Tend Your Garden: Post #8

Thistle
Photo By: Chandra Brown

"As is the garden, such is the gardener. A man's nature runs either to herbs or weeds." -Francis Bacon

I made a goal for my winter garden, eliminate a five gallon bucket full of weeds a day until the over growth was under control. I started in the East corner of the yard and worked slowly, inch by inch, towards the West corner.  By day three the weed problem was under control. The work wasn't tedious by any means, the soil was soft so the roots came out with ease as I dug deep in the soil. The sun shining on my face was welcomed as I methodically performed the task at hand with a mind set of constancy.  This pace lead to a quiet, pleasant state of solitude.

I found myself thinking about how much growth took place during a season when plants usually rest. The warmth and moisture we've experienced in these winter months have tricked plants into early propagation.  Winter's cruelty was soon felt; frost came not too long after the deceptive incubating environment. Weeds seemed impervious to this blight but more delicate plants like my hyacinth would die at frosts' first snap.

It was almost as if the weeds growing in healthy abundance were taunting the more delicate, seasonal plants to reveal themselves too early as an iniquitous jest, knowing all too well their final fate. I looked closely at the weeds in my bucket, they were large, green and plump; they stayed that way days after I pulled them. The hyacinth, still in the safe haven of the ground, were wilted with deaths' black mark on the edges of the flower petals.

A fleeting sadness was lifted as I studied the make up of the hyacinth. It may have suffered a few battle wounds but deep down, nestled snugly in the soil was its hidden glory. The energy reserves held in the bulb would come back to fight another day by sending another flower in the proper time.

It is true, "as is the garden, such is the gardener." I've had a recent bout with tending to those nasty, unwanted weeds that want to take root and sneer at you. A deceptive environment was letting them grow quickly, but thank goodness, I have a Master Gardner in my corner. He warned me to what was happening and told me what was required before the ground was lay waste.

Sure, a few petals have been frayed, wounds have left their mark but deep down and because of God's faithfulness, I know His plans will triumph.

Psalms 130: 3,4
Ephesians 4:32

Emerging Hyacinth
Photo By: Chandra Brown

Front Yard Facelift

Our landscape has gone through drastic changes over the years. When we first moved in it was a jungle with weeds so we rectified the problem and made it into a lush, clean, green scape. Years fly by and the Bradford Pear tree was threatening our neighbors car and our windows; not to mention crowding out our Live Oak tree so my husband felled the Bradford Pear almost by himself. (What a man!) This left a bare area in the middle of the yard with a years worth of new runners to constantly pull up.  The Nandina's planted by the electrical box were out of control and looked more like anorexic weeds than a beautiful bush. 

An update was due but what do you do when your budget is less than two nickels to rub together and your spent from all the other life issues pulling at you? You call in the re-claim, re-purpose, landscape extraordinaire, John Debee. 

I wanted a change, something eye catching, yet drought resistant and easy to take care of. My dad knew exactly what plant to buy, how big it was going to get, and where to plant it.  My hero! 

John Debee and his helper making a re-purposed screen from scrap wood

Working in the yard on my small project brought back childhood memories of helping Dad accomplish his vision for his little piece of heaven in Colorado. Moving bricks, shoveling out grass to make way for raised garden beds, filling wheelbarrows with rocks for dry stream beds all came to the forefront of my mind. He's been fine tuning and tweaking his Colorado paradise for years and every time I go home to visit he has something wonderful planned in his ever changing utopia. It is a place of beauty and relaxation with an enchanting Japanese element to the design. 

PROBLEM: This part of the side yard was gnarled with Nandina roots, and dogs loved to use it as their bathroom. The media box, telephone cable containers and water meter covers were overgrown and hard to access. 

SOLUTION: We found a few fence pickets laying around the garage and a few 2x4 boards from our recent deck repair project. We got out Nathan's trusty table saw and ripped down the boards to the correct size and Voila, a wood screen was created to cover the boxes and act as a backdrop for the plants. We purchases Mexican Feather Grass and Maiden Hair Adagio to give texture and color to the area. We found a few stray, white rocks behind our house in the pipeline and decided to use them as decorative fillers. We added Texas Native Black Mulch as the finishing component and now this corner has design quality I can be proud of.

BEFORE

AFTER: View 1

AFTER: View 2

PROBLEM: Nandina was covering this electrical box but it was UGLY! Leaves and weeds loved this area and made it difficult to clean out.

