Just Picked

A new first!  Picking fresh greens from the garden--in December!!  How wonderful!  I planted collards and kale to have a fall harvest and it has been a delightful success.

The day before Christmas is when these bunches were picked.  There was a huge winter storm coming the day after Christmas and I wanted to make sure the last of the kale was picked before it was buried under snow and I couldn't get to it or, worse yet, couldn't find it.

The collards were getting a bit weary of being frosted on a regular basis so the were all picked.  Yes, all.  I spend a couple of days getting them into the freezer.  There was quite a harvest.

The kale was left in the garden to use as we wanted.  When the kids were here from Minnesota, I cooked a batch for them.  My son-in-law was impressed with the flavor.  The cold and snow seem to give kale a very nice taste; not bitter or harsh.

It is wonderful to have garden successes.  Especially ones that last until Christmas!

Diet Update:

It is hard to admit that the diet for my MS has not yielded the results that I had hoped.  There has been slight improvement, but not in the major ways that I had hoped.  The diet continues (well, I did cheat over Christmas...a few--just a few cookies and some ham--wonderful, delicious ham) and there are other areas to explore.  I like goat cheese.  Yep, I really like it.

Blessed Lord Jesus,
     No human mind could have invented the gospel.  Acting in eternal grace, you are both its messenger and its message, coming to earth as a tiny child, giving yourself over to insult, injury, poverty and death, so that we might be ransomed, redeemed, and freed from sin.  We bless you, Eternal Father, for ordaining this way of salvation.  We thank you, Lamb of God, for opening this way, and we praise you, Holy Spirit, for applying this great salvation to our hearts.
     Lord, forgive us for our obsession with our own righteousness. WE spend many hours thinking about how we are doing spiritually, agonizing over our failures and glorying in our successes.  We spend very little time thinking about your righteousness, and about the truth that even on our very best days, our goodness is tainted with our sin and still looks like filthy rags to you.  It is hard for us to accept that in our strongest moments, we cannot escape our great need for your obedience to cover ours and take its place.  Open our eyes to see our own fascination with our reputations and the many ways in which we use our strengths to belittle others.
     Forgive us for delighting so much in our own gifts and our own obedience, and for trusting in the good things that we are able to do.  Forgive us for our endless desire to steal your glory and take credit for your good work in us, and for insisting that others see our glory and fall down in worship before us.  Forgive us for using the strengths you have given us as weapons against others, to cover our inferiority and make ourselves feel superior to them.  Forgive us for wallowing in our failures, rehearsing them over and over again, and defining ourselves by them.  Lord, have mercy on us!  Thank you for loving us too much to give us what we crave, and for humbling us and choosing to leave us weak so that we could learn to love the strength and goodness of Christ in our place.
     Holy Spirit, show us the bankruptcy and brokenness of even our very best works.  Help us to see the sinful motives we often have for our best acts, like Bible study, prayer, fasting, and service of others.  Teach us instead to delight in all of the spiritual treasure you have lavished on us so richly in Christ; the wealth of his righteousness, given to us; the riches of his grace and kindness poured out on us; the glorious inheritance he has earned for us by his perfect obedience and death.  Remind us often of who we are in Christ as we walk through a world of temptation which dazzles and beckons us, and navigate the sinfulness of our own self exalting hearts.  Draw our minds to the cross often to marvel at your purposeful and determined love for poor beggars like us, who continue to have nothing to give to you but our sin.  There let your transforming love do its powerful work of pulling our eyes away from ourselves to rest on Christ, to see him, to ponder him and to rest and dance in the hilarious nature of his unshakable love for us.  

  ~Adapted from the Valley of Vision by B. Duguid

Fall Garden

It is a beautiful fall day.  It's warm--mid 70's--the sun is shining, but the clouds are beginning to appear.  There is a cold front coming in tonight.

Knowing that we are to get into the 40's over the weekend, I figured I better see what I could gather from the garden that the cold is likely to kill.

Here's what I managed to salvage.  A few tomatoes, some peppers, a bit of lettuce and the parsley.  The parsley may very well manage to last awhile in the garden, but I need it for dinner this evening.

There are a few other veggie plants in the garden that have been thriving in the cooler weather that has been with us since September.  This is our first year for kale and other greens.

So far they look great.  From what I understand, these greens should only improve in flavor with the cold weather.

It was an interesting garden year.  Some things did well and other, well, no so much.  The sweet potato crop was another disaster.  Our onions seemed to rot quickly after they were dug.  The beans did well, as usual, the corn was good, except for what the bugger of a coon ate.  The garlic was smaller, but the crop was plentiful.  As always, these are things that are not in my control and it yet it proves, again, that God is faithful to provide what we need.

P.S.  It seems I was delayed in getting this posted.  I was having company for dinner and did not get my Puritan Prayer added until now.  Suffice it to say, the chilly weather arrived today, although it turned out to be a lovely, sunny day.

I continue to slowly work my way through Jeremiah Burroughs's The Rare Jewel of Christian Contentment.  Here is a portion of Contentment from The Valley of Vision.

