A Growing Experience

Back in the spring I planted my first ever vegetable garden and it has been a learning experience all summer long. Some things worked well and others not so well. The chillier weather in August certainly did not help things out but I learned so many things and have already logged my ideas on how to make my garden a bigger success next year, along with a list of new things I want to try (I may need a few more planter boxes!).
I found the garden such a relaxing/therapeutic thing to work on over the summer and loved the satisfaction of being able to go to the garden and pick vegetables for dinner. I was pretty thrilled the other night when I made a delicious dinner of BBQ chicken and vegetables (all from the garden) and spent less than $4.00 on dinner (with lots left over for lunch the next day). The green beans, swiss chard and carrots are some of my absolute favorite things that I grew but I am also thrilled to have a freezer full of grated zucchini and chopped rhubarb for baking this fall!
I also love planting flowers around the house and was happy with how beautiful they looked too. Overall the gardening was just so fun, I love to get out and work in the dirt! Can't wait to plant my tulip bulbs this fall.

*I love picking bouquets of sweet peas for my house*

*swiss chard for dinner*

*flowers on the back porch*

On a completely different note.......today being September 11th is always a time for me to reflect back on those events and be grateful for what I have. September 11th was a particularly emotional day for me 8 years ago. My Dad had been battling cancer for most of the year and had been diagnosed as being terminal. A few days before Sept.11th the doctor's had stopped all of his treatments and told us there was nothing more they could do for him, to have the family come right away to say goodbye. On the morning of the 11th my Mom and I were making the 4 hour round trip from ON where we lived to the MB airport to pick up our family who were flying in. As we were driving the events of the tragedy unfolded on the radio. Our family was re-routed and came many days later.
At the time my Dad was only conscious for moments at a time and I have never to this day seen someone so close to death as he was. I recall watching the tragic images on 9/11 on the television. From that moment on I have never watched tragedy on the news without thinking of the pain the family of those people must be feeling; victims are no longer nameless faces but some ones spouse, child, parent, etc. As I watched others face loss while I was facing my own loss I developed a different reality on life.
By some miracle my Dad made a full recovery. September 11th always makes me take a few extra moments to be more grateful, to have more patience, to say "I love you" and to show compassion.