This weekend we installed the raised beds Alex made with his thrifted chop saw. Here’s a few pictures of our garden.
This is Alex and Sally checking out the progress on our seedlings a few weeks ago, we bought these planters at a going out of business sale for Urban Weeds in Freemont, and although I love a deal, it was sad to see that store go, the guy who owned it was always so kind and helpful, and his plants were always top notch. We bought our seeds last summer at Seed Savers on our Iowa Road Trip.
My best friend Lindsey, who I grew up with, had a strawberry patch in her yard, and I remember highly anticipating it each summer. I can only imagine there will be equal amounts of anticipation this summer. It is doubtful these will produce enough strawberries to equal their cost, thriftwise, but the anticipation and excitement is worth the buck fifty we paid for each starter. The cast iron stick (?) came with the yard when we moved in and I adore it, although I am not sure what its original purpose was?
I think it is hilarious that this shallots name is Ambition considering my Mom, Boss, friends and many others have basically told me we are morons (in nicer words) for having a vegetable garden, and I do realize it would be much easier and probably about as inexpensive or less expensive to go to the store, and buy some garlic, carrots, onions, etc, but it is fun to me. Seeing plants grow makes me feel grounded, and aware. Feeling dirt in my hands is invigorating. I was a landscaper for two years, have no dissolutions about how HARD this stuff is, but never got over the beauty and sensuality of the garden.
Once I had a tarot card reading and she told me I was an old soul, and although no one’s ever read Alex’s tarot cards, I believe him to be an old soul as well, so basically I attribute our love of watching plants to that. We wish to get back to the ritual and slowness of the old days, in fact this is probably something a lot of people in our fast paced non-stop society seek. For us it starts with a garden,a pot of tea, and a little back breaking work (that is not really the nice part….but you do sleep well after shoveling, planting, and wheel barrowing all day.)
What old time rituals do you find grounding? How do you reconnect in a world where things are constantly racing? Have you planted a garden before? What has been successful in your garden? What did you enjoy watching grow the most?
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