HEAVENLY FATHER,
If I should suffer need, and go unclothed, and be in poverty,
   make my heart prize thy love, know it, be constrained by it,
   though I be denied all blessings.
It is thy mercy to afflict and try me with wants,
   for by these trials I see my sins,
   and desire severance from them.
Let me willingly accept misery, sorrows, temptations,
   if I can thereby feel sin as the greatest evil,
   and be delivered from it with gratitude to thee,
   acknowledging this as the highest testimony of thy love....
Teach me to believe that if ever I would have any sin subdued
   I must not only labour to overcome it,
   but must invite Christ to abide in the place of it,
   and he must become to me more than vile lust had been;
   that his sweetness, power, life may be there....
When I am afraid of evils to come, comfort me by showing me
   that in myself I am a dying, condemned wretch,
     but in Christ I am reconciled and live;
   that in myself I find insufficiency and no rest,
     but in Christ there is satisfaction and peace;
that in myself I am feeble and unable to do good,
     but in Christ I have ability to do all things.

Garden Tool Quiz

Do you know what this is?

When I was growing up, we called it a hand cultivator.  It was used in our garden from the time I can remember.  Ours did not have the multiple attachments, just the prong thingy that is in the middle of the picture.   Since dad didn't want it anymore, for sentimental reasons, I nabbed it.  I always used it and liked it.  Yeah, I know, how weird is that?  Most people would prefer a "real" tiller.   I still have this darling antique.  The center prong is missing, but it still gets the job done.   Since our little Mantis tiller isn't working (something about gunk and a carburetor), I've been using this old one.  It looks like this only with more dirt ground into the wooden handles and a bit of rust on the wheel.  It is a great upper body workout, for those who are interested in such things. I'm probably just old-fashioned or maybe I just like to live in the past, (sometimes, I still like my telephone and running water) but there is something satisfying about using this old cultivator.  It helps me remember my dad, who taught me about planting and caring for a garden.  Who taught me about putting up fence and burning horns off calves.  He taught me about loving the country.  There I go getting nostalgic. It was a lovely, cool evening.  Perfect for working in the garden.  Garden work is usually preferable to cleaning the bathroom.  Bathroom cleaning is important, too, It's just that I would rather be outside.  I was able to get half of the upper garden worked up this evening. The happy news around here is that my John Deere, while repairs are yet to be completed,  is about done with her surgery and just needs to be stitched up.  That can't happen soon enough. Giver of All Good, Streams upon streams of love overflow my path. Thou hast made me out of nothing,    hast recalled me from a far country,    hast translated me from ignorance to knowledge,                                  from darkness to light,                                  from death to life,                                 from misery to peace,                                 from folly to wisdom,                                from error to truth,                                from sin to victory. Thanks be to thee for my high and holy calling. I bless thee for ministering angels,                   for the comfort of thy Word,                  for the ordinances of thy church,                  for the teaching of thy Spirit,                 for thy holy sacraments,                 for the communion of saints,                for Christian fellowship,                for the recorded annals of holy lives,               for examples sweet to allure,              for beacons sad to deter. I entrust myself to thee, for thou hast redeemed me. I bless and adore thee, the eternal God,    for the comfort of these thoughts,      the  joy of these hopes. ~an excerpt from Comforts, from The Valley of Vision

Buckwheat: A Look Back

Ahh, yes, the title does sound rather formal, but, it's buckwheat.  How formal can buckwheat get?

Last spring, after much research into green manure, my husband and I decided that we would give buckwheat a try.  Our original garden plot was seven years old.  We thought it would be a good time to give it a rest and use the buckwheat as a cover crop, as well as one that would be used as a green manure.  This was going to be a boost to the soil as well as a deterrent to the weeds that have no problem growing in my garden, no matter what is going on with the soil.

*DISCLAIMER:  WE REALLY DIDN'T KNOW WHAT WE WERE DOING (BUT WE THOUGHT WE DID)!*

Disclaimer having thus been issued, I can fill you in on the details.  

The buckwheat was easily procured at our wonderful local feed mill, Bowser's.  It was then hand broadcast onto our tilled garden.  It grew into a lovely plot of buckwheat.  The local bee population seemed to enjoy it as well.  A huge plus, I think.  Here's where things went awry, in my humble opinion.  From what I understood, the buckwheat should be tilled under before it flowers and goes to seed.  OR, it can be left and the first frost would kill it and then it can be left to rot and then tilled into the ground.  I thought the first option sounded more "green".  I was going with that.  It seemed a happy thought.  When the buckwheat began to look like it was going to flower, the guy who runs the tractor and hooks up the equipment on this little corner of the world was informed of said event and that the plot needed to be tilled very soon.  I even offered to run the tractor, if he would connect the tiller.  The offer of me running any type of equipment usually speeds up any process for fear that I might actually do it.  When he sees me with a hammer, well, you get the picture, I think.  But, this time it didn't work.  It seems he didn't really believe I would even attempt to connect the tiller, let alone run it in the garden.  The buckwheat bloomed.  After much wringing of hands, on my part, the plot was mowed.  I thought, then, that it would be tilled.  At this point, the big guy had so many irons in the fire that there was no hope of getting the tiller on the tractor.  It wasn't long before a second crop of buckwheat emerged just as lovely as the first, albeit, unwanted.  This second crop was then mowed.  Yet, again, another crop was beginning to show it's strong and sturdy self.  At least the frost saved us from another round.  Fast forward to the spring.  The garden was tilled.  Crops were planted.  And, yes, you guessed it, there is buckwheat sprouting in the garden.  Thankfully just a few plants here and there that are easily dispatched and used as green manure, manually.  

All this being said, I am certain that there are plenty of folks who have had great success with green manures and are seasoned veterans at this craft.  It seems as if the use an old Presbyterian motto might work here, "But, we've never done it that way before."  You can teach an old dog new tricks, I think, just not these old dogs.

