Finally I’ve made a start on my garden. I bought veggie plants in May and they have struggled in their little black starter pots until just last week. This is really pitiful!! I took a week to dig out a raised bed that ran parallel to my back fence. I wanted it turned 90 degrees because it was difficult for me to reach across 4 feet to get the goodies in the back. By turning my beds, it’ll be easier to work both sides of the box AND the plants will receive more light since they will be out and away from my trees. (Something I didn’t think about earlier). The other box will wait until fall. It feels good to finally get the poor tomatoes into a real home.
They say that gardens always change. As I pull out the weeds, I think of unwanted sin. (All sin should be unwanted….eh?). There are different sins and different weeds. Both have different appearances; have different root systems, and different means of spreading. And for both, the longer they go; the more they both get entrenched and are a bigger pain to get rid of.
If you only rip off the top, it will look good for awhile but the roots fester underground and will soon return with a vengeance. The weed, or sin, will be bigger and stronger than ever. Or, if you kill it after it has cast seeds, then it’s ever so hard to eradicate. One needs to get it early before it goes deep and before it can spread. It is easier to do early than it is later. I think these thoughts very time I weed and don’t get a root. Darn! More sin to go after in my garden!
I’ve been studying up on backyard poultry. I’m thinking about getting some chickens of my own. A poultry magazine I read was very critical of the Cornish Cross chicken which is popular for the commercial meat industry. It matures in 8 weeks rather than taking 6 months as it does for a regular chicken. 4H kids can’t raise them for show because they die of their abnormalities at 12 weeks of age. They topple over from their oversized breasts and often suffer heart failure. I was horrified to learn this.
I visited a farm in Canby to have a look-see at organic, pasture raised chickens. The all natural lady running the place told me Cornish X chickens are just great. They produce only white meat with no fat. Since they grow so quickly, they are cheaper. Chicken feed is 50% corn. Feed costs have gone up 250% in the last year. You can’t afford to raise a regular chicken for 6 months just to be killed.
“Hmmm…,” thinks I. “It must be like breeding English Bulldogs or Irish Wolfhounds. Each has its own bred-in weaknesses but also have their breed specific purpose. I guess I’m OK with Cornish Cross birds. Learning from different sources makes coming to conclusions interesting. Talking to her altered my thinking ….and I might yet change it again. Stay tuned!
Speaking of education, I heard a quote the other day attributed to CS Lewis: Some people say, ‘Lord, thy will be done.’ Others say, ‘Oh, OK Lord. Have it your way!” (Or maybe it was, “OK, Lord. You win. We’ll do it your way.”) Bottom line, we need to give up trusting our own knowledge and realize there is a greater wisdom out there than we have. Yes, we need to study and learn about things. But also accept and trust some things (like the commandments) have been clearly laid out for us whether we agree or not. It is in our best interest to trust God even if we don’t understand the reasoning. Our Heavenly Father is right ~ 100% more often than we are. We might as well do it His way and save ourselves some trouble. Avoid weeds!!
