Farmer

I like to tell people that I grew up on a farm. It wasn't a real farm, but we had five acres with two very large vegetable gardens, a creek, some grapevines, and a large field. My dad used a tractor and I got to drive it as I got older. Also, like many farmers' children, my brother and I were forced to do manual labor. That's right...every summer we were sent outside to hoe the garden. Once my mom became very angry after I admitted to not knowing the difference between a weed and a squash plant. She thought I had intentionally chopped up the plant so that I wouldn't have to eat it. Of course, I wasn't that smart as a child; but she was right, I didn't like squash.

Near the end of the growing season, my dad would pick bushels of home grown goodies. And once again, my brother and I were called upon or rather forced to pay for our living. We went out in the hot Georgia sun to pick beans, squash, corn, eggplant, okra, and more. It wasn't so bad picking the veggies, it was sitting in the basement with a large bowl of butter beans that needed to be shelled that wrecked my childhood afternoons. My brother would turn it into a competition to make the time go by more quickly. We would try to "out shell" the other, seeing who could shell the most within a certain time frame. When that became old, we would place the bucket that the hulls went in far enough away that it would take some skill to "make a shot." My dad became annoyed with that game after several hulls landed no where near the intended basket.

Because of my experience, I have an appreciation for homegrown vegetables. They smell and taste so good! I'm proud that today I made a trip to Kmart (a place filled with more childhood memories - perhaps another post) and I bought several plastic pots, potting soil, plant food and tomato and pepper plants. This afternoon I got my hands a bit dirty, tried to kept my dog from eating too much soil, and potted the veggies! Below is a picture of my attempt at a garden. Yes, that is an upside down cooler being used as a plant stand. Remember, I live in a condo in the city! It's no where near the extent of my parents' gardens, but it's the work of my own hands. I hope that they produce some delicious fruit. I hope that I remember to water them and that they get enough sunlight. I really hope they grow big and look beautiful! (I'll keep you posted.)