In the Garden

Living where I do, one learns to appreciate nature. I live in the beautiful Shenandoah Valley of Virginia. I am surrounded by God's beauty. The Valley, as locals call it, was once the Breadbasket of the Confederacy. It was easily protected due to the mountains and was able to sustain many of the Confederate troops during the War of Northern Aggression. Can you tell which side my family fought?

Today, the area is dotted with small, family owned farms. There is also a strong Mennonite Community. Keeping with the traditions of my ancestors, my son and I manage to maintain a small vegetable garden. My son actually likes digging in the dirt and planning where the plants will be planted. I foresee that he will grow up and have a small garden too. He likes fresh vegetables as much as I do. He also doesn't want to pay the very high prices to have homegrown, organic veggies one buys at local farmer's markets.

Being this close to the ground makes you appreciate what all we have. Can you imagine having to depend upon your harvest just to survive? Our garden is a hobby and not a means to survival. It is humbling to get dirty and be reminded how far we have come.

January, 2013: The other day, I was complaining to a friend of mine how much the winter months make me feel 'blue'. She told me that she gets her seed and plant catalogs and begins planning what she is going to do outside in the Spring. I've actually been doing this and I'm getting excited about my little garden. This year, I'm going to shift some of my vegetables to the front yard where I got much more sunlight. I've just got to try to figure out how to do this and keep my yard still looking nice :).