....discipline...

Althought my Moey to the left is quite cute.....

The feelings and deterimination of Lent quite honestly are starting to wear thin. I've already failed on my promise to Jesus a couple of times, and quite frankly because of the guilt of faltering on my promises, I'm struggling to even have the desire to recommit. I need more discipline in my life that's for sure....

One of the things I did this weekend to try to be more determined to get my priorities back was get in the garden. Jesus has taught me so much toiling away in the soil. My soul has been yearning for that time. If only the weather would cooperate.

Saturday was supposed to be a promising day outdoors. The weather man said early Saturday morning that it was supposed to be warm....around the 60-65 degree mark. Rain would be coming in the evening. Boy was he WRONG! Right after putting a load of clothes out on the line at noon, the rain drops started to fall. So frustrating. I trudged back out in my purple rain slickers and quickly took the clothespins off the line. Headed back down stairs into the basement and hung them up since our life has been absent of a dryer for over 3 years. What could I do now??? I got out my library vegetable planting books and got my supplies together.

One of my goals this year for my garden is to grow my own vegetables....from SEED. I would love to be able to live fully off the land....and stop resorting to paying for over priced, processed foods. But we live on a quarter acre of land....I go only do so much with mother nature.

For the past year, to the disgustement of those that surround me, I have been keeping a fully stocked worm bin in the basement. It's secluded to a corner of the basement...no one would even know it was there if I wasn't so excited and proud of them. I've been feeding them newspaper scraps, old banana peels, egg shells, coffee grounds, rotten fridge food we didn't eat fast enough.....anything that worms would love to digest. And what do they produce?? Lovely casting...or in other terms...POOP. I water them every few days, they continue to eat and have worm babies, and then they poop, and poop, and well poop some more. This is the whole existence to their lives. They eat wasted food and....poop. But oh how that poop does wonders to my plants and veggies!!!! In the bottom of my compost worm bin there are tiny holes that allow the water to seep through. This water/poop is so rich is nutrients it is literally making my plants grow like weeds! LOVE IT! So many of my plants that were bordeline dead have vibrated back to life!

The beauty of nature sometimes astounds me! God knows his creation so well----the master creator who thinks of everything and doesn't forget a single thing.

So Saturday I headed to the basement through the thunderstorm. I kept my slickers on, got out the step ladder, placed it in front of the bin---sat down and started clawing through the poop with my bare hands. Back with nature.....I had to peel the top layer of compost back to get to the nutrient rich compost. I started picking up clumps and pulling them apart. Sometimes revealing 10-20 worms....sometimes nothing. I needed to separate the worms from the compost. Then I'd throw it in the bucket next to me. Once I had picked through enough compost, I mixed the compost with potting soil. I wanted my seedling to get the most energy possible! Once that was complete, I filled all my pots with this nutrient rich potion. Poking little holes in the top layer of soil, I started planting my seeds. Broccolli. Green peppers. Tomatos. I put little sticks inside of them with little flags with the letters B, P and T to hopefully distinguish which plants are which. I actually think I messed up a couple of the pots so we might have a surprise in a couple of weeks after they germinate!

I then walked up the basement steps with a tray full of pots. Walking around the corner I see Moey on the floor hanging his head in shame. Because of the thunder, and because he thought I left him he peed on the floor! In an instant I was so angry...but then compassion swelled over me. He was just scared, he thought I left him, and the booming was so loud. Althought I was in the basement, not too far from him, according to him I was too far away. Oh how many times I have felt this way about my Savior. Only to realize that Jesus has been there all along. I was just focusing on the storm....

In the spare bedroom upstairs (after cleaning up a puddle!) I placed the stools and tables next to the window. I placed the tray full of pots on the tables. And then watered them. I have so much hope for these seedlings. There is something powerful in digging your hands in the earth (and worm poop) and doing something useful with your hands. Hopefully my hard work (along with the worm's hard work of eating!) will be productive, and bring a little more discipline back into my life.


Only those who are willing to plant will see a harvest.....