winter is real.
an hour before.
a passionfruit to pollinate.
and after.
drill screws, string string, let plants hug string.
I stole this.
(from my brother)
(from my brother)
coming together.
must give these back. the pots, not the plants. I’m keeping the plants.
coming together!
passionfruit vines on string. tomatoes in bed. a happy mama.
passionfruit vines on string. tomatoes in bed. a happy mama.
we’re going to need an orange tree.
fungus, sprouts, yeast.
kombucha, sprouting, bread.
always helping. (kale chips)
sprouting.
a lunch everyone made.
I was scrolling through some of my old yard work posts last night and I was blown away by how far we’ve come. Granted, it’s been a long time working (I’ve been here over a year) and we still have a lot (A LOT) of work to put it, but regardless, the yard is shaping up nicely. I can see where the (sometimes slow) progress is heading, and I am so pleased.Garden’s really are a metaphor for life, aren’t they?
THIS POST really stuck out to me—- that work and those piles seem foreign to me, like a distant forgotten memory. But seeing the old post again, it reminds me, pictures and thoughts like that— the not wonderful before’s and the slowly moving there after’s— they are necessary for me. Or maybe not necessary, but very much enjoyed anyway.
Home life has been quiet. There’s the occasional dance party (ms. Paloma has really taken after me with a love for random boogies), but otherwise, home life has been low key. We spend our days making. We spend our afternoon’s eating. We spend our evenings cleaning. And usually, on the better days, we enjoy all of it— even the dirty wipe downs and scrubbing off the dirty dog. I’m not sure if this is how I imagined my future when I was a child, but as I grew, this slower life idea grew with me. I always talked about (or mostly dreamed about) wanting to leave this country. I never, not for a second, saw myself staying in America and having a family here, but as I grow, I don’t see myself leaving either— not anytime soon. My home is here. And if I can’t move to paradise or some foreign, simpler (seeming) life, then I can be sure to create my escape here, in my home. It is what you make it, isn’t it?
We struggled for a while on the beds to build. Alex wanted wood. But wood isn’t a lasting option here in Florida. Unless you buy cedar, but that is not in our diy budget. I wanted stone, but again, not in our budget. And we finally settled on this option, an easy to build, easy on the wallet option 😉 We’re pleased with it. We have three more garden beds planned right now. The side yard is a slight mystery. Our first bed is filled with an array of different tomato plants. We’ve made a fresh (HUGE) batch of our organic pepper spray— for the tomatoes and the rest of our plants as well. We plan on more tropical fruits. Rock pathways. Another possible seating area. And we’re in a debate about removing all the greenery (brown-ery) from the pergola and starting fresh. Something new and less dead would be refreshing, but the change makes me nervous. I know something else could be nicer, I’m happy with the current too. The nervous part of me is holding tight to our older, climbing vines. I’m looking forward to dinner parties outside and to outdoor days and evenings in the cooler Florida winters. I’m ready for an outdoor paradise escape in this growing and making home life. My first plan for my completed garden? A sparkly themed garden party, of course. You know I love sparkles 🙂
ps. if you’re on pinterest, my garden board is my favorite ever. And if you’re on pinterest with a kickass garden board, share it with me! Give me all the garden inspiration!
pps. I haven’t shared any new on kombucha-ing yet, because I’m still figuring it out myself! My fungus is a fickle friend. He’s good, but needs work.
13 Comments
Oh, girl! I've got some THRIVING kombucha scoby's if you want one! Totally down to send you one via mail (yes, you can do that!).
Oh, girl! I've got some THRIVING kombucha Babie's if you want me to mail you one (yes, you can do that!).
I'd love if you did a DIY post on how you made this garden bed. Pretty please!
I just assessed my countertop before sitting down to read this, marveling at my growing collection of fermenting/sprouting/plants and other living things in the kitchen; so it was fun to see yours too 🙂 Kombucha is the newest addition for us.. we are so excited! Love the garden
Your garden posts are my favourites I think. It's such a lovely space you have there, and you've worked so hard. You made me smile planting tomatoes in December. Ah, Florida. We've only got about eight hours of daylight here at the moment, so everything's sleeping.
Yo my friend! Can you help me build a bed like that…. K Love ya.
I can't believe it's warm enough anywhere to be gardening right now! I'm a teeny, tiny bit jealous. But seriously, you really inspire me to move to an area with a warm climate so I can have tomato plants in December too 🙂
I love the new garden bed! I love how deep it is and tomatoes are the best, most easy to grow and delicious plants in the universe. & you should totally save some orange seeds and grow your own trees in tiny and then larger pots. We are doing some ourselves and it is so fun to watch them slowly grow. 🙂
well done. and you can keep the pots. i thought they were the larger anthro ones. happy planting! xo
Hoping to have a garden and greenhouse in the future, post-graduate school… 🙂
http://www.pinterest.com/ogirl92/plants/
I'm a little jealous of your winter! Florida, right? I'm in NC and it's like 40 degrees here. Does it still feel wintery/Christmasy when it feels like summer?
This is a beautiful post. Your life seems so delightful and after everything you've gone through and fought for, you deserve it.
If I had a garden I'd plant cherry tomatoes. Lots of them and eat them straight from the bush.
I actually think you're living in paradise Drea – not perfect or idealized but built by your own hands, sprayed with your own tears (of joy as of late 🙂 xxx