Garden Report

So.  This garden of ours.  I'm not sure exactly what we did right this year, but it has been great fun to reap a bountiful harvest. 

We did do a couple of things differently.  I read an article about small space gardening (even though we actually have plenty of space) which advocated planting veggies and flowers in an intermingled fashion, sticking plants in and around each other rather than in rows.  I gave it a try.  The author of that article probably meant that a gardener should plan what each plant would look like in maturity when sticking stuff in the ground, which I did sort of and sort of not. 

Basically, I planted plants and seeds with an idea of how big things would get based on how our garden has done over the past decade.  Which is to say, I expected at least half the plants to get eaten by deer and/or rabbits, another third or so to either dry up during a drought or get choked by weeds or who knows what.  We've never had a majority of plants survive the growing season. 

What a difference this year.  I planted marigolds anywhere I had a little bare patch and covered the beets (which always seem to be the first plants eaten by animals) with a garden tent.  The only plants that were not successful were the kale.  They were growing just fine, but we had a wee Japanese beetle problem, and by 'wee' I mean it was like a plague.  So, not much kale for us.  Who cares? you might be thinking, but I have my kids brainwashed to think that kale chips are a treat. 

 

 

We also added garden manure pellets at the beginning of the summer, and the weather was primo.  Not super hot, not super wet.

Possibly the most exciting development has been the pumpkin patch.  It has long been my dream to plant pumpkins (aim for the stars, right?).  We actually tried once before and had a yield of exactly one small, wimpy gourd.  Check out our results this year:

This is about half of our yield.  Jack-o-lanterns for everybody!!  Plus the neighbors!  Just kidding.  I'm not sharing.  :)  In the foreground above, you'll also notice the remains of a fairy garden house constructed by Joy.

We also have tons, and I mean tons, of spaghetti squash and butternut squash.  Makes me happy.  Our green peppers and cucumbers did pretty darn well, too. 

So, this is the 2014 summary of our little plot of agriculture.  It may always be remembered as the year Mom actually kept the garden alive. 

What They See

On my wedding day, I was 5'8" and weighed 125 pounds.  I worked as a physical therapist in a physically demanding job and worked out just about every day.  I taught group exercise (aka aerobics - dating myself here) classes and ran regularly, among other forms of exercise.  I thought I had fat thighs. 

Fifteen months later, I gave birth to our first child.  Almost instantaneously, I became less concerned about every little imperfection on my body.  I looked at myself and thought I resembled the women in renaissance paintings - curvy, maternal-looking.  Did I mind?  No.  Kind of liked it, actually. 

For years prior, the thought of anyone catching a glimpse of what I considered a less-than-ideal rear end in running tights (or whatever form-fitting pants I occasionally wore) was horrifying to me.  I always wore a sweater or shirt long enough to cover that.  All of a sudden, I had curves and some extra lumps here and there, and I really did not care who knew it. 

My whole concept of what my body was for had suddenly changed. 

My husband, God bless him, tells me how pretty I am no matter what state of pre-, post-, or right-in-the-thick of pregnancy I happen to be. 

I'm not advocating a just-let-yourself-go mentality here.  Staying healthy is important!  What I'm suggesting is that motherhood drastically changed my perception of what my body should be and what behaviors in me were most important to the well-being of my family.

My first child is a girl.  Do I want her to grow up thinking that her most important attribute is her outward appearance?  Do I want her to think physical perfection (who even knows what that is!) is something she should obsess over?  Do I want her to torture herself by comparing herself to airbrushed models in magazines?  Absolutely not.  I realized early on that the first person she would learn that stuff from is me. 

So, I exercise as much as I can.  We eat pretty healthfully around here.  I try to teach my kids about good nutrition and the pitfalls of too much sugar.  But, do we enjoy treats and hit a drive thru now and again?  Heck yes. 

When my 6 year old jumps in my lap and squeezes me around the neck, does she care that my belly is more round than it used to be?  When my 2 year old looks in my eyes, smiling and singing, does he care about the crow's feet and laugh lines? 

My husband, who cares about my health and longevity, makes sacrifices so I can get away and exercise.  He rejoices with me when a few more baby pounds melt away and I can get into smaller pants.  But, does he make me feel less attractive when I am in the process?  No. 

I am blessed with such a man. 

I hope when my kids look back on their childhood, they remember a mom who smiled and laughed and hugged them a lot.  I hope they learn that exercise and nutritious food makes a person feel better.  I'm pretty sure they won't consider whether what size of jeans their mom was wearing when we went to the beach or decorated the Christmas tree.  Lots of love - that's what I want my family to see in me.  I hope they do.