Ramblings of a Gardener.

I can’t tell you how many failures I’ve had trying to garden.
If you asked about planting something, I could tell you why you should not even try.
I’ve tried potatoes in a raised bed with straw. 
The dogs laid on them and crushed them.
I’ve planted corn.
The cows waited until they were just perfect, and jumped the fence and trampled all of them.
I’ve planted 50 foot rows of green beans, to return after one weekend to nothing —a gopher ate the entire row.
I’ve had perfect onions, only to find they were just the tops; gophers like them too
I’ve had my rose bush used as Homeplate and my lilac tree was third base.
I’ve dug an entire garden space and never found one earthworm. What can I do with that kind of dirt?

When the boys were small, I gave up on pretty things and just planted necessities—beans, tomatoes and squash were staples, because that was what would grow—sometimes.
Chickens pecked at the  “almost-ripe” tomatoes.
Squash was good until July.
Never mind cucumbers—they were bitter beyond eating, no matter what we tried.
But always God blessed.
Not always what I wished, but surprises came. 
Like the crop of potatoes we tried when my son suggested it.
Or the radishes the boys begged to plant, but no one could eat that many all at once.

The times in the garden with my boys were times they learned trust in God. Maybe they didn’t realize it, but that seed doesn’t look like the plant, yet we plant and care for it, and God makes it grow—just like He said He would.
And when we planted a bean seed, we expected a bean plant to grow—isn't that God being faithful to what He has said. He's dependable. Reliable. And good.
The boys spent a lot of time in the garden.
Planting was fun, but weeding was needed too.
And so was harvesting.
We expect a harvest, even with all the trials and experiments, we expect to get SOMETHING!
That's God keeping His promises.
There’s nothing quite like eating peas off the vine.
Or I’d catch them munching down a ripe tomato when they should have been weeding.
Or snapping or cutting those millions of beans so I could freeze them.
I tried to picked the beans. Otherwise, if the boys were sloppy, we’d have tough beans from those they’d missed. 
Teaching them the responsibility to care for what God has given to us.
From our bounty, God  enabled us to give to others, either in meals, or in produce.
He doesn't want His blessings hoarded or selfishly squandered. Enjoyed and shared.
But there was pleasure in picking beans first thing in the morning, listening to the boys milk and care for the animals, and preparing my mind for the day.

Much of gardening is quiet. 
I hear the birds, mostly we had insects, and stayed alert with eyes and ears for rattlesnakes that might rest under the beans.
But I heard more than the birds and bugs.
I can hear God speak.
Encouraging me to spend a bit more time with this son as he’s struggling, or correcting an attitude in my own heart that’s become a habit.
Gardening gives time to reflect.
Gardening makes me slow down.
Gardening encourages me to listen.

You can’t make the seed sprout or the plant grow.
You must wait.
And when you wait, you can worry about the harvest or trust God for that harvest. That choice is yours.
You can’t make spring come any faster by planting your seeds too early, either.
You end up with a hassle—what do you do with all these plants inside?
Gardening is not on your time.
Ever try to hurry a seed to sprout?
It can’t be done. 
It’s timetable is programed by God.
So gardening develops in its caretakers a patience that doesn’t come anywhere else.
Farmers learn that patience of wait.
But with that wait, there's hope and dream and mostly prayer, because much of gardening and growing is out of our hands.
But in God's hands.
It's His goodness we must trust.
Why is it so hard to trust then?

When the boys were small, I stuck to what I had to plant–remember my rose bush as home plate and my lilac as third? 
One year the boys built a mud run through my corn patch.
I had to decide to have plants or boys. 
I could have flowers and yell at my boys all the time, or enjoy their play and skip the flowers.
That went for house plants, too.
Give those up.
But part of gardening is waiting. 
There’s seasons to planting; like there’s seasons to life.
I’ve waited many years, but now I can grow flowers with no boys using them as home plate. 
I’d rather have home plate. 
But I'll be thankful for this season.
I’m enjoying flowers.

After this move, I’ve had to relearn so much.
Like don’t water in the evenings, everything will mold; water in the morning.
This dirt definitely is different from California’s dirt. 
You can make a two foot hole in 15 minutes, instead of taking all day, alternately between soaking and digging because the dirt isn't like concrete.
And the earthworms! They’re as big as snakes! Or maybe they are snakes?

But snails are here, too. 
When I baited them with beer, my dogs rushed to drink the bait. No slugs killed there.
And mold. Nothing dries here, even towels. They just mold.
And wind and clouds without rain. (Do I or do I not water?)
The wind dries out your plants. (I should have watered.)
But I’ve been told, if you start to water, you will always have to water. (How does your plants know you are watering and not the clouds?)
In California, you would work in 100’ weather all day, but here, the humidity makes it impossible.
Gardening is an experiment in progress.
What succeeded last year, may not even work this year—weather’s different, don’t you know?

Gardening is God’s gift. Allowing us to reshape what we have to something of beauty.
I loved to see our tall rows of corn reaching toward the sun. 
I felt pride in seeing our five-gallon buckets of tomatoes we’d pick every other day. And the quarts of tomato sauce made from them.
So many factors that can make a harvest or break it.
Some years we picked tomatoes for a Thanksgiving salad.
Other years, we were finished by October.
Funny how we can derive such pride in gifts from God.
After all, it’s He that blesses.

