Friday, October 24th, 2008 « A Mother’s Journal

Our Homeschool Garden

By Lynn, on October 24th, 2008%

In the garden, we work together, Princess of the Universe and I. She watches me turn over shovels full of rich ground, breaking it up and savoring its potential to give life.

I cannot describe how it makes me feel to see her working the ground, lost in her own thoughts as she plays with the dirt, learning its texture and its wonderful smell. Nothing smells like freshly turned soil, you know.

I imagine myself a real gardener. A pioneer. More my great-great-grandmother than myself, as I wonder: could I have planted enough, and tended it well enough, to feed my family if this was all we had?

My daughter has not yet given up. Pulling the hoe across the ground she makes three straight rows. Pulling a little packet of seeds from her pocket she reads and plants in quietness. The quietness of our tiny garden.

I love my garden, but I love Princess of the Universe more. For every month she lived in me and her very life depended on my own heartbeat, my love for her is multiplied a million times. No. More. It’s more than I can measure.

Sometimes I think I have the market cornered on mother love, but no, I suppose we all love our children just that way. If we didn’t, I guess life wouldn’t be worth living.

Maybe it’s a little thing that she loves the ground and loves to garden, but I think she got it from me. Imagine. A little part of me, in her. I cannot help but treasure her. I cannot help but treasure especially any little part of her that shines forth as something good that I have wanted to teach her.

Lynn

PS – We planted collards yesterday.

Pumpkins!!

By Lynn, on October 24th, 2008%

I kept my pumpkin pictures from the State Fair separate from the others. Why? Because Miss Priss and I are studying The Pumpkin Runner right now (using lessons from Five In A Row) and I wanted to post just our pumpkin pictures all together!

Who knew pumpkins could get this big? Maybe that’s the reason Cinderella rode in a pumpkin coach? Do you think maybe someone was growing large pumpkins even way back then?

My! 466.8 pounds. No wonder they don’t want anyone to touch these. Can you imagine the care that went into keeping this thing evenly watered and pest-free while it was growing?

Pumpkins! Look at the variety — the textures, the color. I think pumpkins are one of the prettiest sights of the season. It’s one of those “little things” we can be thankful for. In our culture — in many a childhood — pumpkins are a big part of fall.

Ooooooooooooh, look at the little teeny pumpkin.

And more little pumpkins.

I had to save this big daddy for last. 612 pounds 8 ounces!! Grown in Lexington, North Carolina. Wow!

Just as an aside, NPR had a pretty neat story about pumpkin growers in the northeast and their exploding pumpkins. Growing very large pumpkins takes a lot of care.

We hope you enjoy our pumpkin pictures.

Hugs,
Lynn