JANUARY DREAMS

Let me share one of my favorite winter activities from my not too distant past. No, I wasn't a skier though I really wanted to be. I would order my Gurney Seed Catalog and then spend considerable time pouring over it, reading descriptions of various vegetables/flowers and trying to plan my summer garden with seeds that would do well in Oregon.

I would literally draw on paper my garden, designing it to allow best use of space, sunshine and with an eye for beauty also. Also planning flowers to add that beauty. After many evenings of planning and several drawings I would order the seeds and in some cases plants. Regarding plants, I remember ordering rhubarb, bleeding heart and even an indoor palm. It was with great anticipation I'd wait until my order was received; it was almost like getting a belated Christmas present. In the spring SLK would take the trusty Troy-bilt Rototiller and prepare the large garden according to my dreams and plans and then the planting began.

The garden provided so much of our food. Many summer days about 4 or 5 o'clock I would head to the garden often with your help and harvest dinner-digging up new potatoes, picking zucchini, yellow crookneck squash, tomatoes, cucumbers, lettuce and corn. I would actually start the stock pot filled with water to boil before going into the garden so when I came in the kitchen with the corn it was ready to start cooking. Talk about fresh. Now I don't boil the wonderful corn but steam it and think that retains so much more nutrition. You kids were absolute champions picking all the raspberries and then even selling them to friends from church. I about croak when I buy a tiny little half-pint of berries for $2-$3 dollars and recall selling 7 full pint containers for about $4 if I remember correctly. The berries came on so quickly that much of the crop was frozen and then when I had time I made endless pints of jam that we used on toast, pancakes, french toast and pb&j sandwiches that you all made in the evenings for your Schuebel School lunches the next day. I'm planning a little garden that I'll plant mid-February here in my desert. I still have a couple little struggling tomato plants and bell peppers in containers and just harvested some peppers yesterday. I hope you are dreaming of your gardens and will start early with your plans. It is such a good idea to be able to provide as much produce as you can. I love getting kids involved in the garden. They develop a good work ethic and appreciation for what they eat. I'm sure you can comment on your memories of the garden and I'm sure those comments would involve berry fights etc. I'm so glad I learned about that after your were adults.

I love you. I love that we had gardens and all that good food. I love that we worked together and at times that was hard work. I'm so proud of you. Hoping you have a happy day. Here's to the GEISS THUMB in all of us.

Square Foot container gardening

Silly Jody and me in her garden last summer wearing old garden hats. Takes "guts" to post a picture of myself when I'm so goofy looking!