Promise of Hope

I love how spring breathes new life into my soul.  The birds singing, flowers popping up, trees sending forth buds and then leaves.

When it starts to get warm I start dreaming about our garden.  Those of you who know me can laugh heartily.  I have the blackest thumb on the planet.  I am successful in growing babies and that's about it. I've even killed cacti before!

That folks, is the wonder of spring, and the promise of hope that comes in seeds.  Somehow, in spite of season after season of near or utter failure, I still long to plant seeds and dream of abundant crops which my children will be thrilled to eat because we grew them.

This year I managed to get Phil on board and we have dedicated more than old flowerbeds next to the house for potential food.  We've got a chicken wire fence up to keep the hungry rabbits out.  We started digging to expand the area and realized at the pace I could help with a baby that it wasn't going to get done in time.  Thank heavens for friends who are willing to lend their rotor tiller!

The first batch of seedlings that we were growing, I managed to kill.  Left them on top of the dryer while running it all day.  Yup, like I said, black thumb!  The second batch of seedlings are struggling, but we're hopeful they'll make it.  The third installment of seeds has been planted and we look daily for the first signs of life.

Will our spinach, broccoli, numerous varieties of peppers and tomatoes make it from indoor seedlings to thriving plants?  Time will tell.  Will the squash seeds I saved from the grandparents gift of food last summer grow and keep on giving?  Will I get any green beans before the grasshoppers this year?  I don't know, but that's what I love about gardening, it's so full of hope and life!