Howdy blogworld.
I’m so pleased to be greeting you from way down deep in the heart of Texas.
The last time I was in Houston, my parents and grandparents had just planted a garden. I wasn’t all that impressed, really, as it just looked like a bunch of dirt and seemed like a kinda boring hobby to me. Over the past few months, Mom has been sending me photos from her cell phone of some of the new growth but the pictures haven’t been of stellar quality so I could not believe it when I saw the garden with my own eyes! It still has a way to go but I cannot believe it is already bearing some fruit!
I’m so excited for my parents and grandparents to have this new little garden! My grandparents, who are in their mid to late seventies, tend to the garden every single day. Each time the four of them grow something new they quarter the vegetable and eat it together, even if it’s a tiny little Roma tomato. I’m also pretty floored. I do not have a green thumb. A few years ago Colin gave me his cactus plant to take care of for a few months and I killed it in record time. I’ve even been known to starve a variety of bamboo, which, according to Colin, is pretty impressive. And please do not get me started on the rosemary I tried to plant during my cooking craze. The death of the rosemary plant was the final straw, not to mention a prophetic foreshadowing signifying the doom of my overall Betty Crocker agenda.
Do you have a garden? If so, what kind of fun stuff do you grow? If you’re like me and you don’t have a green thumb, what is your latest hobby? My latest hobby is photography. I can’t get enough. I’m driving my entire family bonkers.
Looks to me like your photography is growing and flourishing as much as your Mom’s garden! Keep up the good work. We gardeners need proof of our end product’s existance since we eat the evidence!
Thanks for the garden pix, Melissa. Makes me want to get mine going again. I guess I’m on hiatus and it’s too late in the season now. My husband retired at the first of the year so we’re FINALLY getting some of those honey-do’s checked off the list. I want to rip out the hot tub – we don’t use it much since the boys have moved out and it just doesn’t seem as much fun without the whole soccer team crowded around in it trying to soak out the aches and pains of victory (or defeat as the case may be). So – I want to rip out the hot tub and put an herb garden in its place. I sympathize about the rosemary plant as I had a wonderful big plant that I loved but couldn’t survive last winter’s freezing temps – sigh. Anyway, my latest hobby is herb gardening – and taking pictures of it 🙂
The title of your blog tickled me. I am a horticulturist and my husband is a forester. We adored “Veggie Tales” (Madame Bluebery will forever be quoted in this house and silly songs are still a fav) but everytime the kids watched one, my husband would say, “Tomatoes, cucumbers, and squash are fruits. These are not veggies. Okay kids? Fruits, okay? Got that?”
Finally, our kids switched the name to “Fruity Tales” followed by everything from “Batty Fruit Tales” to “Nix v. Hedden 1883 is it a Fruit or a Veggie Tale.” Yes, this family is a little odd.
The language of our married life and hence, the family life, is plants. My husband will ask if we want to go to the restaurant with the “Itea virginica or the one where they put down white pea gravel for mulch.” We roll our eyes at the pea gravel and the 16 year old who hates plants says, “Oh please the pea gravel place because they have good hamburgers and that other place only has groovy food.” (Hey, we live in a groovy town.)
Both children swore, the minute they left home, they would never, ever, even live around plants. I wasn’t sure how this was going to happen but the oldest one is currently driving a boat for the Coast Guard in the Gulf. I was impressed. Didn’t think he’d accomplish it but so far, so good. We’ll see what the next one does! 🙂
From a hort’s perspective Melissa, you captured the “fruits” of your grandparent’s labors beautifully. You show a genuine talent for it. Art, whether one is planting it or photographing it, is a lovely gift from our Lord.
Cinthia,
What a great glimpse into your ‘fruity’ fun family…thoroughly enjoyed it!…and seriously, pea gravel does not = mulch!! 😀
Seriously does not! Unless you’re into Xeriscaping, then okay, you get a break. 🙂
LOL We loved those little tunes at our house, too. Some of them would get stuck in all our heads to the point that we drove each other crazy! Madam Blueberry was one of them.
