Faith

I watched a movie awhile ago called "Faith like Potatoes" and I have been thinking of that movie this morning. Well and faith in a garden. We all need faith in something God, our co-workers, our kids, our parents, our family, ourselves, a small seed to grow into a fruit bearing tree that can feed both a family and our friends and we need to believe in our parenting skills because otherwise we would go nuts. We look and we search for reasons to believe in something. I have friends who believe that there is no God, and even that is a belief in something. It is a choice an individual choice, a personal decision to believe in anything. So if we are all searching, why do we as humans judge others for being different from ourselves? Here is the thing you can be an Atheist, a Baptist, a Catholic, Orthodox, Muslim, Islam, Jehovah Witness, Jewish, Non-denominational Christan, Buddhist, or any of the other religions that I can not think of in this moment when it comes down to it we all have to believe in something that can not be known for sure until the very end of our lives. We can not base our beliefs on the crazy extremist out there because they do not represent the mass of people who believe in that religion, but we can not condemn them either. We are all part of the human species, regardless of your personal outlook we must try to reach an understanding and promote peace. We can only start with ourselves. Peace and change starts at home. Don't judge your friends and neighbors ability to parent, earn money, or just live. We all struggle with something bigger then ourselves, every one of us. More then likely you will not know what anyone else struggles with. So don't push your style of life on to others, don't put another person down, don't try and discourage the people around you. Because if you do you will be left alone. It is hard to be alone. I want to be honest with you. I struggle. I struggle everyday about being good enough, strong enough, smart enough, and my list goes on. I am doing the best that I can, but I think I am not. I want to be a better person. I want people to leave me feeling better about themselves. I do not want anything back. That means you too my friend. I want you to know that as long as you are trying to be the best you can be that you are doing great.

Believe it or not this post was meant to lead into the garden. So today my faith is like planting a garden it is a small seed that I hope will grow to feed my family, and one day maybe your family too. A seed is planted, my seed is HOPE.

This is my friend Big Red. He is very territorial to the point he attacks his reflection in the windows of the house and the car mirrors on a daily bases.

I love his bright color. This live oak is all his. I have never seen another bird in it.

This is one of our Olive trees. This little two foot tall tree will grow into a ten foot tall tree that will bare up to 45 pounds of olives in one season. Yeah I think faith is like and olive tree.

Last year we planted garlic. They did not grow very big so we replanted them and here they are trying again. I am hoping that I will be able to use them in spaghetti sauce next year.

This fig tree started out as a branch that Rob cut off of our original fig tree. This branch took root and wants to be a tree. Faith is like this Fig Tree. If you work hard you can grow and change.

My friends I hope that you can see the beauty all around you. Maybe it is a bird that hangs out around the house or maybe it is the frost you find on your windows in the early morning, maybe it is as simple as seeing your children smile. We all are capable of becoming the people we want to be. You are worth it, you are good enough, you are strong enough. Just believe in yourself and you can.

I hope you week is filled with Love, and Laughter. Be well my friends.

Garden News

I am excited to show you what is growing on in the garden. First thing first the new additions to our garden. When we went to the local nursery to look for new trees, (we want to add a pecan, lemon, persimmon, and more pomegranates for our hedge row) for once Rob did not find anything he wanted and we came home with three half priced roses. I happily told him that they would add some beauty, and attract bees for the vegetables.

This has the sweetest smelling flowers!

This is an Olympian Rose.

This is a pink promise.

Let's just say I fell in love with this rose and I have never been so happy to receive flowers.

This is not where they will be planted, well maybe we will plant the pink one here so that I can open the window and have a sweet breeze to fill the house.

I hardly ever get flowers but when I do I am glad they are alive.

Sad news comes from the garden. Rob pulled out the melon plants. They were covered in aphids. Did you know Ants farm them? Once the ants brought them over to the melon vines they exploded. We planted them to late in the season. We learned a lesson and hopefully we will apply it next year.

Zucchini is still growing well. The squash are slowing down. I am incredibly happy with all the squash I have gotten to feed to my family.

I was surprised to find this lovely yellow squash this morning.

I think we will be able to have at least one more meal made from garden squash.

The boys may get an acorn squash before the growing season ends.

Jelly bean tomato, with a side of beets please. This little jelly bean tomato has flowers which means the boys may get a couple of tomatos after all.

I think these are called purple hull beans. Rob planted them with the squash. They are kind of sweet. So we have decided to plant a whole bed of these next year.

Butternut squash! It is a little bitty one but it will taste just as good as any. I am sure. We had two bigger ones but the boys attacked them and throw them over the fence to hide what they had done.

These are pie pumpkins.

I am currently dreaming of pumpkin pie.

Lots of pumpkin pie.

When Rob pulled out one our amaranth plants he shook out the seeds along our fence and two of those little seeds took root! God is good. I love a surprise.

I think that this a purple potato plant. We planted potatoes in the spring and we thought we had lost them but here they are making a wonderful entrance.

We planted more than a dozen different pepper plants and the Rats ate them all. These two some how came back. We may not get any peppers but it does add more greenery to the fence line.

Purple asparagus. This is another plant we thought was gone but it is a true picture of perseverance. It struggles because I often forget to water them but some how it keeps trying to grow.  

One day these little purple asparagus will turn into something truly wonderful. They may even make us a meal in a few years.

Pineapple pear flowers.

We have struggled with fire blight on our pear trees. The Bartlett pear is a lost cause.

Here is hope on a branch.

We spent the summer fighting the battle of tomato's. We finally gave up surrendering to the harsh elements.

We ignored these black cherry tomatoes

Now it is completely covered by little green tomatoes

Sometimes the lessons you can learn in the garden are not just when to plant. This year I have learned more about God's love, and his plan for us. I have no doubt that God is a loving God. I can see that he wants us to have hope, to persevere even when it seems as if there is no way to survive.



Miracles happen everyday, sometimes we don't see them because we are so busy doing what needs to be done. These small miracles are there and it is easy to see them in the garden but I have to wonder if I am missing some that happen in everyday life. I know God is with me and my family. I hope that I will continue to grow in his light.

I hope that your week is filled with small Miracles, Love and Laughter. Be well my friends.