SOLUTION: We removed the offending plants and prepared the soil. We planted one Maiden Hair grass that will get 5 feet tall and act as a backdrop to Purple Fountain grass.  I could also make a wood screen for this area but the grasses and plumes should grow to cover this box in a short time.

BEFORE

AFTER: View 1

AFTER: View 2

OVERALL: Removing the tall, scraggly Nandina plants helped open the view of our front yard, making it feel bigger than what it really is.  The new plants also helps tie all our other landscape elements together by adding texture and color variation. This is good for the exterior curb appeal and looking at the new and improved areas bring a smile to the soul.

Flowers make people better, happier and more helpful; they are sunshine, food and medicine for the soul."- Luther Burbank

“Gardens are the result of a collaboration between art and nature.” – Penelope Hobhouse

Stay tuned for a future blog about a re-purposed project inspired by a mis-hap during this one involving yard tools. 

Juicing: The Fountain of Youth

Throughout history, quests for the fountain of youth have intrigued civilization. The Greek "Father of History" Herodotus gave mention to a life giving spring thought to be located in Ethiopia. Alexander the Great was mythically associated with discovering the waters after an arduous journey over the Land of Darkness. India lays their claim at the foot of a mountain in Pollombe. The tale I usually relate to the fountain of youth is Conquistador Juan Ponce De Leon's travels to the Caribbean. He ended up landing in Florida and the legend grew.

The fountain of youth is a picture of human striving to live the life of Eden. It is not only a picture of being forever young but to live forever feeling like we are young.

So how does all this talk about the Fountain of Youth have anything to do with juicing? These are two totally different liquids so what is the correlation?

First, let's talk about the typical American diet, it consists of mainly cooked and over-cooked, preservative filled, manufactured food that our body sees as a foreign substance. According to Max Planck and Francis Pottinger a human being should eat at the MINIMUM 51% of every meal RAW for health. They found that eating less than 51% triggers leukocytosis, a function the body implements when it senses an invader or imbalance.  This function stock piles white blood cells and the outcome is to attack, but in the case of improper diet the attack is on healthy tissue. This causes inflammation and if left unchanged long enough spirals into disease. This explains the degenerate diet of America and why there is a disease list a mile long in a nut shell.

When we take the time to juice, it condenses the nutrient rich vitamin, minerals and enzymes from the RAW organic vegetables into a powerful liquid that when consumed  is immediately absorbed through the stomach lining and sent through the blood stream healing, repairing and boosting the cells that support organs and systems within the body.

Juicing brings balance and restoration to hungry cells. Plant based minerals, enzymes, proteins and vitamins react beautifully within the body almost as if they were links in a chain that when attached to each other make a strong unbreakable barrier from disease. I also have to give a huge nod to properly bred and fed Animal based products and by products as well. I never advocate extremes, there is balance in all God given food sources that when utilized in moderation should produce health.

So here it comes, the correlation between the fountain of youth and juicing is this; God has given us the tools from the very beginning for health, for longevity, for energy. He even says it in Genesis 1: 29 " Behold, (this word is meant to grab your attention) I have given you every herb bearings seed, which is on the face of the earth, and every tree, in which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat...(verse 30) wherein there is life, I have given every green herb for meat." Verse 31 and God saw everything that He had made, and behold, it was very good."

NOTE: Humans and every living animal were meant to eat PLANTS. It wasn't until the Fall of man (Genesis 3) that meat entered the diet. I believe meat and animal by products are God's provision to sustain man during this time of Grace and when the Restoration of the Earth is complete we will revert back to a full plant based diet.

My point is this, and it's a simple one. One doesn't have to search far and wide for the legendary fountain of youth, it may be as close as your back yard garden or a drive to your local organic farmer's market.

Note of Interest: I love the fact there was a literal pool of healing mentioned in the Bible. The reference is found in John 5:1-5. The Pool of Bethesda was stirred by an angel and the first person to touch the water was healed of their malady. (No legend here, just fact!) Christ also healed a lame man at this location.

What is your favorite juicing combination? How has juicing helped your health?