Along with: God is bigger than the boogie man, he’s bigger than Godzilla, or the monsters on TV… 🙂
Melissa, I am like you: a woman with a black thumb in a family of green thumbs. This year, though, I am successfully growing a basil plant. This is my 3rd attempt at basil but it’s actually taking. My hubby l laughs at how much time and attention I spend on one plant but it’s becoming fun. Maybe next year I’ll try rosemary?
Hello from Alberta Canada! We cherish our summer months because we have such long winters. I have raspberry bushes, strawberry plants and blueberry plants. My neighbor’s little boys ALWAYS volunter to pick them but more of it goes into their mouths that into the bucket.
I have always enjoyed many hobbies but recently my mom inspired me to knit and crotchet again with knit-a-block. I can knit or crochet a 10 inch block of any pattern (I like making up my own)once I get 60 of them, I will put them together to make a quilt. It has been lots of fun and I actually make time for a row or two in the car waiting for whatever to happen. The really great thing is my daughters ( ages 6 and 3) want to learn. I have Laci working on a chain stitch. And Haylee didn’t last long but she has a ball of yarn and a large crochet hook. What fun we are having!
I cheated this year__I went home to MS. and visiting my dad. Plan to buy alot of home-grown corn, collard greens, black-eye peas, butter beans etc. to take home and put in my freezer. at least..that is what I am praying to get. Maybe, I should stop by your house and get some squash on the way back to OKlahoma that is on my way home. LOL
Hi… I have always had a pencil or paint brush in my hand even as a small child… but for years now I just paint here and there… mostly as gifts… Recently I was asked to do a large (4ft x 5ft) oil on canvas of a flower that represented life, vitality, movement, and growth for the Adult Mental Health Day Program Floor of a local hospital… My gravatar shows a portion of it… (it extends further down… wish I could have shown you all of it…)
They have now received permission for me to do another large scale painting for the Mental Health Inpatients Floor… and they hope for me to do a progressive series for all mental health floors… Beginning with The Crisis Floor(a seed), to Inpatients (the seed sprouting), this flower for the Outpatients (day program), and one for therapy groups (a bouquet or field of flowers representing community)
My hope is that through my art I am able to minister to people and bring some colour, peace, comfort, and joy to the sterile, institutional walls of the psychiatric units… I am so excited about this and where God is leading me…
I have been a mental health worker and I have also walked these very halls as an inpatient… these cold hard floors… these rooms that echo with the harsh reality and stigma that comes with being “hospitalized”… It is amazing what colour can do… especially in a place void of it… and in a place where you may not be allowed to leave… So please pray with me that somehow my paintings will minister to people… though not through words… but that God would use it… and somehow He would use my paintings or me or both to touch the lives of people…
Sheri,
I’ll stand with you in prayer. My husband was diagnosed with clinical depression three years ago, and I know for a fact that his heart is cheered when he sees something beautiful, especially paintings of the sea. May you be blessed as you serve Him and others.
Marie
Sheri in Ontario,
You are in such a great place for your gifts to be used! May He use your hands to bring His beauty to a place that needs it so badly! Yes, Lord, use Sheri’s gifts to display your beauty and soothe the souls wandering there. You go, girl! xoxo
Yes, I have a small garden. 4 tomato plants, 1 zucchini, 1 yellow squash, beans, pole beans, and curly parsley. It’s all growing like crazy this year!
I killed a “hearty” decorative vine that was given to me. I don’t do well with things that need water on a regular basis.
I have been growing things to eat in pots on my patio for a while, but this year for my birthday my husband made me a raised planter to grow more vegetables in. If you are someone who thinks you have a black thumb, check out squarefootgardening.com. They make it pretty easy. xoxo
Well, Melissa your photography looks pretty good, but I am not there for you to say, “Wait, Let’s get a picture!”
I am jealous of the garden. We have a garden, and we have worked really hard on it for several years. Last year it was great. This year we have stuff, and fruit, some beautiful cantaloupes…..but your water melon sure beats ours. Only a couple little ones on our plants.
