day 35, lent 2009

greetings!

it is about 9.30 p.m. and i just got back from the farm in plant city...

a great evening...

blessed to visit with my parents...

loaded two more 35 gallon garbage can loads full of compost for a friend...

a beautiful evening to drive over and back with the windows down in nancy's truck...

loud music jammin' with lynyrd skynyrd and hank jr...

guess i will always be "red, white and blue" [like skynyrd]...

and my confession is that "a country boy will survive" [hank jr is right on]...

and, then the GARDEN...

the garden reminded me of several things about my dad...

he does nothing SMALL -- it is a BIG garden [maybe that's where i get my extremism from?]...

he does nothing HALF-WAY -- the garden is "done right" [maybe that's where i get some of my perfectionism from?]...

did i mention that he chose mostly "good" vegetables [like corn, potatoes, beans, peas, carrots] -- only the beets and hot peppers are suspect...

it's such a shame that they don't make seeds that will grow bacon double cheeseburgers and BBQ ribs and fried chicken???

please let me know if you find any on the internet...

oh well, i am looking forward to the fruits of "our" labor [guess this means i will need to help out with the work -- ha! ha!]...

one last thing...

i am amazed at how much my dad knows about so much stuff...

i have many degrees -- he has much knowledge...

he just "knows" how to do this garden thing -- how to prepare the ground, how to plant the seeds, how to tend it, how to watch for bugs and diseases [and what to do about them when they illustrate the fallenness of our world] -- he is absolutely sure he will have a BIG harvest...

maybe he should have been the pastor -- gardening seems preferable to seminary when it comes to teaching the art of shepherding...

gardening is all about nurturing...

i don't have a clue about this garden thing...

i keep eyeing the farmer's market on 34th and hillsborough here in the edge of the 'hood -- it may be the closest i ever get to "farming" on my own...

i have absolute confidence that i would spend all that time, money and effort [not to mention trashing our back yard] and get a little of nothing out of it [except nancy saying 'i told you so!'] -- maybe i would help make some bugs really fat and happy...

not daddy!

he is already looking forward to his harvest...

he knows that he knows what he is doing -- it is knowledge grounded in experience!

it is confidence...

it is faith...

his optimism is contagious...

can't wait for the corn...

shalom...

guy

if our economy gets flushed down the crapper and all the food is gone -- let me know -- we will probably have extra to share...