Gardening as a Way of Life

We, Dave and I, have a very misunderstood lifestyle. We're . . . gardeners. ( Oooh, hush!)


Granted, I'm the one who has the greenest thumb. I can take petunias from nice to how'd-you-do-that in 0 to 60 days. And, we've been bringing in around 100 tomatoes a week for about a month now which is not bad from our back yard garden. But grooming an astonishing look in flowers or coaxing a gargantuan amount of produce in vegetables is only half of what makes Blessing Hill so fabulous. That half is just the fun stuff which is my job. The other half of the magic is hard work. In the above picture are three elements of hardscape: the arbor, the fence, and the gazebo. And, I'll guarantee you they wouldn't be there---in the picture or on our property---if it weren't for Dave. He's the muscle, the installer, the carpenter, that keeps our place looking its best.

The person who built our house also built our back deck. Much like his mind, the deck was a small, closed box. I hated it. There was just enough room for a couple chairs and one flower pot, if both chairs and the pot didn't mind sitting upon each other. So, Dave redesigned the deck, not from any purchased plan but from an original idea. He took vacation to have time to bring the new deck to frutation. I had the pleasure of tearing apart the old deck and helping put together the new one. However, I'm lousy with a tape measure. I'm close but Dave's exact. In 100 degree sweltering heat, we built our deck together. There's always a new project. Each winter I set about making plans. Plans for flower combinations in hanging baskets, containers, and even beds. Plans for new beds or for enlarging an existing bed. Plans for hardscape or for dealing with problems in hardscape. It's a continual process.

Most people don't understand how much work it takes. Wouldn't Dave rather be out on the golf course??? I can't speak for him, but he doesn't own a bag full of clubs, he owns a barn full of tools. (Personally, it's just my opinion but unless you are Tiger Woods, the only reason to spend an entire day of one's weekend at the course is to have an excuse to get away from the wife and kids.) This gardening season I wasn't able to do the things I normally do. Dave picked up the slack. But when I'm in fine fiddle, we can work outside the entire weekend and not accomplish everything that needs to be done. Like this past weekend, we didn't get our grass mown. Imagine.

We've heard that we don't have a social network since we spend our time at Blessing Hill all alone. We should join a group, a Bible study for instance, or take up a hobby like riding motorcycles with other cyclists. We wouldn't be so isolated that way. Don't cry for us, Argentina! We'll be just fine. We probably have a larger social network and come in contact with more people than any other average couple. Consider this: gardening isn't just about sticking a flower in a pot. Have I said that before?

Well for those who don't live and breathe gardening, here's the scoop. In order to do the things we love to do, we have to rely on others to ensure that we maintain our lifestyle. Like, consider this: We wouldn't have a new potting shed if it weren't for

Sutherlands
Lowe's
Home Depot
Habitat for Humanity
Davis Paint

all of which are places where we've made friends. And of course there's

Nick's Green Leaf Gardens
Johnson Farms
Farrand Farms
Colonial Nursery
Family Tree Nursery

where we've made friends not only with the people who own and/or work there but with people who shop there as well. Then there's the not so familiar contact of strangers. I would consider it an unsuccessful outing if not one spontaneous conversation happened over a table laden with garden herbs or begonias. And then there's Dave hobby of constant bargaining. It's good times when an item he wants gets discounted just for his asking. Or, he finds an estate sale where I can't leave without at least one thing for the garden.

Does Dave look put upon to carry those tomaotes in the above picture or does he look proud of his harvest? You tell me, that tub holds 80 large tomatoes. Did I mention that we love to eat? It doesn't matter either whether its in or out, at home or at restaurant. But what does matter is the food. At home, we eat straight from our vegetable garden. Pure delight. Forget potato chips when the zucchini is in season and fried to perfection. Not to mention cake and bread and . . . how about those tomatoes turned into sauce for eggplant parmasean side dressed with cucumbers and onions turned in vinaigrette, and sweet potato pie to finish.

Oh yeah, baby, it's a good life.