Please allow me to introduce my dear sister, Chardale Irvine from the beautiful state of Florida. Char, as we call her, has been persistently been presented with health challenges most of her adult life. While sitting in the greenhouse, I was thinking about the wonderful benefits I get from growing plants for consumption. My thought ranged from the absorption of Vitamin D from the sun's exposure to the increased sense of mental well-being.
My sister has been experimenting with gardening in a sub-tropical climate. Having lived in the Rocky Mountains most of her life, this has been quite a challenge. I asked her to share her gardening experiences and the health benefits she has noticed. I know that you will enjoy her talent for writing and gardening.
My sister Sherone invited me to share a Guest Post on gardening and health on her blog Anna Pearl's Attic (
annapearlsattic.blogspot.com)
As I was pondering how to frame my gardening experiences and
perspective while managing my complex medical Malarkey I found myself
pausing and staring at the disorganized little container garden and the
many projects in various stages of completion around my yard. I thought
from the outside looking in, it would really be hard to call anything in
my yard a 'garden' or the person in charge of this disarray a
'gardener'.
Of course I initially thought this negated my
'qualification' to write about gardening. Then the healthy part of me
(who is the writer in me - thank God) called BS on that.
My
first attempts at starting plants from seed ever (because I had
previously always bought starts) last winter, while sitting mostly
immobile, healing
from superior quad tendon rupture surgery, were profound. I found
myself worrying over them just as I had worried over my children years
ago.
I felt just as nervous, indecisive and RESPONSIBLE for
these living, breathing organisms as I had (and still do) of my
children. Even though they're all adults now and managing their lives my
ear is always still perked for action that may be appropriate at this
stage of the game. I find sitting back and watching quietly is the most
common action of this phase. And that has expanded to my step kids and
my daughters-in-law. Watching quietly feels more dynamic than a physical
or verbal response ever did.
But just as I've learned with my
children there is much about raising kids that I don't control, even if
I'm the 'cause' of the issue in the first place, there is really only
the process of responding to the dilemma in front of me in the
healthiest way possible - for the children (or adults) and for
me. And I find that is a continual evolution as we all pass through our
life phases parallel but not 'together'.
And thus it was with
my baby plant starts that grew up MUCH,MUCH faster than my human babies;
at lightening speed it seemed. Since I was still not able to drive and
couldn't even manage the ridey cart at the garden store I was not
prepared to transplant 18 plants.
I had three pots and just that
much soil and into that went a Sweet Basil start, a cherry tomato start
and something else that perished. I was also able to somehow turn enough
outside soil to plant 2 squash starts and 1 tomato start. (Keep in
mind I was braced to have only a marginal bend in my knee and was in
level 6-9 pain 24/7. How I managed the shovel is just beyond me - and
I'm sure the turning of that soil would have been those plants' certain
demise had I been 'gardening' in a less forgiving climate than Florida.
 |
| The 1st tomato was so delish a squirrel had to sample it. |
I will just note that my point of
reference for gardening was the very less forgiving states of Wyoming,
Colorado and Utah and a 5 plant miniature cactus garden that went coast
to coast with us over 3 1/2 years in an old and persnickety 34 foot RV
(commonly referred to as The Beast).
At the point where some seed
starts perished because I had over-calculated my transplanting
capabilities - I asked God/Spirit/Universe to forgive me for killing
these baby plants and I eventually forgave myself but only after the
'what I thought were dead and gone' tiny baby leek bulbs sprouted out in
the pile waiting to go the long, long, long 15 foot trip from the porch
to the trash.
Long story short or getting to the point - my observations thus far for gardening with injury and illness in Florida:
1. I'm not in charge AT ALL of growing a plant. Growing plants (and people) is God's work.
2. Even without my 'interference' God is quite capable and skilled at growing plants (and
people).
3. It is a simply a HUGE gift that God allows me the
HONOR of peering in and interning with his processes of growing plants
(and people).
4. If I ever wanted to understand the true meaning
of God's forgiveness I can just look to the cycle of perishing plants
that lay in the wake of my inexperience or human-ness - with a once in
awhile second chance like the leeks. Even death has a place in God's
cycle.
 |
| Reviving the baby leeks |
Now to expand?/reduce? that to apply to my daily and
consistently inconsistent limitations of life and functionality and
especially parenting is the challenge.
I am very curious to know where these earthly life internships are taking me.
 |
| Sweet basil - the lone survivor |
Harvest
Report: The only harvest from that first Florida garden was the basil
plant which flourishes largely ignored in my front yard. I put the
squash and tomato up for adoption when I had to move. I brought with me a
couple of adopted plants that produced exactly 2
tomatoes and 1 1/2 green peppers (that second green pepper was shared
with a voracious, mess hall trained eater of a caterpillar.
In
less than one day he ate half of that green pepper and I found him
passed out inside the pepper drunk from green pepper juice. I said
'Dude! You shouldn't have stopped because the party is over now!' And I
carried him over and relocated him into the neighbor's yard. (Ssssshh)
Chardale Irvine blogs about traveling, her medical malarkey and just a bunch of other stuff at:
Chardalescuriousjourney.blogspot.com
Peace be with you and all that jazz.
