I had all the usual suspects in the garden yesterday…..11 chickens, 2 bunnies, 10 pigeons, two Mormon Missionaries, one special needs young lady and her mom, one young man with Autism, my good friend and ring leader of the day’s happenings, and myself. It was seed planting day.
The young men cleaned the chicken coop, and spread the old hay around the newly planted veggie gardens. Needless to say, hay was flying everywhere….
“You know, Miss Keenan. Hay isn’t very good for hay fever.”
“That’s true. That’s why we don’t throw the hay at each other. Want to hear a joke? Knock knock”
“Who’s there?”
“Get back to work.”
I have so much fun with these guys. Tristan loves to joke around, and has an uncanny ability to remember lines from comedy acts or old sitcoms his Grandfather used to watch. I think my joke was a big hit….Tristan actually laughed. Meanwhile, the ladies and I were busy weed-pulling and seed planting. We planted Sunflowers, Mexican Sunflower, Rudbekia, a wide variety of Zinnia, Morning Glory and other cut flower delights. I hooe that there will be an abundance of flowers for the Garden Helpers to sell at the Farmer’s Market.
We working on the back part of the property. The back lot is almost an entire native sanctuary for birds and bees. I allow any flowering “weed” to stay, unless it has thorns or stickers and serves no other purpose than to be mean. We found that the Widow’s Tear and Moonflower have readily propagated from last year. The Cow Pen Daisy is everywhere. Cow Pen Daisy is a huge nectar source for just about every butterfly known to mankind, especially the Monarch Butterfly. I also discovered that it is a host plant of sorts for Ladybugs. I need to do a little research, but whatever the reason, Ladybugs are EVERYWHERE.
We took the seeds, pulled the unwanted weeds, planted and talked. We were not rushed or hurried. We talked about life, garden piling, the beautiful colors of Zinnias and talked about what God was doing in our lives. It was peaceful and joyful. I’m beginning to think The Garden Project actually helps more than than just the Garden Helpers. The gardens, and all who are involved, restore my weary, flood-exhausted soul. The gardens are my joy.
Happy Gardening, my friends.