Much to my delight and not at all to my surprise, I found myself with my hands in the soil on Earth Day. A day that started in leaden clouds slowly broke to a clear sky, sun beaming, by the afternoon. And I was beaming too. I've just started doing some gardening work for an elderly couple - Tom and Dorothy - who are both sweet and fiery. With slight figures and small hunches to their backs, they refuse to stop for age, and spent most of the day outside with me gardening. And I'm not talking watering-plants-with-a-miniature-watering-can-gardening. No, I mean shoveling huge scoops of compost and soil into a raised veggie bed area they've created. The best part of it all was that they weren't alone; as I wrangled day lilies out of the ground for transplanting, I watched as Tom and Dorothy and their neighbor Greg worked on the plot together. Apparently these neighbors have shared this garden spot for years, sharing in the abundance it has put forth as well. Beautiful.
Dorothy sent me home with a bouquet of tulips from her garden and inspiration to do some gardening work back at home.
I've spent a lot of time as of late wishing that my dream of becoming a farmer on a communal farm would just realize itself already! But yesterday served as another reminder that it's happening - right before my eyes. And as I helped Beau and his friend Chris (who came with his sweet daughter Ela) put the finishing touches on one of our hoop houses, I let that realization sweep over me and felt a great deal of gratitude.
The day ended in homemade
Irish soda bread, the last of our tomato soup (the best canned soup I've ever tasted - botulism-free, too!), and a sunset walk with Neil to get gelato in Fairhaven.
Happy Earth Day!
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