I have no idea if our soil has profited from our experiment with buckwheat.  I really don't know if we will ever try it again.  (My boss says, "NO".)  I still have weeds, though.  But, I think that's just life with a garden.  Or, maybe it's just life.

To read what real experts say about green manure, you can check out Gardening When it Counts, Growing Food in Hard Times, by Steve Solomon.  Or, online here.

.

P.S.  My camera was accidentally left at our daughter's in Minnesota.  It is being returned when they come for a visit the end of June.  I miss it.  

My sweet ride, Hazel, my John Deere, had to go in for major surgery this spring.  She has yet to be repaired.  In the meantime, I'm using an old Craftsman, which gets the grass cut with twice the amount of time and effort...the steering is bad.  I miss it more than my camera.  My arms and shoulders are getting a great workout though.

O LORD,

Whose power is infinite and wisdom infallible,

Order things that they may neither hinder, nor discourage me...

Permit me not to labour at work which thou wilt not bless,

     that I may serve thee without disgrace or debt;

Let me dwell in thy most secret place under thy shadow,

   where is safe impenetrable protection from

     the arrow that flieth by day,

     the pestilence that walketh in darkness,

     the strife of tongues,...

     the perils of youth,

     the temptations of middle life,

     the mournings of old age,

     the fear of death.

I am entirely dependent upon thee for support, counsel, consolation.

Strengthen me by thy Spirit in my inner self

     for every purpose of my Christian life.

--selections from Refuge, from A Valley of Vision

Somethings I Would Rather Not Do Twice

A couple of weeks ago, I made a large batch of tomato soup.  This is a rather involved process which includes the gathering and steaming of various veggies like carrots, celery and peppers.  There are herbs to be gathered and added as well such as parsley and basil.  Of course, the tomatoes need to be gathered, in our case bought (which is a sad tale of our tomato crop).  I get rather bothered when I have to buy something that is in my garden, but won't ripen or is being eaten by critters.  I digress.  These tomatoes are to be washed and cut and then run through my Victorio Strainer.  I do love this machine.  Tomatoes and apples are no match for it and it makes life a bit easier. 

When I cook, I make a mess (generally).  This also occurs when I can only on a grander scale.  This is because canning includes the use of very large pots and the aforementioned Strainer.  The walls of the kitchen have been splattered with apple and tomato debris most every canning season.

During the making of the soup, I decided I was done.  I don't care if the tomatoes decide to ripen, I'm done with the day-long process and clean-up.  I had hoped that what I had made would suffice.  It would seem to my husband that it was not enough for the winter.

Well, guess what I did today.  Those are seven pint and a half jars, plus a pint of tomato soup peaking out from under their covering.  The pint and a half jars are from Classico spaghetti sauce.  They are mason jars and work great for just the two of us.  We've been collecting them for a couple of years with the help of some other folks.

Sometime ya just do what ya should do.  I'll be glad this winter that I took the time.

Just a side note...one of my Amish friends wrote me a letter last week saying she canned 64 quarts of peaches! and she wasn't done yet!  And she has five boys under the age of seven.  I've never canned 64 quarts of one thing.  She is amazing!!

I am guilty, but pardoned,

   lost, but saved,

   wandering, but found,

   sinning, but cleansed.

Give me perpetual broken-heartedness,

Keep me always clinging to thy cross,

Flood me very moment with descending grace,

Open to me the springs of divine knowledge,

   sparkling like crystal,

   flowing clear and unsullied

   through my wilderness of life.

--an excerpt from The Broken Heart, from The Valley of Vision



 

Muslin and more

The weather is a bit cooler in the evenings, which makes it much more comfortable to quilt.  I was able to get a project out that I've been working on for some time the other night.  It felt so good to have the thimble on my finger.  There is a comfort to having the the soft touch of muslin in my hand.  With no known babies approaching, perhaps I can actually finish this quilt this winter!!

With our garden being late, we are dealing with some of nature's issues of this growing season.  The tomatoes  aren't coming along...plenty of them, but with the rain, they split and rot.  The beans are done along with the beets and carrots.  Still waiting for the potato vines to die off and then we can dig those beauties.  We continue to harvest peppers and broccoli, too.  Even with the drought of July, God has been faithful, we have more than enough to share.  It won't be long until it is apple season.  My favorite.  Can anything compare to the scent of fresh applesauce throughout the house?  My husband would say an apple pie would be even better.


Lord, grant that my religion may not be occasional and partial,
   but universal, influential, effective,
   and may I always continue in thy words as well as thy works,
   so that I may reach my end in peace.
   --an excerpt from The Mediator, in the Valley of Vision

Summer Updates and Good (and not as good) Reading

While visiting The Midland Agrarian, I saw that he had posted a link to an interesting blog, The New Agrarian.  One of the posts is The Eightfold Agrarian Way.  There appears to be a great deal of wonderful reading on his site.  I hope to indulge as time permits.

Life seems to have consumed me of late.  A new grandbaby in Minnesota, needing to do more chores by myself, which at this stage of my life requires much more energy than it should and a great deal more time, trips to doctors (ugh), and reading.  So I regret that I have not written for so long.