Growth Requires Pruning

After the Rain By: Loneangel

I was reading O Pioneers, by Willa Cather, a book about the Swedish land settlers of Nebraska. The main character, Alexandra, is a strong-minded, resourceful woman. She stoically takes over the family farm after her father passes away and creates a successful , thriving business that expands through risk, hard-labor and sacrifice but with a price of loneliness.  She is nearing middle age when a past love interest returns to the homestead. Before she can even begin to think about the possibility of settling into happiness, Oscar and Lou her brothers, make their case against any companionship for Alexandra. They site many selfish reasons for her to withhold going forward in a 'foolish' decision to get married; her love interest is a loafer and wants to be taken care of, he wants to take the property from the family, she is too old for thinking of marriage and should have done that when she was young and they finally get to the crux of their real concern; they worked harder for the land then she did. They disregarded her wit, slighted her ingenuity and her strength to make hard decisions against the grain of the town and come out on top. They essentially wanted more even when they had plenty and at the cost of someone else's happiness.

They went as far as accusing her of being hard on them...
                            "Hard on you? I never meant to be hard. Conditions were hard.
                             I didn't choose to be the kind of girl I was. If you take even a
                             vine and cut it back again and again, it grows hard, like a tree."


Her last sentence stuck with me and shouted out the goodness behind God's pruning sheers on my life.

I have two rose bushes in my backyard that the previous owner planted. One Fall day I was looking at the gangly things and not exactly knowing what to do and not caring too much I whacked them down to the ground. I figured, I don't really care for rose bushes anyway and not having to look at the mess of unorganized leaves was better then trying to shape them. When I was finished I looked at the nubs poking out of the ground and thought I did them in for sure. I even chuckled at the bad haircut I gave them thinking some avid rose gardener would scold me intensely. Not a thought entered my head about those rose bushes until the next Spring when I had a mass of red flowers blooming that were breathtaking to view from my kitchen window. The beautifully mounded bush had every inch covered in color, and I began to like the rose bushes against my fence. They brought birds and bees to the backyard to watch and enjoy.  My harsh pruning brought forth a beautiful display.

This is also true of our walk with God. Many lessons can be learned from the harsh pruning God wants to administer to us in our walk. I happen to be going through one of those right now. Circumstances are sheers in which He prunes away the branches that don't bear fruit. He looks at the shaggy parts, even when we think they aren't that bad and artistically cuts a branch here, trims a leaf there or even knows that when harsh conditions are prevalent a total cut back of the plant will be a life saving  decision in the long run. The plant may look ugly or dead but it can do one of two things; it can wilt and die or it can rest in the Winter season so it can thrive and grow to produce a bountiful harvest in the following season.

I have had my share of tears, fears, worries, emotions and questions but it comes down to this...am I going to trust that He knows what is best for me even when the outside view seems foolish, ugly or unfair? He is the artist, the tender of our spiritual garden, the grafter of vines and branches, the master gardener along the narrow path. Unlike my unthoughtful onslaught on my rose bushes, He removes those branches tenderly at the right time and in the right way. All we have to do is be aware, willing to respond and be patient in waiting as the growth takes place for the next season where we can bear fruit and be a strong, beautiful testimony to His handiwork.

Alexandra made a great point when she said, "cut it back, again and again, it grows hard like a tree." There is something to being harshly pruned, stripped to nothing; it builds character and a resolve to keep growing into something unmovable. (James 1, Hebrews 10:32-39 and 11)

By the way, I've let those rose bushes grow on me, they now have a special place in the backyard where I'll let them be.

John 15

Jeremiah 18

Cactus Flower

photos by: Chandra Brown

Cactus Flower

Bud to bloom

Brief is life;

Capture beauty

In eternities time

 Fleeting moments

Cause rapturous sublime

Pistil, Stamen, Pollinate

Wilting quickly

Death; law of nature

Seasons dictate bloom or dust

thus,

contemplate conundrum;

 from this death comes life again.

Chandra Brown



Tend Your Garden Post #5: Fruit of the Vine

Growth takes time. Be patient.
And while you're waiting, pull a weed. 
saying by Emilie Barnes

We were starting to get impatient, "When are we going to see something we can eat?" We'd grumble. Then the other day we saw these peas, so Alex picked them and I ate them. They were sweet, crisp and crunchy. I claimed to not like peas, probably because the ones I'm used to eating are frozen. Those taste soft, mushy, kind of like a bland paste. What a difference growing them yourself makes. I could just stand there and pick and eat and be satisfied.

