"Boomerang garden!"

Hi all-

Today, I spent the majority of my time outside in my flower beds and garden. As I'd mentioned the weeds had grown massively while I'd been in North Ga. Last week I attacked the larger weeds, but the smaller ones were still rampant. So today was "operation attack weeds."

As I worked on all of these outdoor areas I thought about our world today and I thought about the world in the past. And yes, many of my thoughts were about gardens, but they were also about the way our economy is functioning and even how marriages have worked in the past and how they work now.

So where did my mind wander in garden land? Well, honestly it wandered to the Civil War (or as a proper Southerner I should say, the War of Northern Aggression). As I worked in the dirt and looked at my fingernails, YUCK (lots of dirt under them) I thought of Scarlett O'Hara. Now, yes she's a fictional character, but one that has always intrigued me. And I thought about how she, even worked in a garden. And it was this very garden that provided food for her family, children, sister, brother-in-law etc...

Then my mind wandered to World War II, and many Americans had "Victory Gardens" in order to help provide for their families and reduce the pressure on the public food suppliers. These gardens also were what kept many families going.

Of course, my mind then wandered backwards in time to the Great Depression. Now, when I began to think of the Great Depression I thought about how gardens once again could and most likely did provide for a great many families.

Finally, I thought about our world today. Here we are in war again....and who knows when it will or can end. Don't get me wrong, I don't think it should end until our objectives are complete and I wholeheartedly support the war, but it did create a parallel for me.

People today are so used to getting what they want, when they want it. Instant gratification!! Gardens don't work like this nor do flower beds. Instead they require, time, care and diligence. Then if the care is effective and the time is well spent then slowly the herbs, flowers, vegetables, and fruits begin to develop.

So why don't more people realize their need for a garden, today? I don't know. But what I do know is that our economy has slowed. We are heading into a recession if not a depression although no politician will ever admit it's a depression since that word scares people too badly, but if the economy remains slow for more than 3 quarters then we will be in another depression.

But will this economic strife change the way people function? I don't know, but I doubt that it changes the way many Americans work. Instead they'll borrow money or put more debt on their credit cards. Once again, seeking that oh so status quo goal of instant gratification. The "I want it all and I want it now," mentality."

But I, for one, refuse to fall into that pattern. Rather, I'm hopeful and determined that our garden will help us through many of these economic hard times, just as gardens have done for many families before us.

Let me show you some images from our garden...and how incredible it can to reject the instant gratification mentality and embrace the slow but steady mindset. And also just to brag on my garden. :)

See this little green circle? It's a baby watermelon. Isn't it amazing? It's hard to see in this picture, but is almost exactly in the middle of the picture.


Then there are the tomatoes. We are already reaping the benefits from these.Oh and don't forget the cabbage... (also easily seen in this picture) And note the green pepper that almost blends in on the far right side of the picture. It's also almost ready for picking! It will be our first pepper of the season.

Here are the beginnings of a baby eggplant. I'm holding the flower in which it's forming.

The picture above is magnified to try to enhance the flower image. And here are the broccoli plants.

I forgot to take a picture of the many blooms on the squash and cucumbers. I can hardly wait until we reap the rewards of this harvest. Then of course, there's the herbs and lettuce, all of these we are already being able to use in our meals!

And as I thought about how this small little garden will provide for my family, both now and through the winter (yes I'm going to can/preserve food from it), I decided it needed a name. I didn't want to call it a victory garden. My garden has very little to do with the war. I thought about calling it an "economic garden" but didn't care for the sounds of it. And finally, it hit me. It's a boomerang garden. Why? Because this garden will change how my little family functions during economically hard times. Hopefully, and perhaps it will keep us from being hurt as badly by the rising prices of foods. It will definitely save us gas and honestly will make us feel like we have an abundance even during a country wide, economic slow down. So with that in mind, boomerang seems to fit....because although we pay out some during these economically hard times to get things started the benefits from it come right back to us in abundance.

And yes, my mentality is changing during this time about more than just the garden. We're recycling more and trying to conserve in each way we can. Rolling down the windows in the car when we are going under 40. The breeze is nice.

Or conserving and saving what can be reused in the kitchen. Just tonight I cleaned off some aluminum foil and scrubbed it thoroughly so that we could use it again. Yes, that took my mind back to the Great Depression ideology.

And you know...I'm hopeful many others will begin to re-evaluate their priorities. Perhaps the higher prices of gas, the inflated food prices and simply the higher price of living will be good for us all. It will make each of us re-evaluate our priorities.

Now with all of that said, are we economically hard off? Absolutely not and far from it! But just as the ants stored their food away for winter while the grasshopper played in Aesop's Fables, I find myself feeling the same need.

And maybe we won't need it, but I am surely thankful we have our "Boomerang Garden" nonetheless. Because none of us really know, what tomorrow may bring, but with the right decisions (such as conserving, saving, recycling and preserving for our needs) we can find ourselves much more prepared.

I guess the only question left in my mind on this subject is this? How will this new economy change your life?