We had a four week unit study focusing on Patience earlier this spring, which included planning, planting and cultivating a Patience Garden. We thought we'd share some pics from that study and let you all know that it is taking a long, long time to learn patience! And you cannot learn patience in a vacuum--it REQUIRES more than one person, so this has INEVITABLY become a family study.
Background: Simon grew up with backyard gardens. I did not. This is all new to me, so my important job has been to photo document the process, rub sore muscles, encourage tired weeders and medicate blisters. :) My favorite perch from which to do these things was our hammock, from which I got some great perspective shots. Enjoy!
Tilling our virgin soil in the backyard
Elanor enjoying some frisbee fetching while
the gardeners (like JSS below) prepared the earth.
Finished product included the benefits of
many man hours of mixing manure into the
soil so that it was nutrient rich and pesticide free.
(Yes, it smelled a wee bit ripe while they were doing it.)
Funny story about that...
They mixed a little of the soil in with a little manure
at a time in a large garbage can. Same day they finished,
I went to check on JSS and COS in the back yard and
guess what they were doing...taking turns rolling one
another around the backyard *IN* that same trash
can! P-stinking-U!!! (They enjoyed it, though.)
The gorgeous master mind behind the project
plotting the position of each plant before they
went into the ground. He asked everyone what
they wanted and our garden consists of those
things we all wanted the most that cost
the most to buy to help us be good stewards
(see previous unit study on Stewardship).
Lots of back-breaking work and sweat
go into the making of a home garden.
COS most wanted strawberries
and grapes. Of COURSE her
Daddy gave her her heart's desire.
Waiting for transplantation
I just love this shot simply because it relayed to
you the activity I got to witness from the hammock.
COS and JSS have LOVED this project I think
the MOST of all of them this year. Simon
has been very gratified by it, as well. :)
Planting the tomatoes in their cages
Here is our newly planted
Patience Garden a couple of months
ago...
...and the fruits of their labor by
Memorial Day!
LOVE this pic because JSS is in the background
planting his sunflower on the edge of the garden
while CSS is reading the instructions
aloud to me on the hammock.
Cucumber plant
Bell pepper
Wee little jalepeno, which when
JSS told me what it was proudly
said, "That starts with a 'j,' Mom."
This may be another bell pepper.
It's so TEENY!
JSS's favorite...roma tomatoes.
Understand this, JSS does NOT like
tomatoes at ALL. He literally gags
and has thrown up trying to get them
down his throat, but he said this morning
when I was taking pics,
"Mom, did you get pictures of the roma
tomatoes? They are my favorite! They're
fuzzy like tarantulas!"
COS showing off the peppers to me
COS's strawberry plant
She picked and ate three this morning!
I love this pic because they kind of make the
shape of a heart with their bodies.
I think that's perfect since they love
spending time out there in their
very own Patience Garden, even
if the time spent is weeding. :)
No comments:
Post a Comment