It has taken some time to wrap my mind around what to do with the over grown, shabby patches that were marked to me as a garden. Moving a farm, just after having a baby, was one of the more challenging undertakings of my adult life. I had to be logistics supervisor, head chef, nurturer, motivator, coffee supplier, and mover... all the while trying not to over exhert my postpartum midsection. A challenge, for certain.
The sheep rode in the back of the Subaru and they made it. The bee hive slipped from tired fingers and (loaded with honey) fell to the ground, but they made it. An inexperienced moving truck driver backed over our septic tank and collapsed it, but it has now been repaired.
Yesterday marks one month in our new home and I'm still completely overwhelmed by the kindness and support of our friends. Those who helped us MOVE A FARM. Incredible. Absolutely unreal. In a time where headlines scowl and neighbors close themselves off, newsfeeds bring tears and defeat our spirits (if we let them)... there are real, honest, gracious, and humble folks who give freely of their time and resources to help a family like ours.
Grateful.
It was with grateful heart, my boys and I snuck out to the first of two garden plots yesterday. The baby was sleeping and Daddy was working late, doing his part to help those affected by Hurricane Harvey. We snuck out, with our trowels and our imaginations, not really sure what we would find. My first thought was to dig out and fortify any producing plants. Pull weeds and mend and trim around the raised beds. When we pulled back the creaking gate that protects the garden, our eyes widened and the plan was cast aside.
The boys promptly turned on their heels. They pulled bikes from the garage and began races and giggles. Music to my ears. Creativity has taken a back seat to production, these last weeks and it is a bit of a struggle to restart that engine, when the brain is tired. The laughter of my children encouraged me. I tugged at the wrist of my leather gloves, took a deep breath and began pulling EVERYTHING!
A hour or so later, the husband rolled in and he quickly joined forces. Seven heaping wheelbarrow loads later, we found the perimeter of each raised bed and began raking to pull all the weeds that we could from the ground. The boys love to rake and after a "toad alert", they came running to the garden to join in the labor. Diligently, they raked and pulled weeds, pausing only to ask if they had cleared a patch to our liking.
The husband set out to construct boxes that would serve as frames for potato and carrot boxes in the raised beds. I'm so fortunate to have married a man that enjoys building things, whenever time allows. While he spends his 9 - 5 with fingers to a keyboard, he enjoys the opportunity to work with his hands.
We toiled away, together. Turning and clearing the plots. Somewhat disappointed, we found only four toads, in total. Zero worms. Zero. And a limited amount of insects. All indications are that this soil is dead. It broke my heart a little. Someone was trying to grow food here, food that would presumably feed their family, but the soil was dead. In my mind, life begets life. This soil needed invigoration! The soil needs microbes and bugs, nematodes and nutrients. So much a reflection of a what our hearts can be when life throws a curve ball, I suppose. We choose how we take it in, though. We decide if we view the soil as depleted and sad or as a clean slate, ready for infusion!
Infusion!
We opted to pump water from the fish pond to hydrate the cleared ground. The fish pond, was full of life and promise, if even a bit muddy after rain.
We followed the newly rehydrated ground with sifted fill dirt, because it was Saturday ...on a holiday weekend and our options were limited. We sought to get some seed in the ground before we got any closer to winter. Seeds that have germinated, will fare better than those not yet germinated.
Mission Accomplished
In short, dinner was a bit late and the kids were positively worn out by the time we got to showers and stories, but the plots are cleared and ready for an influx of nutrients and life!
This morning I sorted through the stacks of boxes. I found the unloved box of 2017 garden seed and dove in!! Sweet peas, cabbage, spinach, and carrots! Oh my! Beets and bush beans, radishes too! I tried to resist the urge to absolutely over plant the plot. There is time to expand and time to shape this into what we want it to be. Time to revive and time to shine. Today, in this chapter, we sow the seeds. We repair and rebuild. Life at the cabin taught us many things, not the least of these was that the time we put in will bring unimaginable bounty to our lives.
We choose to see the blank slate for what it brings to our family -- an opportunity to grow our dreams.