My reading has included recreational, The Help and The Hunger Games.  While I enjoyed The Help and can't wait for the movie, The Hunger Games I could barely read.  It saddened me--scared me-- to think it could really happen.  I can't even think about reading the other books in the trilogy.  My theological reading includes, The Wages of Spin, Critical Writings on Historic and Contemporary Evangelicalism, by Carl Trueman, and The Letters of John Newton.  I'm in a small study that is looking at Newton's letters.  I was unable to make the first meeting, but the second study, was like no other I have attended.  Newton's writings have challenged my thinking in a profound way.  One quote:  "The Lord appoints occasions and turn in life, which try our spirits.  There are particular seasons when temptations are suited to our frames, tempers, and situations; and there are times when he is pleased to withdraw, and to permit Satan's approach, that we may feel how vile we are in ourselves.  We are prone to spiritual pride, to self-dependence, to vain confidence, to creature attachments, and a train of evils.  The Lord often discovers to us one sinful dispositions by exposing us to another.  He sometimes shows us what he can do for us and in us; and at other times how little we can do, and how unable we are to stand without him."

Thanks to my husband's skill at carrying five gallon buckets of water from the spring all the way to our garden--no small distance!!--during that hot, dry spell, our garden is doing pretty well.  I do this every year--why do I let it upset me, when God has provided every year for us despite heat and drought.  In fact, some plants are doing a little better than I would rather.  The watermelon and cantaloupe have literally taken over the west end of the garden growing over the bean row and the onions.  The tomatoes are a jungle...if they would only ripen.  The deer have kindly removed the top leaves from the green beans, which makes them so much easier to pick.  They were not so kind to my edemame--no crop this year.  The beets are canned, thanks to a very helpful neighbor for laboring beside me and keeping me from turning the entire kitchen purple.  The green beans are coming in now.  There are carrots that need to be canned or frozen.  I'll need them for tomato soup.  We have so much basil, which  means we have a great deal of pesto in the freezer.
The Japanese beetles were not near as bad this year, so the grapes look great, too.  The rainfall from the spring must have helped the apple trees.  Every road side tree is covered with apples.  I only hope my apple guy will have a good crop as the applesauce is running low.

These last few days have been lovely and easy to enjoy.  Not much heat or humidity.  Nice low temps at night for great sleeping.  Although, I don't think summer is over.

"Let us as Christians fill our various situations in life,
     escape the snares to which they expose us,
     discharge the duties that arise from our circumstances,
     enjoy with moderation their advantages,
     improve with diligence their usefulness,
And may every place and company we are in be benefited by us."
--from The Valley of Vision, Sixth Day Morning, The Gospel

Seed Ordering

Color has been arriving by mail over the past couple of weeks by way of seed catalogs.  These bright and cheerful  items come during the bleekest days of winter.  Not only do they arrouse interest in the planning of the garden for the coming year, but they are a delight to they eyes.

Inside these pages are all sorts of new varities that, while they may not tempt me, are amusing to read about. 

I'm just not in to purple vegetables that really weren't made to be purple, if you know what I mean.  Purple peppers??  I'm just not interested. 

The "Flower Section" of these booklets are bursting with color and are a delight to the eyes.  While I enjoy growing a few flowers, I don't have the time and engergy to give them the attention the poor things deserve.  I have a few favorites that are low maintenance.  These tend to be my go-to staples.  Maybe I'm in a flower rut.

Our garden is divided into two sections.  The first section will have been in use for seven years, so we are giving it a "rest".  We are still not sure what that is going to look like.  We have been counciled by friends to plant a green manure on this section.  Which is all well and good, but I don't want to plant something that will reseed itself and become an invasive weed that drives me nuts the next year.  My husband and I still need to do some other checking, but we would like to plant something and then till in under before it becomes a problem.

This also presents the issue of trust.  This will mean that our garden will be cut in half.  Some things that take up a large amount of space will have to take a break for the year.  Vegies such as sweet potatoes and perhaps corn will be purchased at our local farmer's market.  With the economic situation looming, we are considering making the garden section that we will be working this coming season a bit larger.  Our kids laugh that the garden keeps getting larger and it is just the two of us!  We do want to plant, not only for ourselves, but to share with others as well.  Trust comes in knowing that we need to do our part in planting and caring for our crops and that God is resposible for the outcome.  (Of course, that is the case every season, but with a smaller area, it will be more of a test.)

So, until the ground is ready, I need to sort through my seed box to see what I need to order for the spring planting.  Who knows what new thing will strike my fancy to try...if we have room!



"Sow your seed in the morning,

   and at evening let not your hands be idle,

 for you do not know which will

   succeed,

whether this or that,

or whether both will do equally well." 

--Ecclesiastes 11:6  (NIV)



A Wonderful Fall Day!

It was supposed to rain and be dreary today.  We were blessed with a beautiful blue sky and a delightfully comfortable temperature in the mid to upper 60s.  My husband and I even enjoyed lunch on the porch.  Those days are rapidly coming to and end I am afraid.

The forecast says that we will get our first frost tonight.  And if anybody is going to get a frost it will be us.  It seems we live in just the "right" spot. 

With that in mind, I asked my hubby to start our little tiller (the thing works well, but the carburetor is gunked up and it is horrible to start).  Since he will be running the big tiller on the Ford tractor over the bulk of the garden, I pulled up some corn stalks that finished a short row of late broccoli and Brussels sprouts.  I figure that he can run the big tiller whenever he wants and the garlic will be close to the edge and not be bothered.

It was wonderful to be out in the sun and getting my hands dirty...and knees.  I have come to realize that I really enjoy the digging and planting part of gardening.  The weeding and picking--not so much.

It was a wonderful, productive and busy day.

