Bea Sias,

Step by Step, Logan County

I would like to tell you a little about my Gardeners. Some of them have minor health problems, aches, and pains, but they do not complain, and they do not let the aches and pains interfere with their gardening. They work longer in that garden every day (weather permitting) most people work the whole time. But, one of my gardeners is a widow, she was a super beautician, she has three grown sons and she is a proud grandmother. She told her sons she wanted to plant a garden, but, they tried to talk her out of this because of her health. This gardener had a stroke about 2 years ago, and it was a bad stroke.  Her speech and memory were severely affected. She is still receiving speech therapy and her memory is improving but not fast. She cleaned her garden spot in her yard, raked the debris from winter and picked up a million rocks, along with her grandchildren. They are small and they thought she was playing in the dirt with them.

After all this, she called me and asked could she join the Garden Club that I had. I said, you can and we meet on this date and time.  She came to the meeting, filled out the application, and I could tell she was not very mobile. But she has never missed a workshop. I explained that she was affected with a memory problem. One day she called me and ask would I come to her house and check her plants. I ask what is wrong. She said I don’t know if I am cutting weeds or plants. So Buck and I went to her house.

Her garden was very pretty, she got it planted late, and she also, had a small chair in the garden to rest if she got tired. Her tomatoes, cucumbers were going up the fence and we checked. She had not cut the plants and saved the weeds. The moral of the story is, a person like her makes your job enjoyable, and the moral of this is “GARDENING IS GOOD THERAPY.’’                                                            

I will tell you about our gardens. Everything seems to be doing well, except the cabbage.  It is having a rough time this year due to the worms and some other critters that have eaten quite well this year.  A lot of canning is taking place. Pickles, Green Beans, and Corn will taste good this winter. Some gardens are late coming in due to the weather we had in the spring. A lot of Jellies and Jams are being made, and we will also be making Jam in our Canning workshop.