i wore a tank top two days in a row, and shorts, for the first time this year! been working hard in the garden, weeding, clearing the paths, preparing a new bed, hauling compost.
i got a scratch on my right foot, a scrape just under my right knee, a nettle sting on my left thumb, and a sunburn to go along with everything else - not a complete day of outdoor work without something to show for it!
i'm glad to have tomorrow off, because i'm actually tired of gardening...i can hardly believe i'm saying that! i guess it's just because it's been nonstop these last couple of days.
Showing posts with label gardening. Show all posts
Showing posts with label gardening. Show all posts
Monday, June 20, 2011
Friday, June 17, 2011
a whole week of fantastic
We just had two fantastic, beautiful days - (addendum: actually a whole week) - of gardening, wonderful weather and fun! No kids this week, just some lovely visitors to help with the work.
Today i helped transplant broccoli and then released the rhubarb plants from the grass that was smothering it and gave it some compost. Hopefully it will be twice the size by next week!* After i finished with the rhubarb, i spent the remainder of my afternoon off laying crosswise between two lazy beds** in the sunshine for about 45 minutes, just smiling. people have commented to me about how happy/calm i look when i've been gardening, and i do feel that way -- it's cool to know that it's noticeable!
Not only did i get to spend lots of time in the sun and soil, i also went for a bike ride to Kintra and a walk through an abandoned village, kayaked all the way up the salt marsh at high tide, where we could see little flowers growing in the grass under the water, and then out to the end of the bay with its amazing view of the Burg. We ended the week with an evening reflection involving a hike up to the top of the western ridge, from whence we dropped shells into a pool of water, watched the sunset, and were captivated by the stunning views in all directions.
today it's back to the miserable rain and cold...
* two weeks later, the rhubarb doesn't look like it's grown an inch... :(
** if you check out my photos, you'll see pictures of the lazy beds in the garden. between the set of raised beds, there a ditches for drainage, which create a perfect hollow for your bum, while resting your back on one bank and your feet on the edge of the opposite bed. if the ground isn't too wet, that is.
Today i helped transplant broccoli and then released the rhubarb plants from the grass that was smothering it and gave it some compost. Hopefully it will be twice the size by next week!* After i finished with the rhubarb, i spent the remainder of my afternoon off laying crosswise between two lazy beds** in the sunshine for about 45 minutes, just smiling. people have commented to me about how happy/calm i look when i've been gardening, and i do feel that way -- it's cool to know that it's noticeable!
Not only did i get to spend lots of time in the sun and soil, i also went for a bike ride to Kintra and a walk through an abandoned village, kayaked all the way up the salt marsh at high tide, where we could see little flowers growing in the grass under the water, and then out to the end of the bay with its amazing view of the Burg. We ended the week with an evening reflection involving a hike up to the top of the western ridge, from whence we dropped shells into a pool of water, watched the sunset, and were captivated by the stunning views in all directions.
today it's back to the miserable rain and cold...
* two weeks later, the rhubarb doesn't look like it's grown an inch... :(
** if you check out my photos, you'll see pictures of the lazy beds in the garden. between the set of raised beds, there a ditches for drainage, which create a perfect hollow for your bum, while resting your back on one bank and your feet on the edge of the opposite bed. if the ground isn't too wet, that is.
Wednesday, May 4, 2011
RHUBARB
these past few days my diet has consisted primarily of spinach and rhubarb. they are the only two crops in the garden that are ready to harvest. i didn't plant anything else early enough in the greenhouse... :( in any case, i've been eating a lot of spinach & lettuce salads and sandwiches with hummus, and baking up a rhubarb storm in the kitchen! unfortunately for him, Mike hasn't aquired the taste for rhubarb yet, because there's LOADS of it in the garden...
two weeks ago it was a rhubarb pie.
so far this week i've made:
rhubarb crisp
rhubarb coffee cake
strawberry-rhubarb pie
and have plans for a rhubarb custard tart.
i won't have time to make rhubarb sauce or jam, or that would definitely be next on my list!
i certainly can't eat all of these things singlehandedly before i leave in two days! i guess i'll have some happy co-workers...
two weeks ago it was a rhubarb pie.
so far this week i've made:
rhubarb crisp
rhubarb coffee cake
strawberry-rhubarb pie
and have plans for a rhubarb custard tart.
i won't have time to make rhubarb sauce or jam, or that would definitely be next on my list!
i certainly can't eat all of these things singlehandedly before i leave in two days! i guess i'll have some happy co-workers...