Increase my faith in the clear knowledge of
   atonement achieved, expiation completed,
   satisfaction made, guilt done away,
   my debt paid, my sins forgiven,
   my person redeemed, my soul saved,
   hell vanquished, heaven opened, eternity made mine.
--a selection from The Spirit's Work from The Valley of Vision

Fall Garden Update

It is a bit chilly!  Down into the 40s at night and not getting up to 60 these last few days.  We have received some much needed rain, though.  No doubt, some time this week my John Deere, Hazel, and I will be out cutting grass.

I seem to be having a hard time this year adjusting to it getting dark sooner.  ACK! 7:30 and it's dark!  It just seems as if it is 9:30 instead of 7:30.

There has not yet been a frost, but we were able to get the sweet potatoes dug on Friday.  They look pretty sad.  It must have been the lack of rain when they needed it most.  There are a few that are decent size, but the majority are skinny and small.  They should make good sweet potato fries!

The carrots were also dug and are all canned.  The ones that were saved to eat fresh tasted great.

There is not much left in the garden at this point.  Brussels sprouts, broccoli, and I am still holding out some hope that the peppers will come through.  As soon as the soil is dry enough, I hope my husband can till the upper (newest part) of the garden under for the winter.  The lower part has the peppers in it.  We also need to plant our seed garlic pretty soon.

Despite the hot, dry summer, God has provided for us--as always.  Just looking at my full cupboards in the basement should be a daily reminder of His goodness, grace and provision.

May I never dally with the world and its allurements,
   but walk by thy side,
      listen to thy voice,
      be clothed with thy graces,
      and adorned with thy righteousness.
--an excerpt from Christ is All,  from The Valley of Vision

Cold Coming

Sounds like temps are to drop around here this weekend and I still have stuff in the garden. 

My pepper crop was sad this year.  There were plenty of blossoms and I was all excited that we got some rain, but we'll have to see how cold it really gets.  My hubby has to help me with the sweet potatoes and they are still in the ground.  I'll need to get the rest of the carrots out, too.  The broccoli should hold out just fine for awhile.

I was so hoping for a few warmer days after this rain.

The seed garlic arrived today, so that will need planted soon. 

This has not been one of my better garden years!

R. C. Sproul has a series on Recovering the Beauty of the Arts that I've been enjoying.   It has been good to spend time listening.  Our culture and the church has lost so much. 

Lord, help me, for I am often lukewarm and chill;
     unbelief mars my confidence,
     sin makes me forget thee.
Let the weeds that grow in my soul be cut at their roots;
Grant me to know that I truly live only when i live to thee,
     that all else is trifling.
--an excerpt from Resting On God, from Valley of Vision

Deer, Birds, Rabbits: Getting a Grip on Sovereignty

This year the garden has been a source of stress. Not only was the garden late in getting tilled, it seemed that every time I was able to get out to plant, it rained. The plants were bought in plenty of time, but finding a time when the soil was not overly damp was becoming a problem.



Fast forward to June. Things are planted and growing well! (The weeds seem to be doing well, also.) One morning, I noticed that some of the leaves were gone from the broccoli and Brussels sprouts. Nothing major, but it made me wonder. Two days later, most of the leaves were eaten. Ok, now we have a problem. There was still time to go to the greenhouse, but they might come back. I decided to give it a few days. After a week, there were no signs of recovery, so off to the greenhouse. Thankfully they still had some plants...a bit on the "sad" side, but I was willing to nurse them along. I dug up the worst of the poor things thinking that there might still be hope for a couple of the plants. After the new ones had been planted, the one or two plants that I thought might recover from the havoc that had been wreaked upon them, were eaten to the ground. The new ones were left in tact. Just the other day, I noticed that these new ones have been chewed on as well. Although, not badly...yet.



There are foil pie pans hanging for noise and I have used other "sure fire" methods, but nothing seems to be keeping the critters away. Our garden has never experienced much animal damage. A bunny here or there and ALWAYS the Japanese beetles, but this year we have had deer eating the apple trees and edemame (this is only the second time we have even seen deer since we moved here six years ago), I flushed out a groundhog from the asparagus while I was mowing one day, and birds were pulling the baby corn out of the ground (at least that is what I think).



While I can only do so much to keep them away (we may need to consider fencing, but it is a big garden...can you say $$$), I am coming to grips with the fact that I am not in control of this. Yes, I am responsible if I want any produce from my garden, but there are limits to my control and efforts. Ultimately, God is in control of what does and does not grow in my garden.



Yeah, I know, there is a life lesson here. I am broken. Not only spiritually, but physically, as well. Seeing my physical brokenness is helping me grasp my spiritual brokenness. The physical brokenness is not easy to see, but it is becoming more apparent. My spiritual brokenness is often easier to hide...from people. Not from God. God sees my state of "messiness" and still loves me. Physical and spiritual issues are all known and seen by him. He has them under his control. I am in the process of learning that He does have control all the time in my life and in my garden. This is one of those things that, yeah, I've heard a thousand times on Sunday, but when you see it played out in real life, it seems to make more sense. Or, maybe, now that I'm older, I'm paying closer attention. Or, maybe I'm in a better place to learn.



Side note: I'm taking a women's gun class this month!



Selections from Psalm 25:



To you, O LORD, I lift up my soul; in you I trust, O my God.

Show me you ways, O LORD, teach me your paths; guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Saviour, and my hope is in you all day long.

He guides the humble in what is right and teaches them his way.

All the ways of the LORD are loving and faithful for those who keep the demands of his covenant.

It's That Time Again...Seed Ordering Time!

