For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven. Ecclesiastes 3:1 I chop Swiss chard, picked from the garden an hour ago. And tomatoes, assorted heirlooms that have been ripening on the countertop in the laundry room for weeks—sorted through every few days, the ripe ones chopped and used in
The future is something which everyone reaches at the rate of sixty minutes an hour, whatever he does, whoever he is. C. S. Lewis We arrive in Prince George in time for lunch. Gerry grabs burgers and heads over to eat with our son, Michael, at his job site, and Laurinda and I go out
Our gardening forebears meant watermelon to be the juicy, barefoot taste of a hot summer's end, just as a pumpkin is the trademark fruit of late October. Most of us accept the latter, and limit our jack-o'-latern activities to the proper botanical season. Waiting for a watermelon is harder. It's tempting to reach for melons,
Without darkness, nothing comes to birth, As without light, nothing flowers. May Sarton Gerry throws open the curtains in the bedroom and I see an outline of mountains across the valley visible through the smoke this morning. That’s improvement, and a good start to the week. Still, I feel the need to dig through my
It is the still, yellow kind of afternoon when one is apt to get stuck in a dream if one sits very quiet. Dodie Smith I look forward to a run of still, yellow August afternoons. My weary body tells me it is in need of rest by manifesting symptoms that need attention. My mind
When the world wearies and society fails to satisfy, there is always the garden. Minnie Aumonier We head to the garden to water after supper. I’m tired, having spent most of the day on my feet in the kitchen canning tomato soup. It’s a simple process, but it seems to take so long by the
Gardening requires lots of water, most of it in the form of perspiration. Lou Erickson I start making rookie mistakes with the lemon garlic green beans and decide that I’ve done enough for one day. I’ve picked beans, washed canning jars, and transformed twenty-five pounds of field tomatoes into jars of tomato soup that will