Would This Please Be My Future?

I've had some next to perfect days in my life, but the last several days have left me relaxed and hopeful that part of my future will include days that are similar to this last weekend. I'm house sitting while my aunt and uncle are away to Europe, although there's a little bit more to it than just the house. There's the soft loving cat, the vegetable and herb gardens, the koi pond, the compost, and the family rose garden. There are the birds, the large trees, the multiple bees pollinating the thousands of flowers, and the constant ripple of water. And while not on my list of "must haves" there is also the hot tub and cable TV.

On Saturday morning I headed out to the garden and after two hours came back with a ton of produce: (The herb garden, the veggie garden, and one days harvest).

I have passed some off to my aunt who lives down the way, the lawn care man, and made pasta sauce for my cousins and myself. I returned with another couple of buckets of produce today, as the zucchini, tomatoes, and green beans are going to town. I am leery though of the corn picking due to a "earwig" aversion, so I have developed my own technique for corn removal. It goes a little something like this: while standing far back, remove outer leaf from corn while on stalk, once bugs have run for cover, gingerly and quickly twist ear of corn from stalk making sure to leave any remaining earwigs behind.

With all of the remaining produce on the counter, I will have to make more pasta sauce, bake some zucchini bread (a couple got out of control) and attempt to preserve as much as I can. I have not even put a dent in the food that was left in the fridge for me before they left.

It has been a pleasure to spend my days in a certain routine. Checking the garden for produce, changing out the bird baths and refilling the bird feeders, watering the plants, feeding the koi, lavishing the cat with attention when desired. My uncle re-installed the laundry line device in the laundry room and I have been able to hang my laundry to dry again.

And I am again reminded that doing basic activities has a certain soothing quality for the soul. I hear the breeze moving through the trees, the chirp of the birds, and the patter of the squirrels. I notice the blending of the grass hopper on the leaf as I pick the green beans and I find the little frog hidden amongst the petals of the rose as I dead-head. I am surrounded by the bees happily feeding on the blossoms of flowers and feel the quick fly by of the hummingbird headed off to its next meal. The heat of the day warms my skin and my arms sting from irritation from the produce leaves; and I feel so alive as I embrace the every day existence of life outdoors.

In a phone call with my granny this morning, I was amazed that although she struggles hearing a variety of sounds anymore, she recognized the rattling of the leaves of the zucchini bush as I picked produce. When engaged in a conversation with a neighborhood member the other morning when I went to get the paper, she asked if my aunt and uncle had been raised by farmers. I said that although my grandparents always had a large garden, they weren't necessarily farmers. Yet thinking about that conversation and the phone call this morning, I've realized that in a sense my grandparents probably could be considered farmers in comparison to the majority of society. How lucky that they ingrained a variety of their skills into their children and grandchildren.

My aunt and uncle have this piece of land in what has now become a major suburb of the city due to their own hard work. At one time they had horses where the garden and another pond now reside, and in my minds eye..I can't help but envision how perfect it would be with a couple of little sheep. :-) The beauty of their property exists due to the hours of time put into it by my aunt and uncle however. They take a pride in their land and the land has in turn provided them with food, with beauty, and with a haven that is enjoyed by a multitude of natural creatures.

Now if only I can replicate their hard work onto a piece of land of my own someday....however that is still plenty far away.