My favorite seed catalog arrived not long ago to brighten my winter days. Johnny's Selected Seeds has wonderfully bright and colorful photos in their catalog. Their website is so very helpful and when I have called them, they are able to skillfully answer my questions. There are, I am sure, a great many seed companies that are reputable as well. Johnny's serves those of us in the northern climates so well with seeds that are bred for the north. Johnny's has been my seed supplier for some years and I have always found their seeds to grow very well. Of course, I still go to Bowser's Feed Store down the road to get peas, seed potatoes, corn and onions. They also allow me to buy just a few zucchini seeds. If I planted an entire package, my neighbors would lock their doors when they saw me coming with 'gifts'. A local greenhouse is where I get my plants such as broccoli, tomatoes and the like. I just don't have a good window for starting my own seedlings.

While it may be some time before I see the bare ground again, I enjoy thinking through what fun veggies I can try growing for the first time. It is also time to think about where to plant each type of vegetable--crop rotation--as well as what did we like and what did we plant too much of...or too few of.

Lord willing, I will not be laid up with another broken ankle this summer.

May I recommend reading a recent post by The Midland Agrarian on his review of the movie, Food, Inc., as well as his some of his thoughts on growing one's own food. I'm anxious for Part Two.

Getting Caught Up.

Happy New Year to all!

As we crawled into the car for church this morning, the thermometer read -9 degrees! By the time we arrived at church about 25 minutes later it was 4 degrees. Of course, it is January in Western Pennsylvania. The trip to church was a pretty one, with the trees all frosted from the clear night air. There are plenty of icicles on many homes that seem to be growing and growing. It is supposed to warm up to above freezing this week--it will feel like a heat wave! The weather guys are saying that there may be a storm hit next weekend so we will see what we get.

With the temps being so low last night, it meant that our kitchen got pretty cold. It was 53 degrees when I came downstairs this morning. When we arrived home from church we put on a pot of chicken soup that I started yesterday and fired up our "Rayo" oil lamp. The Rayo gives off great light and plenty of heat. As of now, it is up to a toasty 64 degrees in the kitchen.

The chicken soup went well with toasted cheese sandwiches on home-made bread. Together they warm the soul. All that is needed is a fireplace or wood burner...someday, I hope.

The vegetable catalogs are arriving. These colorful beauties are a feast for the eyes. This time of year I am tempted to try all sorts of new varieties of vegies in the garden. The pictures make everything tempting to try. I haven't started my list yet, but I'm thinking about all sorts of fun garden goodies. Lord willing, I will be on both feet this year and able to get my hands dirty this summer.

We have been blessed with a new granddaughter, Ada Christiana. She was born on December 9th. We were able to visit her and her mom and dad in Chicago for a week and a half. It was wonderful to spend time with the kids in their new place and help mommy get some rest.

The grandsons were able to have Christmas in Atlanta with the other grandparents this year. They are due to return this week with their mom so we can celebrate a second Christmas with them soon.

"Forgive me if I have tried to add anything to the one foundation, if I have unconsciously relied upon my knowledge,
experience, deed, and not seen them as filthy rags, if I have attempted to complete what is perfect in Christ;
May my cry be always, Only Jesus! Only Jesus!
--from "The Life Look" from Valley of Visions


“It does not take a majority to prevail ... but rather an irate, tireless minority, keen on setting brush fires of freedom in the minds of men.”-Samuel Adams

A Different Summer

It has been some time since I last posted. So much has happened and I'm not at all sure how yet to process all of it.

Our summer has been great--temperature-wise--for those of us who melt into grouchiness when the temps get above 86. However, the garden has suffered from the damp, cool summer. We lost all our tomato plants to the late blight, which came early. A groundhog decided to take up residence nearby and ate off our edemame, sweet potatoes and parsley and carrot tops. After he was eliminated, the carrots and parsley and a few sweet potatoes came back.

All this was going on while I was confined to the sofa (later on the porch) with a broken ankle. Yes, it is amazing what can happen in the blink of an eye. One false step on the stairs and you're in the ER deciding on when to have surgery. At least, after all these years, I am finally screwed together!

So, I've had to let go of a great many things. I have been unable to cut the grass. I miss the hours of solitude and the time of prayer. I have had to ask for help...ugh. I was unable to share from our garden, that I so enjoy doing...not much anyway. My husband dug the potatoes. Digging potatoes is like Christmas. When you dig in the ground you never know what you will get! I love the surprise. It made me sad to miss it. We did get a good crop, though, for which I am very thankful. My husband know little about the garden, so trying to explain how some vegetables should look when they are ready was quite a challenge. Also, trying to remember where I planted things was a challenge. He would come back to the house trying to describe a plant in the garden and where it was planted and then I would try and remember what I planted there. Needless to say, there has been some level of frustration. The dear guy picked all the beans! I would snap most of them and then, after a crash course in canning, he was able to can all our beans. He also canned all the beets. I think he was pretty proud. I am so thankful that he didn't just let everything go to weeds.

It was very difficult for me to be on the sidelines. A good friend reminded me that my worth is not in what I do....but it sure feels like it. Since I was unable to be on my feet, dear neighbors and friends from our church supplied us with meals so that my husband did not have to cook anything for a month! I love to bake bread, but have been unable to stand long enough to tackle that task. But, the garden was the big thing. That's my 'job'. Perhaps the garden was becoming a pride issue. I'm not real sure. Like I said, I'm still processing all this. What does God want me to learn? Or are the lessons still in progress.