We've had to make adjustments in our "learning" garden. I had to prune away tree limbs so the plants could get enough sun. I had to transplant a squash plant, it made it through the move and is doing well but I wonder if this will hinder its fruit. Our strawberries are trying to burst out but birds just love them too much! I need to buy a net.

This experiement has taught us many things, one lesson that currently comes to mind is patience. In due time the fruit will be there we just have to learn to wait and let nature do its thing, in the meantime just watch the process, take care of what you can and rejoice in the harvest when the time comes. Funny how this garden lesson parallels the happenings in our personal life too!

 

Tend Your Garden - Post #4 - Growth

"Many things grow in the garden that were never sown there."

 Thomas Fuller, Gnomologia, 1732

It has become my daughter's and my daily ritual to examine the new growth in the garden. We log the details in our minds as we scan each plant, it only takes a moment but much data is recorded.

Things we noticed:

1. Some critter thought our garden was the perfect digging playground. We suspect a squirrel liked the soft, dark, rich soil to hide his winter stash of nuts in.
2. All the seeds sprouted except the basil.
3. The new growth was too tempting for bugs. A caterpillar was found guilty of chewing on the spinach, plucked off and flicked across the yard. One beet fell prey to another devouring bug.
4. The dog managed to upset the potted strawberry plant, leaving dirt clod trails as a "bread crumb" path to make sure I found the evidence of her discontent. Thankfully, she controlled her temper tantrum on the strawberry enough so I could salvage the plant and re-plant it. I wish I could get my points across as well as that dog!
5. A few nut grass weeds made their way in the bed.

The owl did a decent job keeping the birds away...so far!

The thing that irked us the most was the pesky insects. We couldn't see them having their banquet on our goods and we didn't want to spray pesticides to get rid of them so we are attempting to rid the garden of them by planting marigolds. If the bugs have to have a buffet I hope this distraction works long enough to let the new growth mature.

Needless to say, I always like to get back to the quotes I use in the post. Thomas Fuller's quote, "Many things grow in the garden that were never sown there," applies in our daily lives as well. We live with a sin nature, it is something we battle our entire lives. If we don't tend our spiritual garden on a regular basis those things that we don't like tend to take a little more of the bed then we intended and we know what happens when a garden is left alone for far too long, the weeds take over and choke the nourishing plants out or the pesky insects eat them to a nub. 

How important it is to take the time daily to scan our "spiritual" garden, assess what is lacking and ask the master gardner (The Holy Spirit) how to handle it. There are times He even tells you about a problem before you are even aware of the fullness of it. The beauty in this relationship is the trust that is built through active obedience and submission. When The Holy Spirit points out a weed (sin)  that needs pulling or even tells you to prune a healthy branch (restraint and shaping) on a maturing area in your life, you come to know that it is for your benefit. 

Spritual gardening "tools" to live by:

Hebrews 12: 11

James 1:2-26

Thank You Lord for helping me tend my spiritual garden!

Tend Your Garden - Post #3

"Why try to explain miracles to your kids when you can just have them plant a garden."  ~Robert Brault

If you've read the previous tend your garden posts this video finally tells what we decided to plant and is presented by my daughter Alex. She was enthusiastic about this family  project so I decided to let her introduce this years crop. She helped pick the seeds from our favorite garden shop, The Natural Gardener, and she chose each one according to what our family eats the most of. I'm proud she was attentive to what we all like or maybe it was drilled into her by yours truly. I find myself unintentionally lecturing at almost every dinner how important raw vegetables are for your body so I'm glad some of my words are rubbing off in a good way. 

This style of gardening is a mixed experiment. I took the French compact style gardening and added a Texas flair. I just made the box slighlty bigger and rectangular than the standard French square style. I let my daughter plant what she wanted so she could see how big certain plants get, what they will need, how they grow and if they will grow. Peas will need a support, squash can become huge needing more space. This is definately a learn as you grow garden.  I want to see how she approaches the challenges and I have no doubt she'll come up with solutions and strategies to make it work. 

We already have squirrels trying to plant their own bounty and she came running inside to tell me we need to get a cover for the top of the garden bed. She has put in the effort and wants to see success in the first growth popping through the soil.

Now we must wait.... time, daily attention and care is where our patience resides....

  

Tend Your Garden - Post #2

The garden is the poor man's apothecary. ~German Proverb

I have been wanting to plant a garden of my own for months now. The idea had been eating at the back of my brain in my spare thinking time and I found myself vacillating between the "should I" or "shouldn't I" and the cost versus time and management talk. Alas, from the pictures and post title, you can see that I decided to go ahead with my little pet project.