Unfortunately, we have really helped the weeds along! I was gone for a week and my daughter has too many irons on the fire and did not get out there to work. So, I have a lot of catch up to do! Your garden is beautiful, Beth, and isn’t it fun to see it produce good fruit. Just like us, we have to work to produce good fruit….and if we let it go, we will have to get rid of the weeds! Good Luck!
My hubby planted yellow squash, green bell peppers, an eggplant and tomatoes. Yumm-o. He also thought he was planting me a zuchini but it turned out to be butternut squash, so we are giving them a whirl this year!
We have tons of cane and privet in our backyard that grows back and takes over every year. If you could come kill that it would be awesome! Thanks!
What in the world are cane and privet? Sounds like a country music duet. Would a bb gun help?
Ha, this is hysterical! I showed my husband who was like, yeah, got some English Ivy that so needs to go. Cordane and DDT still hasn’t done the job! Kidding, well sort of, knowing my husband he likely has some cordane around here someplace.
I loooooooooooooooove gardening! Don’t have a vegetable garden (yet), so my current passion is climbing roses. And viola. And daylillies. I like anything bright and cheerful that is also hardy, since we’ve got rather extreme temperature differences up here where I live. It’s funny, though – any time I do some pruning and bring in the fruits of my labor for my husband to enjoy, he says the same thing: “Smells like a plant.”
Men.
I don’t know about the rest of you, but I feel a special connection to God when I’m outside digging in the dirt and admiring the beauty of what He has allowed me the privilege of caring for. It’s like…like I’m playing some small part in fulfilling His command to take care of the earth. That’s a cool thing.
Melissa,
I can definitely relate! I do NOT have a green thumb either! I so wish I did, but I just don’t seem to keep interest in my new plants – so they soon die!
I love photography too, but I enjoy even more watching my 16 yr old son and his passion for photography. He got his first digital camera at 14 and that began his love. You should see what he’s doing now! He’s started his own little business doing local shoots. If you’d like, check out his website (it’s a freebie since he’s broke – ha!)- and if you emailed him that you liked it, he’d be on cloud 9! http://www.wix.com/moorecreativeimages/ddm
Love yall!
Lynn
I looked at your son’s website. What talent!!! Tell him to keep it up.. its stunning! I loved looking through the pics.
Thanks, Amanda!
We have a small garden and absolutely love it! There are tomatoes, cucumbers, squash, peppers, basil, mint, canteloupe, and okra. Last year we planted a cherry tomato and it produced profusely so this year we decided to keep a tally of how many cherry tomatoes we would harvest. To date…on ONE plant…we’ve harvested exactly 753 cherry tomatoes! We’ve shared, made salsa, shared,oven roasted and oven dried, shared,put them in salad, shared, just popped some into our mouths for a snack throughout the day. My husband says the secret is good compost. There’s nothing like fresh vegetables from the garden spot. OH! I almost forgot, we also have strawberries, muscadines, and pumpkins. God’s earth is great!
753!!! That’s an awesome plant! I eat the cherry tomatoes as soon as I pick them so we rarely have any left for salads…
Adrienne
My husband was wondering if there might be a way we could plant 1\2 cherry tomato plant. 🙂 The one we have is taller than me and, believe it or not, it still has some green tomatoes yet to ripen. I would love to be able to post a picture here. As I said, though, he truly believes in good compost and that may very well be the key.
Thanks for the post. I love the pictures. I’ve had a garden for the last three years and my best friend always made fun of me because I got in to it so much. This year, her father-in-law had a stroke so her husband and her did the garden themselves because his dad couldn’t and I’ve gotten the biggest kick out of her. She would call me every time something bloomed or poked through the ground the first time. I love it. We are learning to can together now. It’s a great hobby. I don’t know that it saves you any money but the food tastes better and you get the satisfaction of knowing you grew it.
Love you guys!
Kim
I have recently (past two years) become struck by the gardening bug…and have had the photography bug since birth…or shortly thereafter. I also combine the two. 😀 Hehehhe…I LOVE the free therapy that going outside, digging around in the dirt and *seeing*things*grow* is…and I LOVE beauty…and the opportunity to SEE it captured via a lens.