What I am sure of is that good friends bring great movies and book for you when you're down. They come just to visit, because you are incredibly lonely. They say, "I love you" with food and phone calls and cards full of well wishes. My church family is just that--family. I couldn't be more thankful and grateful for each of them.

So, while I remain on the DL and still have physical therapy to go through, I am looking for the lessons that I need to learn from this particular session of God's school.

I bless thee for tempering every distress with joy;
too much of the former might weigh me down,
too much of the latter might puff me up;
Thou art wise to give me a taste of both.
But thou art all I need.
Let me continually grasp the promise,
'I will never leave thee nor forsake thee.'

--excerpt from Blessings from The Valley of Vision

Working in the Garden of Sanctification

Now that it is early summer, the garden is beginning to give us veggies. All the planting and weeding and cultivating are showing results. It is also the time of year with which I struggle. I even hesitate to write this as it only reveals one of the many sins that give me trouble. One of my besetting sins. (Thank you John Owen.)

Shortly before we moved to this home, I was reading in the Old Testament and came across the whole concept of "firstfruits". (see Exodus 23:16 & 19) While I had heard about tithing as first fruits of your paycheck, the idea of giving from your harvest was a new thought for me. Since I was no longer working outside the home, my thought was that I would give a "tithe" of my garden. Sounds easy enough. I wrote a check out each payday for the church, this will be a no-brainer. You have no idea how difficult it has been for me.

Each spring as I plant and pray over each crop that is planted, I figure that I have this thing licked. Then comes the harvest. Then comes the doubt. "How will I know if I have enough for us?" Shouldn't I "get all I can and can all I get?"

Every summer I wrestle with this basic concept. Will God take care of us? Can I trust His promises?

Did the Old Testament folks struggle with this too? Of course, back then "everybody was doing it"...really, they were. But did that make it easier? In our day, we are pretty detached from the agricultural way of life and, well, if my beans don't come up, I can always buy canned ones from the store (sorry, yuck). To most of us our gardens are a hobby. We have the store to fall back on, but our ancestors and the O.T. folks did not. It seems that it is far easier to write a check than to hand over food that you have lovingly labored over. When you give the first fruits, you have no idea what can go wrong in the meantime, or what your yield will actually look like. It is an exercise in faith and trust.

In my devotions today, the scripture passage was 1 Timothy 4:10, "To this end we toil and strive, because we have our hope set on the living God, who is the Savior of all people, especially of those who believe." The devotional goes on to talk about the hard work of sanctification. That growing in the knowledge of God is exhausting and progress is wearying. That left to ourselves, we would give up striving and be discouraged with our progress. It is discouraging for me to have to wrestle with this same issue every year. What is so sad is that I have always had enough. Always. So, after six years, you would think I had a better handle on this. Well, maybe a bit better. I don't try and talk myself out of it anymore. I've been battling with this each summer, so I know all the stupid arguments that I will throw at myself. The worst part of this whole exercise is that I really enjoy giving my veggies away! When I can give something that is a little part of me, it truly is a joyful thing. Another reason, I can't figure why I still struggle.

The long and short of it is that God uses my garden for my sanctification. He gives me the opportunity to trust him through my veggies. It might even be that whole "working out your salvation with fear and trembling" thing going on. I know that I will continue to delight in giving and just need to continue to prayerfully work out the kinks that come in the summer.

Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed--not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence--continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose." Philippians 2:12 & 13 NIV

Successful Replanting

In my daily tour of the garden, I was pleased to see that the green beans that I replanted are up! Thanks to a wee bit of rain, a noisy aluminum pie pan and, mostly, The Master Gardener.

It is a relief to see them up. As long as nothing else happens to them, we should be up to our eye balls in beans. I'll need to keep an eye out for critters since the beans are in the new part of the garden and a bit closer to the woods. I've seen a rabbit out in the field, but not near the garden, yet.

While we did not get as much rain as other folks, it certainly seemed to perk things up. The broccoli is looking wonderful. Everything seemed to benefit from the rain we received (imagine that)...even the weeds.

O LORD,
I marvel that thou shouldst become incarnate, be crucified, dead, and buried....
O Lord, there is much ill about me - crucify it,
much flesh within me - mortify it.
Purge me from selfishness, the fear of man, the love of approbation,
the shame of being thought old-fashioned,
the desire to be cultivated or modern....
Give me courage for all the trials, and grace for all the joys.
Help me to be a holy, happy person,
free from every wrong desire,
from everything contrary to thy mind.
Grant me more and more of the resurrection life:
May it rule me,
May I walk in its power, and be strengthened through its influence.
--an excerpt from Crucifixion and Resurrection from The Valley of Vision

Crop Failure

On the 25th of May, I planted my green beans.

Green beans are the main veggie in our household. They are easy enough to can, which our family seems to prefer over frozen. This is OK with me, since we eat to many, it leaves more room in the freezer. Green beans eaten freshly picked with melted butter...oh yeah. My hubby likes them with olive oil; he likes everything with olive oil.

There is only one other time that I have had trouble with my beans. One year about half the seeds never came up! One whole row. This year, none of them came up. Day after day I would go to check to see if they were beginning to peak through the ground...nothing. On Friday, I dug around a bit to see what was going on underground...nothing. So, Saturday, I got out our little Mantis tiller and worked up the area where the beans had been planted. I found the remains of only two bean seeds. Neither were even sprouted. Thankfully, there remained enough seeds to replant the two long rows of beans. I put some old CDs on string and hung them from stakes to, hopefully, help keep the birds away with the movement and flashing sunlight. I also hung up an old aluminum pie pan out to make some noise.

