Monday, March 14, 2011

An East of Eden


Every thing I love about gardening is everything that is also good about life.

Choosing your ground.  Planting the seeds.  Waiting and watching, hoping for rain and favorable temperatures.  Cursing the squirrels that eat your just-sowed peas.  Then, surrendering to share your bounty with all the creatures that seem to creep into your crop.  Realizing that it is so much bigger than an acre or .25.  Understanding that we are all connected and harvest means only taking your part and leaving some for the worms and deer and throwing the remains to the chickens.  Praying for rain but also dancing hours with the hose amid the hollyhocks and hibiscus when dry spells are your fate.

Bending your back and knees to clear out strangle-happy weeds to make room for roots.  Marveling at the magic of making something out of what felt like nothing and eating a tomato at the end of it or smelling the hyacinth.  Doing it all because what else is there to do with this life, but create more of it.  Life.   Because this Sweat brings Bread and makes all the rubble worth the trouble.

Sweat Bread.

Welcome.  Here I will plant and prepare food and flowers.  Learn while I learn.  A Spirea in bloom above right now greets us just outside our family room window.  Spring is just one blossom short of full throttle here.  Below, a recipe to whet your appetite.

Welcome!

8 comments:

abby said...

i so heartily agree with everything you said! a garden probably won't be possible for us this year so i'm glad to live vicariously through you!

Unknown said...

I'm excited to see and read your observations @ SweatBread!

Kimberly said...

Lovely! Can't wait to read and see more!

sforme said...

I'm excited to share gardening through your blog. I live in Oregon and it is still way too wet for planting, but the bulbs are coming up and the crocuses are blooming.

Kaedi said...

Yay! I'm hoping you'll teach me how to garden (and cook!) with this lovely blog, Jordan. We may only have 2 months out of the year to grow something in our upcoming new home, but I want to make them count. So inspire away! (No pressure, right?!)

The Original Mangums said...

Can't wait till we can get back to the gardening we just got started before the Mission. We don't even have a patio or deck at our apt. We will have to wait. Love the blog, I'll keep reading so I can learn something.

The Original Mangums said...

Oh yes, what is that white flower covered bush called - I love them but never know what to ask for when at the nursery!

Susannah said...

Hi Jordan, excited to see this new blog! My husband, 18 month old son and I are relocating to Raleigh in 3 weeks and my goal for the summer is to plant...something. Actually, I am going to start with herbs. I am a total beginner to gardening and I'm sure I'll enjoy seeing your own, more experienced journey!