I appreciate your contributions here, Melissa…they often make me feel as though you are a long-lost-well-loved-kindred-spirited-cousin that I have out in the world somewhere, just waiting to be met. 🙂 Thank you. 🙂
I definitely have a black thumb. I found out last week, apparently it runs in the family. I was at my papa’s funeral when my mema tried giving my mom and my aunt some of the plants that were sent. They both were afraid to take the dish gardens for fear of killing them. Apparently a long line of women in my family know how to kill a plant. Fortunately, I married a man with a green thumb. He keeps the plants alive, and I, like you, do the photography. 🙂
Keep the photos coming — I absolutely LOVE the ones you posted here! Amazingly beautiful.
Hey Melissa,
Enjoyed your post and pictures. I do not have a green thumb either, I cook okay but for some reason cannot bake anything!
Keep up your new hobby of photography, you are very good at it. I’m taking tennis up again and might throw in some bike riding as my new hobbies! 🙂
Love you guys and thanks for your blog!
Right now I am working on a doctorate, but hobbies of mine before that took over my life included (in order of preference) scrapbooking, running (hiking/walking), gardening, and baking!
Loved the pictures of the garden, your photography is excellent!!
I find it funny that even in the garden Beth’s hair still looks perfect!! I love this blog…..
If they would put that picture on the front of Farmer’s Almanac more women would buy it!
I just realized I forgot to answer the question you posed. Photography is my passion too, although my husband calls me possessed 🙂 I understand what you mean about driving your family crazy. My niece and nephews are some of the most photographed children in the state. I’ve recently found an outlet for posting my pics on my own blog.
Melissa, I dont have a green thumb either, my husband and son have planted a garden. We have okra,squash, potatoes, cucumbers, tomatoes, feild peas, watermelon and cantalope. It has been great watching it grow, my oldest 2 boys did not have time to help plant this garden. They do walk out there and check it out to see the progress. We all have enjoyed watching the vegetables grow daily. By the way I love sunflowers, I did plant some last year and they did live and I took a picture of them. If I knew how to upload it to show you guys I would.
I’ve always wanted to be a photographer… never had the money to get the equipment but I still dream and my little point and shoot camera is giving me wonderful pics. The next step from being a photographer is scrapbooking. I’ve made three albums that I’ve given away and have a few more I’m working on full of family history. I hope my nieces will keep and share them with their children someday. But my best “hobby”; and it has saved my life; is Bible Study. I’ve had 10 years of Precept studies and have done almost all of Beth’s studies. Without them I wouldn’t be here… but that’s another story.
I, like you do not have a green thumb. I killed a chia pet. Really, I did. My aunts and uncles have a garden and my family gets the privilege of having fresh veggies from their garden.
So glad that the garden is going so well! I started last year with a few tomato plants and that went so well so I decided to branch out a little…ha, branch out… however, I didn’t get to plant as much as I wanted b/c the month of May was sooo crazy (that’s the month to plant here in ohio) I’m mostly excited about my jalapenos. I’m also super excited for my son’s watermelon plants, they are really taking off.
The thing that really gets me with the gardening is how God uses it to speak to me. He has shared some really profound things with me there…especially while weeding 🙂 In fact, just the other day I noticed that the watermelon had these little sprouts that had wound themselves to the blades of grass (it has outgrown the garden) My friend says that it’s a protective thing, that it’s basically hanging on so it doesn’t get blown away or whatever. Don’t think He didn’t have a lot to say about that!
I am currently growing a garden variety of children. Caring for my own four plus a handful more each day, is well, challenging and refreshing all at once! Praise God as my cup runneth low, He faithfully fills it up and the kids knock it over! Amen?
