Courtesy of Amazon.com.
In his book, Living in the Garden Home. P. Allen Smith talks about his passion for gardening and the early influences of his family on the development of that passion. I have often said that I grew up with dirt under my fingernails and between my toes from the hours upon hours I spent in the vegetable gardens of my grandparents and from the flower gardens of my great grandmother who thought grass was a weed. It was from them that I, too, developed an early passion for putting seeds into the ground and nurturing them to maturity.
It’s unexplainable for the most part, but I don’t think there’s a time during the year when I’m not thinking about gardening in one form or another. Smith says it this way:
“…there is something more than a memory that tugs at me each spring. All it takes is the slightest hint of warm air after a long cold spell to lure me outside with shovel in hand to turn over the earth, kneel down, and plant a seed. I simply cannot imagine a spring any other way (8).
Just as sap begins to rise in the trees in early spring, the yearning to get my hands in the dirt also rises.
Recently, courtesy of The Arkansas Soybean Promotion Board, several other bloggers and I were able to spend a day with Smith at his Moss Mountain Farm Garden Home in Roland. Part of that day was spent touring the amazing home and phenomenal gardens that surround it. The threat of rain, thunderstorms and, yes, even tornadoes did not dampen our spirits or our enthusiasm.
This was my second trip to Moss Mountain Farm. During March, several of my sweet life buddies and I spent the day touring the home, some of the gardens and the acres upon acres of daffodils fully in bloom. It was a windy, sun-filled day of early spring promise that I will share photos from also. I think it must be such a pleasant treat to awaken with each season at Moss Mountain and to the surprises each holds.
Daffodil days and
bees in a buzz
swans a’swimmin’
chickens of all sizes, colors and shapes
sweet lambs nursing
all say.”Welcome to Moss Mountain, our garden home.”
And what of the gardens?
“…the scene on a garden’s canvas never remains the same. Plants grow; change their shape, color, and size and cycle through the seasons in ways that can’t always be anticipated. So as I garden, there is this intangible quality of mystery and an element of the unknown that works right along with me influencing the final picture (8).”
“I’ve come to think of gardening as a way to partner with nature. It’s a joint venture in which we both share a measure of influence. As I move around piles of soil, build structures, and select places for the plants, nature does her part in supporting my efforts, and on occasion, she bursts in to completely redesign my plans and remind me of who’s actually in charge (8).”
“It’s a humbling reminder that despite my best efforts, I’m never really in control of anything (11).
For me, my garden is a spiritual place. A meditative place. A place of harmony. It doesn’t matter if I’m planting seeds or pulling weeds. There’s always a quiet, peaceful time for reflection and a soothing of the soul.
Ecclesiastes 3:1-8
To everything there is a season,
a time for every purpose under the sun.
A time to be born and a time to die;
a time to plant and a time to pluck up that which is planted;
a time to kill and a time to heal …
a time to weep and a time to laugh;
a time to mourn and a time to dance …
a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing;
a time to lose and a time to seek;
a time to rend and a time to sew;
a time to keep silent and a time to speak;
a time to love and a time to hate;
a time for war and a time for peace.
a time for every purpose under the sun.
A time to be born and a time to die;
a time to plant and a time to pluck up that which is planted;
a time to kill and a time to heal …
a time to weep and a time to laugh;
a time to mourn and a time to dance …
a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing;
a time to lose and a time to seek;
a time to rend and a time to sew;
a time to keep silent and a time to speak;
a time to love and a time to hate;
a time for war and a time for peace.
—Solomon
Next up: Bean2Blog: The Bean
Join me in reading the #Bean2Blog posts from these storytellers:
NWA Foodie (Lyndi Fultz)
The Park Wife (Stephanie Buckley)
Heather’s Dish (Heather Disarro)
Aunt Nubby’s Kitchen (Anita Stafford)
Approaching Joy (Paige Ray)
A Growing Season (Angie Albright)
Eggs and Herbs (Julie Kohl)
The Little Magpie/The Food Adventuress (Bethany Stephens)
Boots McBlog (JoBeth McElhanon)
Chino House (Alison Chino)
The Jolly Goode Gal (Jerusalem Greer)
Ting’s Mom (Karen Weido)
Desperately Seeking Gina (Gina Knuppenburg)
A Familiar Path (Melissa Stover)
The Dramatic (Sarabeth Jones)
In Arkansas (Lauren James)
In Arkansas (Blair Neal)
NWA Foodie (Lyndi Fultz)
The Park Wife (Stephanie Buckley)
Heather’s Dish (Heather Disarro)
Aunt Nubby’s Kitchen (Anita Stafford)
Approaching Joy (Paige Ray)
A Growing Season (Angie Albright)
Eggs and Herbs (Julie Kohl)
The Little Magpie/The Food Adventuress (Bethany Stephens)
Boots McBlog (JoBeth McElhanon)
Chino House (Alison Chino)
The Jolly Goode Gal (Jerusalem Greer)
Ting’s Mom (Karen Weido)
Desperately Seeking Gina (Gina Knuppenburg)
A Familiar Path (Melissa Stover)
The Dramatic (Sarabeth Jones)
In Arkansas (Lauren James)
In Arkansas (Blair Neal)
Disclosure: This post is about the 2013 Bean2Blog event, where P. Allen Smith and the Arkansas Soybean Promotion Board invited twenty bloggers from Arkansas to learn about soybean production in the state and to see how gentleman farmer, P. Allen Smith, has transformed his acres into an amazing dream-come-true. I received no compensation for attending other than a super-cute t–shirt (okay 2, there’s a story about the 2nd one coming later), a few soybeans and a gift bag of soy candles. Oh, and they fed us some really yummy deliciousness. All opinions are mine.
Guess what? I went on amazon this weekend and ordered P.Allen’s Garden Home book, the one that is out of print and talks about “garden rooms.” I can’t wait. So glad you captured so many photos!