CAN WE GO ROUND AGAIN?

Oh, how I wish we could go round again and ask all questions I should’ve asked back in time. Can you even imagine how much more family knowledge we all would have? Lessons learned! I hope in my journaling and scrapbooking that I leave a legacy of life to follow for my children and grandkids. I would ask my great grandma and grandparents about their gardening for sure.

My Great Grandparents Lusk

PAST SURVIVAL, PRESENT ENJOYMENT

When I think about gardening it’s a topic that is full of so much difference in creativity and ideas in how we reach our goals.  For this time in life, it’s not about survival, it’s about being healthy and wanting to grow our own produce. it got me thinking about my ancestors and how most people had gardens for survival. Even as a child in the 60s and 70s I can remember most people had gardens, and we didn’t talk about organic because it just was. Then as society started to produce more items in the stores our culture stopped having gardens generation to generation. I am so blessed to remember my great grandparents having a garden and my grandparents and parents gardening. To this day my siblings, aunts and uncles have gardens. I think because we just see the importance and enjoy having them. My sisters and aunt and uncle still can their goods. I don’t preserve canned goods, but I grew up canning with my family. I brew kefir and kombucha.

CANNING WAS A NORMAL ACTIVITY

Growing up my mom and dad involved us all in the canning process. If we didn’t grow it we could pick it or purchase it and can peaches, beets, beans, cucumbers and more. My Aunt Darlene recalls back in Pe Ell, WA how her mother, my great grandma Lusk, always planted everything concerning the garden. She says she remembers helping string the beans but that was about it. She canned tons and was afraid they wouldn’t do something right. She recalls “Dad always plowed it up for her”. She reminisces about how much work she did for her family and how amazing she was. For myself I recall the smell of fresh bread in her home every time we were there. She was a true homemaker and I wish our society had more of this lifestyle as I think it’s a much better and healthier way to live.

MEMORIES FROM THE GARDEN

My dad was visiting from Alaska, and I took pictures of him puttering in our garden. I think it brought back memories of his growing up on a chicken farm. I know my mom loved gardening and loved to can her goods too. Like my great Aunt Darlene, I too recall having to string the beans for mom and gram to can. We also would go to my Grandma Kinkade’s farm to pick cherries for canning. There’s nothing like it and so full of wonderful family time.

GREENHOUSE LIVING

My Aunt Tany and Uncle Rick are in Hillsboro Oregon and have a traditional garden with chickens and cans every year. Our family has kept up with the way of living without the stress of back in the day.

My sister and brother in-law in Alaska have battled the weather of that area for growing a garden by building greenhouses so they can grow a garden too. I always am envious of those greenhouses.

My sister Kelly Jo and my Dad and my niece Mary also love to garden in Alaska.

BEAUTIFUL GARDENS

 My sister Jenny and brother in law Steve live in Washington and have created a more modern take on a garden and grow veggies along with beautiful flowers and landscaping.

I like to think I have some good gardening genes from our family but mostly each year is trial and error. I always have the option of getting produce at the farmers market and grocery too unlike in the past.

TRADITION CONTINUES

Within my family our son has taken an interest in gardening. I would call his style urban gardening. He likes clean modern lines and not all the fuss while mine is cottagey and full. Our daughter enjoys the produce but has no plan to garden.

LOOKING AHEAD

This year as i plan my garden I would like to add a wider variety but will have to come up with some creative ideas to apply this. Last year our friends Jim and Coleen from Oregon were visiting, and we added arches by the fence line because my arches by the house was getting more shade. Our yard keeps changing as the trees grow and it’s getting harder to attain my goals, so being creative really has its challenges each year. Last year I placed hanging flowerpots on each of the 3 arches but by the time the cucumbers and tomatoes topped over the arches the flowers got covered up, so lesson learned on that idea. It was so pretty till they got covered. Patience at times is much needed in the garden.

SCRAPBOOKING MY ANCESTRY

TALKING WITH FAMILY TO GET IDEAS

So, what about you? Are you wanting to learn about gardening, or do you too have a family line of gardeners? I think we all do and its important for us to bring it back into our lives even if it’s in a small way.

Reach back to your family there’s a lot to learn and share. I am so blessed that I can ask my family questions and learn all the time about gardening because there’s always something new to learn!

HOPE YOU ENJOY MY STORY TELLING SONG “CAN WE GO ROUND AGAIN” written by Al Dickenson