Every Garden Needs An Inspiration:

My grandmother had a plot to garden and I remember my young Summer's visiting her house in Durand, Wisconsin as ones with her in a sun hat and garden gloves holding a large basket to harvest her vegetables in. It was a pretty sight now that I am thinking back on the scene. The vegetable I remember most was the corn; shucking the stalks on the back porch made a kid feel good. My parents carried on the tradition in Colorado. A small garden just runs in my blood.

Not only do my childhood roots digging in the dirt give me inspiration, but the desire to give the best to my family has spurred me to at least try.

This next inspiration may not fit in the feel-good category that usually prods inspiration into action, but it definitely has merit in this new venture. The realms of economy and health have made a sound argument for trying my hand at the ol' farm gal routine.

The above quote, "A garden is a poor man's apothecary" certainly makes sense for the times at hand. It isn't hard to find articles regarding the tough economy and skyrocketing food costs. Health issues are constantly in debate and the future of healthcare is up in the air. I like the idea that my backyard can be my personal pharmacy and grocery store.

There comes a time when an idea can only be thought about for so long, turned around and studied in your mind so many times and then it is time to get off the tuckus and put that idea into fruition. As you can see we made this a family affair, something to do together, to learn, work, tend and enjoy together and as we watch our idea grow into something we can be proud of, use and share with others I'm hoping some life lessons and memories will rub off on all of us like the dirt stains ground into the grooves of our hands preparing the soil for seed.

I love to think of nature as an unlimited broadcasting station,

through which God speaks to us every hour,

 if we will only tune in.

~George Washington Carver

This small 8' X 4' garden bed took patience, planning, time, sweat not to mention a few knuckles falling prey to bloody scratches and all before the seeds could be planted. We tilled and amended the soil, took precautions to keep the wild animals (or not so wild-Odie) from stealing from or destroying the bed.

I opened a pack of carrot seeds to see what they look like and I was amazed at how small they were. "I'm going to get carrots from those?" I thought.

Will Mr. Owl Keep The Pests Away?

A thought came to me just as I was writing this. "We prepare and take extraordinary steps to keep our ideas and the outcome of the action of those ideas protected so we can reap the benefits of our work. How much more should I tend to my 'spiritual garden'."

Hebrews 2:1-3 is my first lesson from this garden experiment, Pay close attention, do not neglect what you've heard and learned so that you may endure to the finish line (Hebrews 12:1-2)

James 5:7-8 is my second lesson from this garden experiment. Be patient, and strengthen your heart. "Behold, the farmer waits for the precious produce of the soil, being patient about it, until it gets the early and late rains."

I'm tuning in....








 



Tend Your Garden- Post #1

"Peach Blossom" by Chandra Brown

It often happens to children - and sometimes to gardeners - that they are

given gifts of value of which they do not perceive until much later.

- Wayne Winterrowd

I'm looking out my daughter's bedroom window and can't take my eyes off the buds and flowers of the ornamental peach tree. The pink, delicate petals have a mesmerizing effect as your eyes rest on them gently swaying on the light Spring breeze. I see my daughter playing under the pink canopy, sun shining in her hair. She captures a flower in her hands as the breeze gently shakes it from its place on the branch and I watch as she studies its' detail.

I smile when I see her delight in the beauty she holds in her hands. She touches the silky petal and I wonder what she is thinking. Is she contemplating the cycle of nature? Does she see the picture of death and new life? Does she see God's laws at work as she studies the delicate features? 

Probably not yet, but she will. I see myself in the little girl holding the Peach blossom in the backyard. I too remember playing in my fathers garden observing the ways of nature. 

Now that I am grown, I smile at this mirror glimpse I am afforded because I have come to know the Creator behind the beauty and can see the seeds of truth being planted for harvest in her maturation.

The Lord using Nature to teach us:

Isaiah 41:17-20 ..."That they may see and recognize, and consider and gain insight as well, That the hand of the Lord has done this, And the Holy one of Israel has created it." 

"Daisy" By Alex Brown

Job 12:7-10 "...In whose hand is the life of every living thing.."

Psalms 19:1-8 "..The Law of The Lord is perfect, restoring the soul."

"Viola" by Alex Brown