I was feeling pretty disappointed about my garden during the early weeks of August. It seemed everyone in the blogging world was photographing their beautiful produce along with delicious meals they made from it all. At that point all that was surviving in our garden were a few lame plants without much yield besides my asian eggplant - I was still having to buy my tomatoes at the grocery store. I was feeling jealous and labeled my garden post under 'flops'.
But then we set off on our road trip and my mom kindly checked on and watered our garden a few times. By the time we came back we had a whole grocery bag of tomatoes - and they still keep coming. We especially love the little yellow pear tomatoes and I often catch the little girls picking them and eating them as fast as they would popcorn. So it was worth the work and the wait.
We also have two watermelons, several armenian cucumbers, a few yellow peppers, and still more asian eggplant waiting to be picked and consumed. Pictured here is Maryanna just before dinner gathering a few little add ons for our salad. I'm glad I didn't give up on it and kept watering and weeding it despite my uncertainty.
Henry B. Eyring gave a great talk at BYU several years ago. Paul read it to me just shortly after our little Henry was born and I have found myself reflecting upon it again and again during this home gardening process as well as during my time caring for my children and home schooling.
Husbands, wives, parents, and even children are familiar with deciding, "Shall I keep giving when I'm getting so little?" Families may be the best place to find out how the world feels about working and waiting for late crops. Families require some of the toughest investment decisions of all.....Men and women working outside the home deal mostly with early crops and with the law of diminishing returns. In the home, they spend far more on late crops and the law of increasing returns. It's important to remember that
So at the end of the day (and in the middle of the night) when I feel like I'm going to collapse I will picture my juicy little yellow tomatoes and remind myself the time spent home with my 'late crops', my children, will have its return and even more than I already receive. I know it will be so worth the work and sacrifice.
P.S. that skirt Maryanna pulled on over her jeans was not a part of the "the Big Switch" but pulled out of the dress-up closet
Well said.
ReplyDeleteYay, you guys are harvesting after all!
ReplyDeleteThat quote is so true. I see that Scott's mom did all the work and I am harvesting.
Al--I love that talk. I'm going to copy it and send it to Johnny. I think he will appreciate it as a missionary in Greece.
ReplyDeleteRaising a family has a lot of gardening principles...you have to love the garden and have feelings for it. Have to keep out all the weeds and things that choke the life out of what you are trying to raise. You have to water it and give it nutrition... isn't there a scripture somewhere about"dunging the vineyard/". And then there is the harvest which is sweet. That often comes later but you can appreciate the growth all through the raising process.
ReplyDeleteWell anyway.. good post and didn't I call your little guy, "Peter the Tomatoe Eater" because he liked to come over and pick and eat the cherry tomatoes.
Love Dad
Hi Alison,
ReplyDeleteThis is Hermana Mask. I loved your blog post. Also logged on to find you and Paul because I think we are neighbors now-- but I find you are moving! Just wanted you both to know about the missionary reunion this Friday. If he doesn't know about it have him call me. 363.2164. Would love to see you two.
So jealous of all your yummy crops. I am yet to try the gardening here. Maybe next year.and thanks for the reminder of bettering my time with my children so they flourish.
ReplyDelete