when they tallied more than 55 I thought I should stop counting.
So what have I been doing? I looked at my photo log and this is it.
We baby sat a new puppy dog for my niece.
I visited with the grandchildren at the coast and went to Festival du Bois with them.
What a great celebration of Canadian heritage. Because I was also there to babysit for two nights they also introduced me to two great movies. The Book of Life and Box Trolls. Loved both of them.
We started a “fairy garden.
Now look at it.
We planted veggies to complement Mimi’s copious flowers for bees and butterflies.
Now look at it.
We beat the heat by cat napping in the cat nip or od’ing on watermelon and oh yes meet the new chickens Lacey and Tilly.
We visited the zoo to see the “spirit bear”.
We have been construction workers.
We have had horseback riding lessons, swimming lessons, goat and dog rodeos and water park and theatre park fun.
We have practiced fine motor skills and gross motor skills
We dug out the old (from 1973, when my daughter was born) yogurt maker.
We practiced camping in case anyone wants to take us?
We hatched butterflies from caterpillars and let them go.
Meanwhile, new horses were born on the flats and Mimi is working on her documentary. She is also considering buying a horse of her own. So you see life does happen so no guilt involved..
I would like to say we are loving this weather but it’s not natural. We are surrounded by a ring of fire just like in 2003; the air quality is awful. Please be considerate of the earth and our place on it.
Amazed With Mystery 