Go Green Guys!!!

I asked my students yesterday how many had gardens at home and the number that raised hands was dismal. This is in rural, upstate NY where anyone who wanted one could certainly find a plot! I didn't think much of it in the middle of teaching class, I just congratulated them for being "green."
If I think about it, it is kind of sad though. People don't know what they are missing.

Cultivating a garden is educational for children. There is so much to discuss with them and it is so exciting for them to watch their sprouts come up and eventually bear fruit. When the day comes to make a salad or eat the first radish it is such a feeling of accomplishment and awe at what mother nature provides for us. It is a wonderful way to instill that respect for the environment and the preciousness of life we want to see in our young people.

Gardening is a great stress reliever. Quietly tending the plants, weeding, watering, harvesting and planting are all great times to be alone with your thoughts. The stretching and bending and the distance from the snacks in the refrigerator are all good too!!! I can work outdooors for a good seven hours straight and just stop for water sometimes.

And gardening is good for the environment. More green spaces means less carbon dioxide, more oxygen, more recycling of nutrients and more biodiversity. Think of how much less auto pollution you are generating by growing at home. The vegetables weren't tended by large farm machines burning fossil fuels. No pesticides were used. No trucks had to transport the produce to market. And you did not have to start up your car to drive to the store to buy the tomato. Your own homegrown produce is also fresher and tastes better!

Even if you start small and let the weeds get the better of you, the benefits will be substantial to you. Start a garden next spring and chances are in a couple years you will be on your second or third expansion of your green patch! Go Greener and enjoy the fruits of your labor of love!

The Big Event

We just married off a son this Labor Day weekend. All the preparation and all the cost was ruling us for a week or two beforehand. Out of town relatives were provided for and housed appropriately, arrivals and departures were scheduled and a little bit of sight seeing was accomplished as well.

I have to say, this was the most informal wedding I have attended in many a year!!! It was a tent in the yard, family and closest friends only, mom and pop arrangement that really worked. The ceremony took less than five minutes. Then, we just mingled and ate and departed. I think we were there maybe 3 hours total. The dinner was centered around pizza and cupcakes, which was a little joke of the bride and groom. The guests provided supplemental dishes and snacks and the tables were layden with interesting fare.

We thoroughly enjoyed the day and the fact that the event brought family in to town to visit us was a bonus too. We housed a few at our home and some at a nearby hotel. The maximum we figured would be at our home for any one meal would be twenty-two. We were unsure if a dinner would be necessary that evening after the wedding or not. So, we prepared for a simple picnic. We didn't need to cook that evening, but it ended up being lunch the following day. Everything worked out just right really.

Our guests that evening snacked and sat around the campfire and roasted marshmallows. The kids climbed the apple tree and had sword fights etc... and the women congregated inside after dark gathered around the young mother of a darling three month old baby girl. She was the center of attention almost as much as the bride had been this weekend.

Now, everyone is gone home and we are lapping up the peace and quiet and consuming the leftovers. We have the satisfaction of an entertaining responsibility done well, some sprucing up was done around the homestead, which I always appreciate.