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
digging in the dirt
today = fabulous.
Sunny and warm, it felt like April or a warm March day, and I got to dig in the dirt! :) my endorphins are happy.
A lot of people were here today working in their allotments, just like me, beginning to prepare the beds (Kilcranny has 13 plots rented out). I'm so energized and excited about gardening! I had forgotten how good it makes me feel.
In this case, I think it makes me extra-happy because it gives me a project I can take [at least partial] ownership of, and gives me a sense of purpose and direction that I've been lacking so far. With no one else assigning me tasks or schedules, it gives me something to do that I know how to do and that I can structure my day around.
and it's spring! (at least compared to being buried under snow in Boston!)
Sunny and warm, it felt like April or a warm March day, and I got to dig in the dirt! :) my endorphins are happy.
A lot of people were here today working in their allotments, just like me, beginning to prepare the beds (Kilcranny has 13 plots rented out). I'm so energized and excited about gardening! I had forgotten how good it makes me feel.
In this case, I think it makes me extra-happy because it gives me a project I can take [at least partial] ownership of, and gives me a sense of purpose and direction that I've been lacking so far. With no one else assigning me tasks or schedules, it gives me something to do that I know how to do and that I can structure my day around.
and it's spring! (at least compared to being buried under snow in Boston!)
Saturday, May 1, 2010
poem: a gardener like me
i long
for god to make a garden
of my heart
to turn it into a
growing, blooming, fruitful –useful-
place
loving hands immersed in its
soft soil
massaging it, picking out
the stones – those
all-pervasive impediments to growth;
passionately carving their way
through the closed cage of my ribs and into
the secret interior of my soul
opening up long furrows upon its
too-smooth surface deep enough
to find its tender places;
expertly, carefully, planting
each seed
one by one
gently and eagerly encouraging it to
take root and rise up!
i envision this gardener
approaching my heart-bed joyfully in anticipation
each and every day
to water the seeds;
crouching closely – hoping
to witness the first sign of growth
whispering and
singing come out!
come out, my loves!
arise!
dancing and
clapping her hands in delight
at each new green sliver of
life - yes!
yes.
i want my heart to feel like this
i want my god to be like this
-a gardener like me.
for god to make a garden
of my heart
to turn it into a
growing, blooming, fruitful –useful-
place
loving hands immersed in its
soft soil
massaging it, picking out
the stones – those
all-pervasive impediments to growth;
passionately carving their way
through the closed cage of my ribs and into
the secret interior of my soul
opening up long furrows upon its
too-smooth surface deep enough
to find its tender places;
expertly, carefully, planting
each seed
one by one
gently and eagerly encouraging it to
take root and rise up!
i envision this gardener
approaching my heart-bed joyfully in anticipation
each and every day
to water the seeds;
crouching closely – hoping
to witness the first sign of growth
whispering and
singing come out!
come out, my loves!
arise!
dancing and
clapping her hands in delight
at each new green sliver of
life - yes!
yes.
i want my heart to feel like this
i want my god to be like this
-a gardener like me.
Monday, March 22, 2010
here comes the spring!
It’s spring in MA! The ground is thawed and the birds are singing. Listening to the birdsong reminds me of being in Honduras. There’s a pair of bluebirds living in the birdhouse right in front of Francis House. Royal blue backsides, reddish fronts. beautiful creatures.
Trees are pruned and beginning to bud, lettuce has been planted in the greenhouse, garden beds are being turned, mosquitoes are hatching… We had almost 2 full weeks of over 60-degree weather with sunshine! With a few days of flood-inducing rain in between…
We had 2 college groups here on work trips during that time, so we were able to get a LOT of work done! My body got really tired the first few days because it wasn’t used to doing that amount of physical work in one day – hasn’t happened since the fall! We did lots of wood hauling down from the woods.
I can’t wait for everything to be green and colorful – a season I haven’t experienced since I’ve been at Agape!
Monday, April 27, 2009
I have a garden!
My dream of having a garden in our backyard has come true! Over the last few weeks, I've been working on building beds, getting supplies together, and buying seeds. Now I have an L-shaped garden a foot and a half wide, each leg about 5-6 feet long. So far I've planted snow and snap peas, lettuce and spinach, and parsley. There's more to come... It's so exciting! But waiting for things to grow takes a lot of patience -- now that it's in the ground, I just want it to grow! Now! =)
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