Howdy! This is Candace from Grow Appalachia Headquarters. This is the first time I’ve blogged, so be nice to me!
I’ve had a few thoughts on my mind for the past few years ever since I began gardening on my own and I wanted to share them with you all.
Since growing my own garden I’ve changed my outlook on many things…
Through the Eyes of a Gardener
-Rain: I used to grumble my way to class and work carrying an umbrella and sometimes with a trash bag over mybackpack. It wasn’t until I was carrying gallons of water to my garden in milk jugs so that my plants could drink thatI realized how important rain is to our gardens and life in general. Not to mention that rain is when you get to say “nap time!” and feel ok about it.
-Spiders & Bugs: Besides having nightmares about 40ft tall spiders glaring at me with their long and hairy legs, I generally squealed when I saw a spider growing up—something like, “Daddy!!! Please come kill it! It’s going to eat me…” I have seen many spiders in my garden building webs between my corn and my tomatoes. In those webs they catch many plant damaging bugs and I didn’t even have to pay them! Now I catch spiders and wasps (and all the other critters I used to be afraid of) when they’re indoors and let them outside safely.
-Weeds: This one took me a few years. I’ve learned so much about plants as medicine! I also remember David telling me once that a weed is any plant that is somewhere you don’t want it. I used to grab the wheel hoe and go Edward Scissorhands on any plant that wasn’ta veggie in my garden. Now I grab a book and read to see if it can be used in some other way. Plants really are the coolest!
-Perfection: I used to labor over the way something fit together whether it was an art project, a recipe or even just books on a bookshelf. I wanted everything to have its place and it usually worked out that way. Gardening, however, is never quite that way. No matter how much planning you put in to your garden—it will never quite be what you had hoped or thought it would be. Also, those tomatoes you see in the grocery store….they look perfect and all have the same color and shape and size…they are aliens and will never compare to the beautifully blemished garden tomato in the summertime on a mayo sandwich. If that’s not perfection then I don’t know what is. Just because our veggies have dirt and a few spots on them doesn’t mean they aren’t tasty—they’re battle scars from an adventure with Mother Nature.
I really could write this list on for at least another 10 pages or so, but I’ll leave you all with that. Also with one of my favorite poems (because now I relate almost everything to nature):
Life is unpredictable,
It changes with the seasons,
Even the coldest winter,
Happens for the best of reasons,
And though it feels eternal,
Like all you’ll ever do is freeze,
I promise spring is coming,
And with it, brand new leaves. – e. h.
I enjoyed your blog!! 🙂
Thank you!!
Beautiful Candace! I think we’re all happy you’ve taken up the blogging challenge. You’ve become quite the gardener in just a few years; now just imagine your rich life as a gardener decades from now….
I can’t even imagine it, but I look forward to it!! Thanks, Yvonne!
I wish you could see the BIG smile on my face. My favorite line…”They’re battle scars from an adventure with Mother Nature”. I have a few of those myself and not in my garden. Not a bad blog post for a “beginner”.
Thanks, Kathy. I learned everything from you. Speaking of battle scars….my arms and legs are COVERED in poison ivy right now…
no really, I’m not laughing. Snickering maybe but not laughing. Love you and all you do.
Candace, you write so beautifully/blog so beautifully-I can not believe this is your first.
Sorry to hear about the poison ivy. Are you familiar with jewel weed. It is the only remedy that works for me. Over the years I have made and given out a lot of jewel weed tea (not for drinking, but for pouring over the poison ivy blisters). You can also use the soap.
Anyway, I hope you get some relief soon!