Family Gardening

A Gong just planted some rice on the left, cabbages are down the middle and newly planted corn on the right.

Keeping a family garden has always been very important to me. Although I seem to have a black thumb I’m definitely a wanna-be gardener and/or homesteader. Why I have this desire when I’m no good at it, I’m not really sure. But I have a feeling that it is because there is something rejuvenating about being out of doors for long periods of time. I just feel happy spending time outside in the fresh air. And there is something so fulfilling about watching something you’ve planted and cared for prosper. This has not happened to me often I’ll admit (Now I know why. I think it is because I do the planting part but the “caring for” part only lasts so long for me as a busy homeschooling mother of six children!) That’s when I had the plan to get my kids involved in it since they have more free time than me. However, it’s not a good cycle because often our kids will be interested in and do the things that we parents are usually doing, so in order to help my children get involved in keeping a garden, I’ve got to do it too! Well, luckily I’m being saved in all this by my husband who has a green thumb and who comes from a family familiar with growing things. We’ve been trying to learn all we can from A Gong on our trips to visit our Taiwan family. Below are some pictures of his land where there are plenty of growing things.

Here is a beautiful patch of flowers. I thought I heard A Gong say that these were some kind of greens that were left to go to flower.