Garden Changes & A Bit O' Preservation

The garden is in transition. We're still getting green beans and the tomatos came on full force. I picked our one red pepper this last week and we managed to get three small-medium pumpkins. I spent part of the weekend ripping out some of the stuff that has passed its prime and some that never really did what it was supposed to do. We did fairly well for our first trial run and we're discussing adding winter covers to one of the raised beds to try our hand at some basic fall/winter gardening. There definitely will be some changes to the lay-out of the raised beds next year, but altogether I am impressed by the variety of fruit and veggies that we planted, grew, and harvested. A few things to add for next year: other herbs (especially basil), potatoes, potentially corn, and hot peppers. A few garden pictures and one of preservation:

 The last artichoke blossom left to seed.

Two tiny cantalope that hopefully will still be good eating.

Some of the sweetest grapes we've ever eaten, coming over the fence from the neighbors.

 Harvest one of the tomatoes.

And I can take absolutely no credit for this, but my parents gave hub and I their old canner to use and hub made his first batch of salsa. He has a few other recipes in mind, but we'll see how timing goes with the craziness of the week ahead of us. His salsa is delicious and mild enough for me, although he wishes it was spicy enough for him. ;) Now that he's got the canning part down though, hopefully we can try our hand at more preservation next year.



Parental values

The last few days have felt amazing outside--that sunny, glorious, yet still cooler weather.  The type of weather that I'm savoring as I think about working inside all day and about the upcoming hot Louisiana summer.  It's been so wonderful to be out in it whether on my run, poking around in the dirt, or taking the crazies to some new spot for them to run around and explore.  However this afternoon I had some thoughts based on the fact that:

I'm glad that I had the upbringing that I did.  While my childhood may have not been ideal to some, I completely appreciate the multitude of values that my parents  instilled in me (and also the example and values instilled in them by my grandparents).  I have to say that when I did go through my variety of psychology classes,  my parents parenting style was right on the money in terms of it being one of the healthiest types.

These thoughts are some that came to me based on reflection on the type of person I've become (someone I hope and think my parents and family members are proud of) but also as a reflection based on the high numbers of children that are present on most military posts.  The fact that my husband and I plan to wait until my mid-30s to reproduce is pretty strange around these parts, and the fact that I'm not entirely sure I want to have kids (nor biological children) is almost unheard of.  However if/when we do have children, I hope to pass on many of the values that my parents instilled in me.

So what are some of these things that I'm so thankful for?  Well I'm glad you asked because I'm planning on sharing. ;-)  They are:

--INDEPENDENCE---as kids we were always responsible for keeping our own rooms clean and getting our own breakfast; by 10 I was doing my own laundry and helping to mow the lawn; in high school my parents would listen to my predicaments but they always encouraged me to make my own decisions; my parents were always available for advice but they never tried to be my best friend; Dad taught me how to use a hammer, fill a car tire with air, paint a house, and a variety of other worthy skills

--MONEY MANAGEMENT---when they had finances available we were given allowances and we had to save up for items we wanted (I can remember at 8 or 9 saving bday and allowance $ to get the cabbage patch doll I wanted.....they even helped me calculate the sales tax so I'd know how much I needed); at about 12 dad taught me how to calculate sale percentages; in high school I was responsible for budgeting from my allowance (and saved lunch money cause I didn't eat lunch half the time) to pay my way to social events (including buying the dance outfit, etc, and buying bday presents for friends etc); my parents made sure my needs were covered but any wants I had to figure out a way myself; in undergrad my dad payed what was left of my tuition, my rent, and car insurance--I worked 2-3 part time jobs a year to cover my books, 75% of my food, gas (the 1 year I had a car to get to my practicum), and any extras; after undergrad dad did continue to help with my car insurance but everything else was on my own----due to all this I've known how to budget as long as I can remember....

--LOVE BEING/WORKING OUTDOORS---while we never really went camping by the time I came along my parents were always big on appreciating nature whether it was the smell of fresh air or a beautiful sunset;  we were always encouraged to play outside; we always were growing something regardless of where we lived (even if just flowers); from my father I also developed my love of jogging & swimming (until he had knee surgery Dad ran 3 miles 3x a week, often when I really am struggling while running I just think of how much Dad would appreciate the opportunity); and as a kid I remember watching/helping mom with canning, jamming, etc; Dad also taught me what I do know about gardening

--STEWARDSHIP---we were taught to respect diversity (whether SES, ethnicity, ability, etc), to love God, and to help those who need it; in the last 5 years my parents are also some of my biggest environmental encouragers/supporters ;); we also were taught to complete the task whether that was care for a person/pet/commitment; they also taught me to keep in mind the needs of others--whether this is noise level issues, pollution, etc

These are just a few of the things that I can think of, but I wish every child could gain exposure to these values.  While I recognize that we're not always products of our childhood environments, I am so glad in many ways that I really am a composite of both my parents.  Hopefully, just as my parents took the best from their parents, I can pass on the best of my parents to any children that my husband and I do have someday.  Because as my brother so aptly put it yesterday, a parent's role is to produce a wonderful contribution for the world....not always to have their child like them....here's hoping we can rise to the challenge with the right amount of love, grace, and strength whenever that day comes.

Just some thoughts for the day.... ;-)