July has brought crazy weather to us here a  t St. Vincent Mission. One week it is dry and hot then it is 3 to 5 days of thunderstorms and strong winds. Some of our participants have lost patches of their gardens due to the storms.

This month our participants were able to attend a healthy heart eating class, taught at our local extension office. It was interesting to watch and to be able to taste the difference between a corn salsa made from canned ingredients v/s home grown fresh ingredients.

Garden visits are still going on here with our participants. So many I have talked with are proud of how well their gardens are growing. Everyone is wanting me to come out and see what they have achieved. So, our next two weeks here will be busy trying to get out and see all the progress and take pictures and listen to stories.

I was able to go out and visit with one of our participants, Gary. He was excited to show me his green bean patch and told me about how he was using the same heirloom of beans that his grand parents had been growing for years. Its so enjoyable to sit and listen to some of these stories. Before I was able to leave he reached me a small bucket and said, “now we are going to pick beans,” I found myself back into my grandparents’ garden, out picking early in the mornings. It was and enjoyable experience. Gary’s other hobby was also growing a flower garden. Before I left, I was able to see how beautiful and big some of the plants had become.