Two Are Better Than One

Ecclesiastes 4:9-10 NIV

 Two are better than one,
because they have a good return for their labor:
If either of them falls down,
one can help the other up.

Truer words were never spoken! I especially felt this today as I dove into my weekend garden project. We have a salt water pool and there's a run off area filled with salty mud where nothing will grow. After a lazy afternoon perusing gardening magazines, I envisioned a graveled area with a planter in the middle filled with flowering vines that would grow up the fence and draping plants that would cascade over the planter. I shared my vision with my husband, Randy, and he gave me a few suggestions to consider, but it was my project to do.

Salty, muddy area to be fixed up.



After a couple of weeks of family obligations and a short beach vacation, we finally faced a free weekend. Randy had plans to run an irrigation hose around the pool deck to each of our blueberry bushes and the herb garden. He also needed to put a new pump into the fish pond and clean out some of the decaying muck that coated the bottom of it. As he explained the process of getting his tasks done, he saw my eyes slide over to my project area. He ambled over and verbally walked me through the steps that would need to be done to make my vision come to life. First, dig out the muck around the border to sink bricks low enough so he could get over them with the mower. Second, rake the area to remove the random grass that still clung to life in the salty mess. Third, place the large planter I'd dug out of the bushes next to the fence, and cut some chicken wire to cover the gigantic hole that the previous owners had put in it and dig holes to sink two flower pots in front of the large planter. Fourth, take any excess mud and debris out behind the back fence and dump it. Fifth, dig up stepping stones from behind the fence and place them where I wanted them. Sixth, scoop up gravel from behind the fence (are you wondering what else the area behind the fence harbors?) and spread it out around the stepping stones. Seventh, fill the pots with pine needles, mulch, and potting soil. Eighth, place the new plants where I wanted them, and fill the pots with soil. Ninth, water down the area and step on the gravel and stones to set them in place. Tenth, clean up and put the tools back where they belonged.

Are you laughing yet? I'd honestly thought I'd just head to Lowe's and pick out a nice planter, some plants, some dirt, and a bag of gravel. Then, I figured, I'd come home and put it all into place. The whole project, in my mind's eye, would only take a couple of hours tops. Oh, how naive I was.

I was eager to get started, so I went ahead and got the large planter into place on Saturday night. I grabbed my garden gloves and some tin snips that Randy got me and snipped away until I'd fit the wire over that huge hole. I was very pleased we wouldn't have the expense of buying a planter, so even though it was tough to cut the wire, I figured every snip was saving me big bucks. On Sunday, Randy and I set out for Lowe's at ten. Two bags of potting soil, five sprinkler heads, and six plants later, we were on our way back home again. By 11:30, we were ready to dive into our separate projects.

Randy headed off to work on his irrigation system and I walked over to find an array of tools he'd set out for me next to my project spot. Oh, yeah...tools. Good thinking, Randy! Happily, I dug right into the mud and removed brick sized chunks, sinking bricks along the way. My gusto lasted about four bricks. By the time I finished sinking all of the bricks, perhaps twenty four or so, my head was pounding, I was sweating buckets, and I couldn't catch my breath. I'm obviously not used to physical labor! Seeing that I was done with my first task, Randy walked over and gave his approval. I expected him to move on back to finish the pond, but instead he grabbed a rake and smoothed out the area while I took a break to catch my breath. After he finished and returned to the pond, I dug two holes to sink the little planters. When I finished, Randy was ready with the wheel barrow to dump the muddy mess I'd dug out and haul back some stepping stones. I gratefully trailed behind him with the shovel. It's a good thing he decided to help me out because digging up the stones, hauling them to the site, digging up shovelfuls of gravel, hauling them to the site and then going back for three more loads would have taken me hours and hours over the course of several days. It was way more hard work than I'd bargained for! We set the stones into place, then he dumped in the gravel while I pushed it around into place. Finally, he brought me some pine needles while I grabbed the bag of mulch, and we filled the big pot. He dumped in potting soil, I placed the plants. We repeated the process until all of the pots were full of plants. Then, he tested his irrigation system to be sure everything would get a good watering as needed.

