“Odd as I am sure it will appear to some, I can think of no better form of personal involvement in the cure of the environment than that of gardening. A person who is growing a garden, if he is growing it organically, is improving a piece of the world. He is producing something to eat, which makes him somewhat independent of the grocery business, but he is also enlarging, for himself, the meaning of food and the pleasure of eating.”
~ Wendell Berry, The Art of the Commonplace: The Agrarian Essays
I’m heading to the garden this morning to do some housekeeping and harvesting, work that will feed our bodies and nourish my soul. I’m pulling out the lettuce that has bolted in the summer heat and planting something (turnips? beans?) in the space it leaves behind as well as in the bare spot I harvested the garlic from a couple of days ago.
The green bean harvest is just starting (yum!), late this year, and I’m wondering if there will be time for a second sowing. The picking of the first tomato is just days away–also late this year, but well worth the wait.
Meanwhile, we’re still enjoying salad every day (sometimes twice a day) with kale, Swiss chard, salad turnips, and cucumbers. The peppers are growing (yes, also late), and the vines is growing so fast I can almost see the squash grow bigger minute by minute. (On a side note, I cooked the last spaghetti squash from last year’s garden the other evening, I’m astounded, and thankful, that it lasted this long.) The basil is doing well; I’m tucking away lots of pesto in the freezer. My jars of dried thyme and oregano are filling up nicely.
This summer is not turning out quite as expected on a number of fronts. Still, there is much to be thankful for; the more I keep my eyes open for blessings the more I find. Funny that.
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A handful of simple happy things to start the week:
- A long Sunday afternoon chat with my daughter yesterday
- Blueberries (the best ever!)
- Finishing a good book
- Starting another that has captivated me
- A smile and a few words shared with someone at church yesterday
I have been taking an intro to psych class for 7 weeks and I’ve not had the time to read for pleasure – oh! How I miss it. I made the mistake of picking up a good book this weekend (between reading and studying) and now I won’t be able to get back to it until this weekend. Finals week. Ack!