Spring Garden 2010

Spring finds me craving trips to the garden store. I long to plant; perennials, vegetables, annuals. I spend time critically examining the garden, thinking of what needs to be divided or moved and where I can fill in with new plants. This led to an expansion of the kitchen garden this year, moving tomatoes and squash outside the raised beds to create room for more of everything else. Of course, I'm still eyeing the empty lot down the street and trying to decide whether to "squat" plant it or not. Until then I have to make do with the limited space I have, and adding tomatoes to the front yard among the roses seemed like a good idea, likewise planting squash between ornamental grasses out back.
















In mid-March we planted lettuces, leeks, swiss chard and spinach, all of which, with exception of the leeks, are ready to harvest. Once the last frost date passed we planted more spinach and lettuce, along with cabbage—yes, I know I was unsuccessful last year, but am determined to beat the cabbage worms this year with an organic spray of garlic, cayenne pepper, water and a dash detergent—provider beans, black beans, tomatoes, squash, eggplant, zucchini, pickling cucumbers, peppers, and sweet potatoes. You can see why we needed the extra room.

We dressed everything with a deep layer of nitrogen-rich compost (thanks to the ladies!) and it seems to have done the trick. We have an ample crop of onions, which were planted last fall and nursed through two snows earlier this year, and the garlic seems to be doing well and will be ready for harvest in June.

The herb garden is flourishing: tarragon, marjoram, oregano, thyme, basil, parsley, mint, cilantro, and of course rosemary. I've planted some herbs among the veggies (oregano planted with cabbage is suppose to repel cabbage butterflies, the offspring of which devoured the cabbage and broccoli last year), lavender to border the garden, and foxglove at the entrance. The blackberry has gotten big and had a nice show of flowers, the blueberries are looking healthy, and the strawberries are beginning to fruit.

All in all, year two of our effort to be more self-sustainable is looking pretty good. If I could take over the empty lot down the street, I could grow enough fruits and vegetables for canning and freezing to take us through the winter months. Hmmm...

Honoring Our Heros

This past Friday, David (aka Mr. Man) accompanied his 92-year-old father, Arnold Cotton, on a free trip to Washington, D.C. as part of West Georgia Honor Flight, which flies veterans to visit their national memorials (priority is given to WWII veterans). Arnold was a Sergent in the Marines during WWII, stationed in the Pacific.

Departing Columbus, GA on a 6:00am chartered flight, they arrived in D.C. to a welcoming reception. From there they boarded buses to take them to the memorials, each bus equipped with its own medical team. Several times during the day, tourists, both young and old (and not associated with Honor Flight), approached Arnold to thank him and shake his hand.

At the Iwo Jima Memorial, Arnold and two other veterans were honored to be chosen to lay a wreath, and enjoyed chatting with fellow Marine Sgt. Miles Johnson, with whom Arnold shared a photo of himself as a young Marine, some 60-65 years ago. (Arnold was also interviewed on-site by the Columbus Ledger as well as his local Macon newspaper after his return home.)

Even though Arnold is a world traveler, he expressed that this was the "trip of a lifetime." I know David feels the same way, grateful to have the opportunity to share this experience with his dad.

Honor Flight arranged for family and friends to send letters of gratitude ahead of the trip to be shared with the veterans on their return flight. As I sat at the breakfast table with Arnold on Saturday morning while these were read to him, I can tell you firsthand how much they were appreciated... he was beaming, and hasn't stopped. And, even though their flight back to Columbus didn't arrive until after 10:00pm, there were approximately 1,000 people waiting to greet the returning heroes with signs and cheers. No opportunity to share love and appreciation was overlooked.

If you know a WWII veteran who would like to make this trip (or if you would like to make a donation to this wonderful organization), go to Honor Flight Network to find the schedule of trips from your area. All veterans must be accompanied by a companion who has to pay for their own flight, but to borrow from a popular advertisement, sharing time with your father as he is honored for his service in WWII...priceless!