Dirty Hands

I try to not be a person plagued by my regrets, but I do have a few lingering regrets from my childhood. The first, that I never stuck with taking piano lessons from my mom. Granted, the dynamics of being taught by my mom = less than ideal. But I churn at the fact that I can only plunk out a tune on the keys yet I grew up with a woman who has a master's degree in organ performance. So there's one. And a second, that I never spent more time learning about gardening from my dad. My father was a master gardener, plotting out a huge garden every spring and tending to it with care and joy throughout the summer months. I begrudgingly helped weed, and I ate my fair share of snap peas off of the vine, but I never really learned how to garden from my pops. And I'd give anything for the chance to go back and learn now.

But, since I can't, I'm making do. Unlike any summers in the past, we finally have a yard worthy of planting this year. And since we're not focused on a functioning bathroom and kitchen like last summer (thank goodness) we can devote some time to the exterior of the house (hello, need for increased curb appeal). So I'm learning. My friend J is kindly allowing me to "apprentice" her and share a vegetable garden this year, soaking up her gardening wisdom so that I can branch out on my own in the future. And we've been landscaping in front of the house this past week, with many thanks to kind neighbors who have shared splits of perennials with us in order to do so (pretty sure they are also stoked about the improved curb appeal). It feels a.maz.ing to be getting our hands in the dirt and making some progress.

Then this morning - oh such fun - we got up early and drove out to our CSA farm for a member workshift. We planted about a million (or several hundred...) tomato plants, and I'd like to say that I'm now more in love with CSAs than ever (which is saying quite a lot). Paul and I loved getting to know our farmers, meeting some other families, and playing a small small part in our summer bounty of vegetables. And Adah - oh she was beside herself! Not only did she see newly hatched chicks and a vast array of farm kitties, she also "helped" us plant - strapped onto me in a back carrier and loving every instant of the morning. One of the other families there today told us about how they bring their kids out to work four times a season, so they can see the process from "beginning to end." Love love this idea - definitely something we hope to adopt. Hopefully Adah will help in our home garden, but how great for her to be involved in something on a larger scale - seeing where her food and food for many others really comes from, from seedling to dinner table. We left our shift tired, muddy, and real happy. As Paul said, so fun, and "so Omnivore's Dilemma."

Eat local. Support community agriculture. Eat real food. Your body and soul will be happy. Today is proof.

(And for more in a similar vein, check out this great article).