Randy took a much needed dunk in the pool as I went inside to fix our lunch. Unbelievably, the entire process had only taken two hours. Thank you, dear God, for Randy. Thank you for his helping hands. Thank you for his support of my vision.

If I'd worked at it over the course of a week, I probably could have accomplished my goals on my own. How much nicer and effective to have two of us working toward the same goal. My heart is full today. Two really are better than one!

Our finished weekend garden project!

Beet Harvest

"The Lord will indeed give what is good, and our land will yield its harvest."
Psalm 85:12 (NIV)

Last Year's Beets

 

I have never liked beets. Never ever. My mom never made them and my only interaction with them was most likely at an elderly relative's house. I really can't recall when I ate one as a child, but I can tell you I honestly believed I hated them.

Then last year, Randy returned from hunting in West Virginia raving about some homegrown pickled beets he'd eaten. I wasn't convinced, but Randy being Randy, he planted some to see if we could grow them in Louisiana. Sure enough, they grew just fine. We didn't plant enough to do anything with, so I picked up more at the store and Randy canned them. I was prepared to hate them. Really. I though he'd be eating those beets all by himself and wondered why he'd bothered with them at all.

And then I ate one. It was sweet. It was sour. It tasted like cinnamon apples.  I fell in love. Head over heels in love with beets.

So we planted more. Lots more. Too many more. We had to thin them out and transplant some. There were still too many, so some of them didn't grow larger than a marble. Some of them, however, grew to a respectable size, and this year we didn't have to supplement from the store. We put up 9 pints today and still have some in the garden for another 4 or so later on. 

This Year's Beet Harvest

I realize that probably isn't a large quantity to farmers and die hard gardeners, but it's great for us. It shows we learned from last year. It shows we were persistent. It shows we were open to new ideas.

Mostly, it shows that God is faithful in His promises. Our land yielded it's harvest.

How could this work in my life? What if I opened myself up to new ideas and let God do His thing? What kind of harvest could I yield? As I work on the fruits of the Spirit, I'm going to be mindful of approaching old things in new ways...kindness rather than indifference. Understanding rather than anger. Patience instead of irritation. I'm going to expect an abundant harvest, too, because He is always faithful in His promises.

                          Pickled Beets                            

Boil 3 lbs of fresh beets (washed, with about 1 inch of root end still attached) for 25 to 30 minutes until fork tender.



 Let them cool. Slip skins off. (Use gloves to prevent stains on hands) Slice them or quarter them to fit into sterilized pint jars.

Make pickling brine:  In a large pan over medium-high heat, add 2 cups apple cider vinegar, 2 cups water, 2 cups granulated sugar, 1 tsp each of whole allspice and whole cloves, and 1 tbsp of ground cinnamon. 

Using a canning funnel, place 2 pieces of quartered sweet onions in the bottom of each jar. Then fill each jar with beets, pushing down slightly to eliminate air space. Fill each with brine, leaving 1/2 inch head space.Wipe jars with a damp paper towel and add caps and bands. Place gently into a hot water bath, covering jars with at least one inch of water. Bring to a boil and boil for 30 minutes. Carefully remove jars and place on kitchen towel to cool. Be sure each jar seals - the caps will be sucked into toward the jar and won't buckle when pressed. Store in a cool place and wait 6 weeks before opening.

Pickled Beets



http://madetocrave.org/

I recently turned back to God thanks to Lisa TerKeurst's book Made to Crave. Quite simply, she posed the idea that God made us to crave Him over food or anything else the world has to offer. While reading her book, I was reminded of God's truths and promises for us as His children. The thought of struggling another moment through life without God suddenly seemed like a futile attempt to run through quicksand. So I chose life over death and victory over defeat.

What does all of this have to do with my garden? It has to do with planting seeds of faith. It has to do with working with my hands and learning to wait patiently to reap the rewards of my efforts. It has to do with cultivating faith and obedience. It most definitely has to do with growing closer to Him and believing His promises for me as His child.

Join me on this journey through God's garden. Help me keep my feet firmly on His path. Reap the rewards of His wisdom as we learn while we grow.