This made me chuckle because I also have a black thumb, but recently found myself walking out of a store with a free tomato plant, potting mix, and fertilizer. I put it in the car and thought, “I don’t know what I’m going to do with THAT…” My brother suggested I plant it and when I gave him a blank stare, he planted it for me. Took him about 5 minutes. Now I have this flourishing plant with all kinds of tomatoes growing. But the thing I like best about it is that it is a wonderful object lesson about abiding in Christ and producing fruit and being pruned, etc.. All of that makes more sense to me now. 🙂
I love the pictures.. we have raspberries.. and this year i actually got to pick a bunch of them.. it was so exciting. only one problem a very unhappy house wren decided to put her nest in my grape vine over the trellis i need to walk under.. and lets just say it’s a very dangerous situation.. with her protecting her babies and me wanting to harvest my first crop of berries. LOL
btw-other hobby would be stamping cards:)
I don’t have a garden but my newest hobbie is collecting recipes for a healthy cookbook I’m putting together. Maybe I should plant a garden & use the vegetables in my test recipes!
I, like you, DO NOT have a green thumb!!! My dad has always had the most beautiful gardens, flowers and vegetables. And my grandparents, who were from England, had the MOST beautiful Rose gardens over there! I even had my dad plan and plant my garden and all I had to do was water the plants! And with this Georgia heat I was doing that twice a day and still managed to kill almost everything!!!
Hey Melissa:) I don’t garden, but my father-in-law and my sisters-in-law all three have gardens:) I was talking to my man about planting one possibly in our yard, but I’m like you, I can’t even keep a house plant alive. Sadness. But, I have enjoyed plenty of corn, green beans, okra, cucumbers, tomatoes, and squash over the years from “Pappy’s Garden”:) That’s what we call him, Pappy. My biggest hobby for years, original hobby, was reading books. Then it was sewing for a short while. Then, my own cooking phase:), now not really any hobbies perse, still like to read:)
I grow patio tomatoes. I usually pick them, rinse them off and pop them into my mouth. I don’t need no stinkin kitchen.
I have planted a garden and everything is eating/killing my plants. I do not want to spray pesticides and have been trying to use natural insecticide to no avail.
I do have a large garden! My husband and I both love it. We grow tomatoes,purple hull pea’s, green beans, lima beans, squash, canalope, bell peppers, cucumbers and okra. I love to give vegtables away to older friends who no longer are able to garden. I enjoy canning tomatoe juice for the winter and putting up green beans.
HI there! melissa i was wondering what kind of camera you have chosen to use? cindy
my green thumb has a shelf life. 3-6 months for outdoor plants, and 9-12 months for indoor plants. when they die, I replace them.
my hobby is photography. I got a professional grade camera last year for my birthday, and people tell me I should start a business! I love taking pictures. have since high school. but as I’m sure you know, having a nice camera makes ALL the difference….
Your post makes me laugh… I love the “shelf life green thumb” you have it down to an art… ha ha. I also just received a professional grade camera for Christmas, and YES, it makes a HUGE difference. I borrowed my dads little point and shoot camera for a few snaps, and I looked at him and said “Whats wrong with this thing?” I have to say, that new camera has me SPOILED.
My lastest hobby is scrabpbooking. I am creating a legacy album for each of my sons. They makes four albums. Its an album of all the things the Lord has done for me.
Love, Love, Love the profile pic~ Super cute
Melissa, Hey love the pics and the bokeh is great in the sunflower one! Photography is a wonderful hobby!!
I love gardens… I however, do not have a green thumb AT ALL. I take after my mom in that department, we literally kill any plant that comes in the house. My husband finally let me have a few fake plants because I killed two orchids he sweetly bought me. I try to not kill them, but it’s just not my gift. Photography, I agree though is a great hobby I actually feel I’m kind of good at! And sign language, that’s a hobby that needs to become a job!
my tiny garden has been a mind-saver this year! when i am piddlin'(good ol georgia word) the Holy Spirit comforts my soul with songs/hymns. when i see something new growing i get all excited. last night my husband and i shared about 50 little white butterbeans and they were sooo good. plus the tomatoes have been amazing…i even had a few to give to friends! as we’ve gotten older and our nest has gotten emptier one of our favorite things to do is to go to the flower clearance section at Lowe’s.( you can get lots of plants for $.50 so it they die you don’t feel so guilty!!) we’ve decided to call our whole yard our “garden” so that it will inspire us to envision it as one of the covers on the plant magazines! this has become a fun date for us on saturday mornings 🙂
Gorgeous Pictures!