Our garden gives us the bulk of our vegetables for the year. Since we are no longer such an agrarian society, I think that it becomes so easy to forget how much we are dependant on God for our food. Even with all the technology that the huge farms use, they still are dependant on the Creator for the growth of their crops.

All this helps me remember that I can plant the seeds, but I am not in charge of their growing. I am totally dependant on the Creator for rain and other favorable conditions to grow the plant that gives us food. I plant and pick and preserve (there is sweat in there, too...remember that whole "...by the sweat of your brow" thing?).

Of course this goes hand in hand with sharing the gospel. We are to used by God to plant seeds. God gives the increase. We are not in charge of what God does with the seeds.

R. C. Sproul said in this month's Tabletalk, that " I can take no credit for the response that I made for Christ. God not only initiated my salvation, He not only sowed the seed, but He made sure that the seed germinated in my heart by regenerating me by the power of the Holy Ghost. That regeneration is a necessary condition for the seed to take root and to flourish." God does all the work from beginning to end.

May I continue to grow in Christ as his seedling, working my salvation out with fear and trembling. I am praying, too, for my little garden and its increase.

Who's Bright Idea Was This Anyway??

All winter I was anxious to expand our garden. We have not had room to plant things that have big vines such as cantaloupe or watermelon. We have not planted corn since we moved here either.

My dear husband has spent over a week trying to get the sod off so we could plant so new and exciting plants. Since he has a backhoe, he thought that it would make it easier to tear the sod off and try and bury it...however, it looked better on paper than it really worked. We spent several days trying to dig up the sod and break the soil off the bottom. Along with all that, there is a healthy crop of rocks and glass. We know that the previous owners had a garden on this spot in the past. It seems that it was also used as a garbage dump. We have found all sorts of broken glass and pottery. And did I say that we have rocks?? So that meant that the garden needed raked and the rocks--at least some of them--needed removed. Today, the bulk of the new garden was done. We have actually doubled the size of the garden area. One neighbor asked if I didn't have enough to do.

Friday I was able to plant the carrots, a few beets, some extra onions, red potatoes and radishes in the old part. Today, we were able to plant two rows of green beans in the new garden. We put in a dozen tomatoes and one grape tomato. It's a start. We want to plant corn, cucumbers, cantaloupe, green and red peppers and we are waiting for the arrival of our sweet potatoes from Johnny's. We'll see what ends up where.

I was very tempted a few of our warm days to get some things planted, but I am thankful that I did not. We had frost three mornings in a row last week. One morning it was below 28 degrees, which nipped our grapes badly. We may have just a few grapes this year. It seems that our blueberries got nipped a bit, too, even though we did cover them. We'll have to wait to see what the damage is later.

Our asparagus has been doing well. I've been freezing some...when we are not eating it each day. The rhubard is going crazy, as usual. I could eat rhubard crisp or rhubarb pie every day! The onions are up and the peas are thinking about blossoming. It won't be long before I'm picking peas.

If the rain holds off (even though we really need some), I'll try and get corn in tomorrow and perhaps the peppers. We were both worn out and very red by the end of the day today.

Soon, the garden will be all planted then it will be in the hands of the Creator. It has been a long week working hard in the sun and getting very dirty. I'm so thankful that we have the acreage to plant more food, not only for ourselves, but our family and friends. I'm also thankful for a husband who is willing to help with his wife's crazy idea of garden expansion.

Thou hast been mindful of me and visited me,
taken charge of me from birth,
cared in all conditions for me,
fed me at thy table,
drawn the curtains of love around me,
given me new mercies every morning....
May thy goodness always lead me to repentance,
and thy longsuffering prove my salvation.
--an excerpt from Caring Love from The Valley of Vision

First Fruits

We have experienced some beautiful and rather warm lately and that has brought on the rhubarb and asparagus!

These 'first fruits' of the spring are so welcomed. Rhubarb can be wonderful, it just needs a bit of sweetener. We have had some stewed, which just means that I cooked it in a pan with some sugar and a bit of water until it was runny. So good, warm or cold. I make Rhubarb Crisp this evening for dessert. This is one of my favorites. It is easy to put together and has some nutmeg in it, which I am becoming convinced has addictive properties, especially when it's warm. Put some ice cream on top and you have a wonderful dessert, or snack.

The asparagus is just chock full of vitamins. It has been called a perfect food. We like it steamed, or baked covered with olive oil. I like mine covered in butter. I'm looking forward to filling the freezer with this yummy stuff soon. It is a delight to have this in the winter. It just screams "Spring"!!

It won't be long until I get some other goodies planted in the garden. I need to get my broccoli and spinich in soon.

The old, large apple trees that my husband pruned, are in blossom! I guess that means we didn't kill them! Apple blossoms are just beautiful! (All the blooming trees seem just spectacular this year.) I was able to find a Cortland apple tree to add to our little orchard! Our two smaller apple trees appear to be doing well. I am anxious to see if we get any apples this year from our newbies. We've decided that each of the little apple trees will be in honor of the grandkids. I hope to plant a tree, preferably a fruit tree of some kind, for each of them. We want them to grow and bear fruit for the Kingdom, just like their trees.

The grass has been cut. With the rainfall, no doubt I'll be back at it again this weekend. I'm already sporting my farmer tan.

I am so thankful for the warmer days and nights. The sunshine is so welcomed after this winter. The warmth of the sun feels good all the way to my bones.

I trust that you, too, are enjoying the wonderful spring weather and the changes that it brings.