Cultivating the Plot

As my wife and I plan this season's garden, we each have different tasks and dreams. My wife primarily thinks of harvest: What do we want from the garden? How much from the garden? I think in terms of gettin'er done: Where do I plant? When do I plant? How can I use my space and time to achieve our desired end? So we have an end in mind- a plan, and we have drawn them up and ordered the seeds. In another month, I will work the soil on three of our raised beds and cover them in plastic to plant spinach, kale, lettuces and other greens and a few other cold weather crops.

Working the plot involves turning over the soil, adding a little compost if needed (we cover each plot with leaf mulch and other organic material in the fall), and removing any weeds. After the soil warms from the plastic, I will turn the soil again and remove any more weeds and then plant. All this planning and preparation is necessary to enjoy a good harvest at the end.

Isn't this process how any desired end is achieved? Plan, work (making, naming, separating) evaluate and enjoy? Do you see your task as a mother or father as cultivating your plot? What is the desired end for your children? How are your plans carried out?

On Our Wall (2)

Dave of Neco Dracones guessed it! Our other Van Gogh print is The Sunflowers (1888). We always have sunflowers in our garden and bring cuttings in our house throughout the late summer and into the fall. Sunflowers, as my wife puts it, "are just so happy!"

Coincidentally, this is why Van Gogh painted them. After a long depression, he and his friend, Gauguin moved into his Yellow House in Arles. His depression lifted and Van Gogh painted a series of four sunflower paintings, the one shown here (and on our wall) is his most famous.

It is nice to have sunflowers in the house all year long.

On Our Wall

We have two Van Gogh prints that have hung on our walls for the past six or seven years. This one is my favorite and seems apropos to my blog theme. It is called First Steps and pictures a man who was tending his garden pausing to receive his daughter as she takes her first steps. He stopped tending the garden, to tend to his family!

In the next few days, I will post more about the name and purpose of my blog.

I'll give a spacial shout out to any who remember or guess the other Van Gogh print on our wall.