We have a very small garden. I usually don’t get too carried away with it anyway, but this year we are extremely small. I did not start with a green thumb at all. In fact, I’m not sure I would say I have one yet. But I keep telling myself time and experience are the only way it happens. Kind of like making pies. The first one is terrible. But if you just keep making them, eventually you will pull off a masterpiece! I used to really hate working in the garden. But there have been times that it has really felt like therapy. You dread going, but when you are deep in the heart of it you realize you have not only been pulling the weeds of your garden, but also those of the heart. It seems like you just have to pray in the garden, and you are working with living, growing things, and pulling weeds before they become big issues that choke the life out of what is good and needful. And you work off your frustrations. Sunshine and exercise, both good for the soul! And hopefully you get to enjoy the fruit of your labor!
My gardenig adventure this summer has been growing fig trees. In MS where I grew up, fig trees were plentiful. In TN most peole have never even tasted a freshly picked fig. I am about to change that! I have only found one man in Knoxville who has a fig tree, so I stopped by to meet him. He showed me something interesting. Every leaf on his tree had a fig growing under it. The only leaves that didn’t have fruit were those that were brown and dying. All the others were bearing fruit. A lot like us!
Melissa!
I think you should purusue your photography hobby!!! I love the pictures of the watermelon!!!
I’ve always loved photography and have recently started taking pictures that I can put scripture with!!! You can check out what I’m talking about at http://www.tiffanyreedphotography.com. Hope you like them! My thoughts are that since God’s Word doesn’t return void..I’m going to use any gifts I’ve got to get His Word out there!
keep up the picture taking!!!!
Melissa, this blog entry made me smile. I do not have a green thumb….but try, try again. This year I decided to for go the silk flowers I usually plant in a pot on my front porch and buy real flowers…STILL LIVING!! I’m so happy. I’ve got a pot of flowers on a stand by the front door and have *3* hanging baskets!! Also my son gave me a tomato plant in a pot for mothers day, saying if I can keep it alive and bearing tomatoes, maybe next year a real garden…or maybe a second pot with peppers :o) I just picked my second red tomato yesterday!
As for my hobby. I’ve been knitting for a little over a year now. My mom started me on making cotton washcloths. I thought, why would anyone want to wash dishes or take a shower with a sweater?!….but have found that knitted cotton washcloths really are nice to use, fun to knit(many patterns and designs) I’ve also progressed to fingerless mitts, entralec tam hats, arrowhead lace shawl, lace scarf and right now on my needles is a pair of “French Press Felted slippers”(we’ll see how it goes!) it’s been fun to get out of my comfort zone which was mostly church and bible study and meet women at a local yarn shop and knitting blogs, I think being creative and learning a new skill has be very good for me. And would encourage others to try something new, meet new people…the Lord will bless you with new opprotunities to love & serve others as he has me.
Wow! I am so impressed! That’s really special that your parents and grandparents get to enjoy gardening together and share the fruits of their labor.
My husband has a garden and grows tomatoes, onions, squash, zucchini, lettuce, beets, potatoes, corn, watermelon, cantaloupe, cucubers & okra. (I’m probably leaving out something. It’s huge) We love it all so much. The other night our dinner consisted of fresh veggies from his garden. We pickle okra & it’s delicious. If your mom wants the recipe, just let me know. Everyone loves them and it’s so easy.
I’m like you, Melissa. I buy two potted flower pots every spring and pray they live through the summer.:)
P.S. the knitting blog I love is called “A Friend to Knit With” the blogger also cooks(posting a cookie of the week) and is into photography…what’s interesting is she usually shoots headless photos of her family…she prob. has a link to other photography interests like a photo a day etc. Just thought that might interest you Melissa :o)
Your pics are beautiful. You are a great photographer. What type of camera do you use? I am a “mama” and now that my children are 13 and 6yrs old, I’ve thought about taking some photography classes.