A Gardener's Confessions

Time in the garden is a thrill for me! The delicious anticipation as the weather warms and the day finally arrives to plant the seedlings. Hauling buckets of water up the hill is like presenting a sacrifice to the gods of good harvest. The pure joy that comes from picking, cooking, eating and sharing the bounty is almost spiritual in nature. Bring on spring!

It was almost two years ago that I put in my raised bed garden.  My landlord gave me some space near our back field and I spent a full day digging and hauling nutrient rich soil into a 4 by 4 foot plot.

I'm a firm believer in the Square Foot Gardening method of gardening. Square Foot Gardening uses raised bed plots carefully delineated into 12 inch by 12 inch squares.  Each square contains a specific number of seeds, seedlings or plants depending on the plant.  For instance, you can plant 16 carrot seeds in a square but only 1 cauliflower plant.  I first learned about this method when I was a bored stay at home mom back in 1990 after my son was born.  Mel Bartholomew, on his PBS series made it look so easy and it was!  I felt like I'd invented gardening when I proudly presented my first broccoli harvest to my family.  What a sense of accomplishment!  I was hooked.

The first plants go in!

The garden at its peak (and a photobomb by Willow)

Just a small portion of the summer of 2011 harvest

This year's garden is already being planned in my mind.  Kale, arugula, endive, cantaloupe, jalapeno peppers, swiss chard!  Parsnips!  My boyfriend doesn't know it yet but he will be putting in another bed for me next to the existing one.  What I don't use will be donated to the Lisle Community Garden to feed local families.  Nothing like taking a passion and using it to help others.

So as I sit here listening to the winter wind howl outside my window and eagerly anticipate the thaw that will allow me to return to my daily walks at the lake, I dream of colors of carrot orange, mint green and squash yellow and a chance to once again indulge myself in the feel of rich soil between my fingers; a communion with nature.

My Beekman 1802 gardening gloves hanging on for spring!

I Can Choose Peace

 Wise owl.  And a very fitting quote from the Dalai Lama today.

Peace can come in many forms.  For me, it originates in solitude but may come through time spent on an open road and no agenda; time in a good used bookstore or a meal by myself in a strange town.

But I have found that peace can be shattered so quickly by the simple pettiness of small-minded people.  People who disappoint me and hurt me for their own personal gain.  It's times like this that bad memories float to the surface and I'm once again alone in my little boat fighting the demons that threaten to push their way back into my life.

Where do I look to regain that peace?  I find it through time spent alone in communion with the Universe.  If I allow myself to fall into a spell that comes from a Holy Spirit until my equilibrium is reestablished, I will once again be whole.  Meditation focusing on all the things for which I am grateful including my new life that is free of all the anger, resentment and bitterness that plagued me in the past will restore me.  At times, I need to remind myself how close that restoration is and how easily I can tap into it.

Or maybe a simple mantra from A Course in Miracles that says, "I can choose peace instead of this."  Indeed, I can.