New Life

"A garden gives the body the dignity of working in its own support. It is a way of rejoining the human race."

-Wendell Berry

The first sprouts of the year

There is just something amazing about gardening. You stick a tiny seed in some dirt, and in time, new life emerges. It's funny that you can get so much joy out of something you had so little to do with. You can maintain the soil over the winter, amend it in the spring, and add water after you've planted. But you have ZERO control over the plant actually coming out of the ground. No amount of scientific knowledge, research, or preparation can make something grow. It is completely out of your hands. There is a feeling of equal parts satisfaction and hopelessness as you gaze out over your planted garden. You can't help but feel fulfilled knowing how much time and work you have put in to ensure the best possible environment for your crops. But you also can't help feeling terrified knowing you have no influence over weather, animals, germination, or any other number of variables. There's a lesson to be learned in there somewhere. Not sure I'm smart enough to figure out what it is, though. I think I'll end now with something that really resonates with me as the sprouts are just starting to poke through the ground.

"However many years she lived, Mary always felt that 'she should never forget that first morning when her garden began to grow'."-Frances Hodgson Burnett, The Secret Garden

And So It Begins

"Behold, my friends, the spring is come; the earth has gladly received the embraces of the sun, and we shall soon see the results of their love!"


-Sitting Bull




So I have a blog now. I'm not entirely sure what purpose I want this to serve. I am not a writer, lacking both the skill and desire to put my thoughts into written word. What I am, however, is excited about the journey I have been on for the past year. I hope to share more about that in future posts. For the most part, I just want to be able to share pictures and stories of the farm that I'm a part of. Right now we have over 300 seeds started indoors and have begun spreading manure over the majority of the garden. If the weather holds, plowing will happen Monday afternoon. Then the real fun begins.


Well, this is more than I had intended to write for an introduction already. I hope I have the persistence to keep this up. There are a lot of reasons that I am enjoying an agrarian lifestyle, but I will end with a couple of quotes that pretty well sum it up for me.


"The glory of gardening: hands in the dirt, head in the sun, heart with nature. To nurture a garden is to feed not just on the body, but the soul." -Alfred Austin


"Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better." -Albert Einstein