april showers...

Today, I'm thankful for...

1. rain. I love rainy days...  and I love all the things that rain brings out of hiding... flowers, sprouts, puddles, robins, and frogs... I've been trying to teach my kids the beauty of a rainy day. Sometimes they have a hard time with rain, feeling bored or blah (as C describes it) but I've tried to show them how rainy days can be an excuse to do things differently... and I always try to still get them outside in the rain... because what's more fun than that?

2. telling time as the heron flies... when we're in the garden, we can always tell when it's between 7:30-8am and 6:30-7pm... because at least one, but usually 3-4 heron go south in the morning and north in the evening to and from their nesting grounds...  I love watching them fly slowly overhead with their long legs stretched out behind them and their huge wings like pterodactyls.

3. physical work... working in the garden is such great therapy... I pulled a muscle between my right lower ribs about 3 weeks ago (hauling several loads of compost). My chiropractor told me that the best thing to do for it would be to keep using it without straining it. At the time, I thought he was crazy because every time I moved, it felt like someone was stabbing me... but fast forward 3 weeks(and 1/2 a bottle of Aleve) and it's starting to feel better, even after a long weekend of working in the garden...

4. machinery (and chiropractors).  I can't imagine how difficult it must've been for farmers before machinery (and chiropractors). We pretty much hand till about an acre of property for our vegetable garden and it's hard work. We do have  a lawn tractor with a tiller and a mantis to help pull up the grass in the new beds and make the soil a little more workable before the pitch fork and a pointed shovel really get the job done. But imagine clearing whole fields, acres and acres of property by hand... I can't even begin to wrap my brain around that. Especially in our area, at the edge of the glacial fields where the rocks are so plentiful that you can dig a hole and not have any dirt to fill it back in, just a giant pile of rocks.

5. sunshine... this whole family was in desperate need of some vitamin D... It's been so nice to sit in the sun and have a cup of tea... 

Okay, so can you tell that I have gardening on my mind? It's all about the garden right now... I did do some spring sewing and  I actually took pictures, but I can't  think about sewing right now because all I can think about is the garden. My days have been going like this... I get up at 6:30, head outside (in my nightgown, sweater, and hiking boots) until one of the kids comes outside in their PJ's and starts hanging about hinting that they're hungry... then I come  inside,  feed the kids, and we start school. As soon as we are finished with school for the day, I head back out until it's time to start dinner. I lie in bed at night and worry about tiny seedlings being too cold or where to put the spaghetti squash...  I constantly make lists of what I need to pick up at the Agway and what to get at the greenhouse. For me, this is one of the best times of the year... all that potential and opportunity.  Keep in mind that I probably won't be talking the same way in August when it's super hot outside , the tomatoes are outgrowing their trellises, all the greens are bolting, and I need to spend lots of time with hot pots of boiling water canning and freezing things... That's also when all the bad decisions that I make now become glaringly apparent... like why did I think it would be a good idea to plant 16 zucchini or mulch the pumpkins with straw?

But right now, it's just good hard work and lots of decisions... I've contemplated several blog posts in the last month or so, but just haven't wanted to spend any time inside at the computer when I could be outside in the garden... Anyway, I've got no choice right now but to post because my bookmarks bar is full with links to pass on... 

So, I've been thinking a lot about food lately, where it comes from, how to grow it, how to prepare it... and as is the way the world works, in the midst of doing all this thinking about food someone told me about Food Renegade which is all about food and the issues surrounding food. Food Renegade is just chock full of good information. I also happened upon the hyperlocavore website which is another fabulous resource for links to everything from recycled pallet patio furniture to  yard sharing. Both J and I have spent hours reading all the great info on this site... it's even got recipes...

Now I know that not everyone is a gardener but I found this link to Compost Confidential's $25 Victory Garden Challenge which is worth a try even for a gardening novice. Right out of the gate, my little pea brain had never thought to use toilet paper tubes for seed starting (* note to self- cross those peat pots off the Agway list).  I also like the idea of trying to garden on a limited budget... I do think that in the long run my gardening will save us money but I also have to try really hard to restrain myself from going overboard...

Next up, I saw this link somewhere (not really sure where, maybe Twitter, my new favorite thing) and I followed it to Joe Bageant's website. Joe wrote a book (that I have yet to read) called Deer Hunting with Jesus... Now, here's the disclaimer... I do think this man is slightly crazy but crazy in a good way... crazy in the way that I could be, if I let myself go... Anyway, I really like his post called Escape from the Zombie Food Court. I feel like it's something that I need to read every couple of months... just to keep my perspective.

And now for some good vibes... I think that I've told you before that I love Neil Gaiman... and even though this poem/children's book is quite different from most of his work,  it's still right up my alley. Maybe this book will be this year's birthday gift for all the girls we know. Anyway, Check out  Blueberry Girl (via BoingBoing because of the nice intro that they include), I think it's just wonderful...

And for the second good vibe link... I'm sure everyone has already heard of Matt Harding.  When I showed my brother Matt's videos, he said, " I saw these videos years ago..." Yeah, well... I hadn't and Matt has a new (2008) video up on his"Where the hell is Matt?" website and it's the best one yet... Like I said, I had never heard of Matt until a week or so ago when J made me listen to his "This I believe" story on NPR.  I'm not sure why but watching things like this guy dance (really badly) all over the world brings out the sappiness in me... I can't make it through the video without tears in my eyes...  It makes me happy in so many ways to watch this guy dance and it seems to make a lot of other people happy, too... I also think it's great that he's now getting sponsorship so that he can continue to travel and do what he loves... It's that whole find your passion (and the money will follow) thing that I normally think is such crap but maybe I'm wrong.

Well, we're supposed to have a lovely weekend here, so I'm sure I won't be inside at the computer. Hope you have a great weekend and maybe find sometime to plant something or even just play in the dirt.

Comments

[sheron]

It makes me happy in so many ways to watch this guy dance and it seems to make a lot of other people happy, too... I also think it's great that he's now getting sponsorship so that he can continue to travel and do what he loves... It's that whole find your passion (and the money will follow) thing that I normally think is such crap but maybe I'm wrong.

Sheron

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[gardenmama]

So, you pretty much just described a typical day at my house! : ) Gorgeous photos, what lovely gardens and chickens you have!

[Sue]

Nice pictures. Especially of the chickens! Who's your photographer?