my little piece of earth - in and around the garden

This is my little piece of earth.  I have grown to love this land that I live on however small or uninhabitable it has seemed at times. I dreamed of living on a farm or in a bigger house but instead of moving I decided to find the beauty in what I had. And can I tell you,  it is so much more fun to take something that is less than desirable and transform it into a little slice of (my idea of) heaven. During times when I need to escape and find a bit of solitude and connection to mother earth I can find it here in my garden. Even the smallest snippets of time spent here feeds my soul in ways I could not have predicted. When we moved to this house we had a sloping back yard that  was so full of bramble bushes that we would loose a ball forever if it dared to be thrown in its direction. So for the past few years this bit of earth has been is constant transformation. Finding gratitude for the magic that this small yard was holding deep inside was a very important step. It was only when we decided to see it and appreciate it for what it was did we see and get to experience it's beauty. Our view began to change one step at a time. The run off  city drainage ditch which once was a disappointing addition to the back of  our yard, became a magical stream that would appears after rainy days that the kids could play in and the birds could bathe in. Instead of wishing for a bigger yard we saw how lucky we were to have wonderful neighbor that allowed our children to run from yard to yard feeling free and cared for by the whole village. Every day I step out onto the mulch and walk through this garden I am reminded of the deep lessons it holds. Birth, death, re-birth, sickness, heath, sacrifice, gratitude, acceptance, abundance, failure, success, joy. With some grace and understanding we can find all this in the garden and in ourselves. Each day is a new beginning and may bring unexpected things for us to learn and take care of. It may be a new bug eating our squash plants or it may be helping a loved one through a rough patch.  Whatever it is, finding the hidden treasure in it seems to be what it is calling us to do. The garden calls for us to find its secret treasures and bring them to the light. Reminding us of the light we all stem from.

boys at work

John and Pilot installing hoop houses

a nice afternoon out front

mulberries are coming!!!!

hoops are up! Very modern arty.

wild garlic mustard. so good!

me and scout