firstwivesworld - Grow a Garden, Nurture Yourself - Comments

I agree.

Wanda Woodard — Thu, 08 May 2008 10:26:40 -0400

Thank you for this. I love FWW -- it has given me a chance to help others while helping myself. It has become very important to me.

Thanks so much, Wanda! You

Guest — Thu, 08 May 2008 09:53:29 -0400

Thanks so much, Wanda! You can clearly tell that I have very strong feelings towards people who are so quick to judge in a nasty way. Yes, we all should be able to take constructive criticisms, but a little decorum, please! CM

We're all glad you're here, CM!

Wanda Woodard — Thu, 08 May 2008 09:13:53 -0400

You are always so kind and open with all of us FWW bloggers. We appreciate you very much. Thank you for your words. There have been some rather rough words flying around on some of our blogs as of late -- some strange commentors venting. It is so very nice to hear from you every single time!

How much do I love your

Guest — Wed, 07 May 2008 20:32:49 -0400

How much do I love your blog? Let me count the ways....! Poetry, sheer poetry... CM

Grow a Garden, Nurture Yourself

Wanda Woodard — Tue, 06 May 2008 15:00:46 -0400

Have you ever planted a garden and followed all the garden etiquette and made sure that the soil was fertilized and softened to encourage the growth of the new seed or tiny seedling? Have you pulled your children out from their warm beds to rush barefooted and still in their PJs to see the first tiny tomato bursting forth before all the others?

What is it to grow a garden? To till the soil and fight the rocky ground and force the it to make something grow from next to nothing?

As I came into the spring of my first year away from my crazy ex, I decided that the children and I must grow a garden. I took them to the farmer's co-op and together we selected our tiny plants that would entrust their miniscule lives to us for the next several months.

We chose Big Boys (I'd heard they were very good tomatoes) and Earlies and Tommie Toes (what we called them when I was a child). We picked peppers and cucumbers and squash. I let my children decide.

Caty and Joe became excited and began to pick flowers and leafy green things that would help make our tiny house a home. And...I let them. \No rational evaluation of what would or would not grow. They picked their flowers and their vegetables and together we took our bounty to the check out stand.

And when the total came to well over a hundred dollars, I paid the bill with a smile on my face. We were putting our hands in rich dirt and fingering green leaves of various plants. And it all felt so good.

In Middle Tennessee, the ground is filled with rocks. We sit on top of limestone, I think, and the first few inches of soil usually yield a dead end in the form of hard, impenetrable bedrock.