Here in Oklahoma, our town seems impoverished.
Houses are run down. 
Even the mowers for the post office leave clumps of chewed up grass in rows after they mow. And they don’t edge, but allow the grass to grow over the curbs.
I drove around neighborhoods looking for what plants grow here. Even the “rich” houses were sparse in landscaping.
Largely vacant of color.
Desolate.
Impoverished.
How expensive was it to plant something?
Was it too hard to try?
Had they just given up?
What didn't I knew that they knew?
Or were people too busy?
Maybe they just gave up after so many times with changing weather.

What do you do with this dirt?
My yard moves, like waves, when I walk on it.
Mole tunnels? No holes gave any evidence.
But we did find grubs—lots of them.
Anything I plant I amend the soil—extensively.
That part of gardening—experimenting—and failing seems to be my portion lately.

When winter came, I went to Lowes for inspiration. 
Their garden department was empty.
How could no plants for sale?
The winter was made more desolate by their barren shelves.
Like having no hope.
But gardening is believing in tomorrow and the hope of the future— God’s promise of the seed.
I looked at seed and plant catalogs.

Last year Jeremiah and I built a riverbed to channel rain to the road from our back yard. We pulled out poison ivy everywhere (we itched for three months.)
Our neighbor donated his rocks and we picked up gravel from our backyard.
My sister and a friend donated plants.
In the fall, my sister gave me credit for flower bulbs.
I planted 1000.
I struggled to wait for them.
When winter and spring fought to see which would win, temperatures rose to 70’s but then fell back to 30’s, I hoped my bulbs wouldn’t die.
But God is faithful.
Spring did come. Just like He said the seasons would always be.
The flowers brought encouragement to my weary soul.

Our house has almost no back yard.
Our front yard raps around the side of the house, but all is open to traffic and viewing.
I don’t like to use the word “hate”, but I do. (Working on being content, but that is slow to come.)
Everyone sees what I do.
Gardening is a sacred thing.
A time for me to think, to pray, to … not be on display—especially as I experiment with what works.
And I do a lot of failing as I experiment.
That’s the melancholy part of me that makes me think everyone’s watching, they probably aren’t….except they stop.
Even a teenager walking by told me, “That’s beautiful.”
A driver slowed down, and yelled out his window, “Do that to the entire yard.”
I thanked them.
But it’s God.
God gives the increase.
God makes it grow.
I can just plant. Pull weeds.
Pray. Hope. Dream.
But it’s God Who makes the things of beauty.

We all crave beauty, don’t we?
In this dark world where people struggle with hopelessness, people need hope.
Not just that spring is coming, but that beauty exists and it’s worth pursuing.
Gardens bring that hope to people. 
Not just to those who pull the weeds and plant the seed, but to all who see the beauty.
It’s a glimpse into God’s character.
He’s made those flowers after all.
And He wants us to reflect Him—in all His beauty.
I’d like to think my yard shows to people His glory and faithfulness, because that’s what it does for me.

I write about what matters...to you---
women, wives and moms---
about your family, faith and future.
I write about what's hard, what helps and what heals.
I show you how it's done. And not done.
I hold your hand as you find what matters to the Savior.
And let go of those things that mattered to you, but not to Him.
I write about what matters...to Him.
               Sonya Contreras

Helps
Find more articles here:
Holiday Helps
Feeling Disorganized?
Cutting Costs with DIY Cleaners
Helps—An App Worth Having
Ramblings from a Gardener
Gardening
One Pot Miracles
Settling In
Are You Vaccinated?
Reading Chair Worth Using
More Breads to Give
What Moving Has Taught Me—part two
What Moving Has Taught Me—part one
Elderberries to the Rescue
What To Do Now?
Stuff that Helps
Making Your House Work for You
From Ugly to Something of Beauty
Seasons of Gardening from a Tired Mom
Canning
Emergency Spending
The Dreaded Family Picture
Let's Talk about Laundry
Camping with Children
Camping List
Camping Recipes
Traveling with Children by Airplane
Traveling with Children by Car
Saving Time with School
Shopping to Save Money
Tips for Clutter Management
Why De-clutter?
Twelve Steps to Take the Hectic out of the Holidays
Tips for the Holidays
Tips To Save Time in Making Meals
Tips To Make Food Stretch
Are You Seeing Black?
What Does Your Clothes Say about You?
What Season Are You?

Faith
Find more articles about faith here:
The Need for Meaning Even in Pain
Reminders of What's Important
God's Unmeasurable Love
A Quarter of a Century Spent for Our Country
What Were You Thinking?
Who Are You Watching?
Boundaries for a Better Life
God's Boundaries
Memories of a Hero Mom
The Ripple Effect
How Do We Think Like Jesus
Litany of a Waiting Woman
Ever Cook a Frog?
New Year's Reminders
They Galled Her Gammy
When God Speaks
A Russian Christmas Story
Be Thankful
Be Grateful
Are You Tired of the Same, Old Thing?
  (reprint)
Laughter—Why Laugh?
Mom
Are You Disturbed?
Unity of the Brothers
Encouragements To Declutter
Do You Have Too Much Stuff?
Too Much Stress
Getting Past the Noise—The Value of Silence
Are You Scatterbrained?
How Good Are You?
Looking for Something Good To Read?
A Cup of Cold Water
I Will Trust When I Cannot See
Encouragement—What Is It?
Being in God's Presence
"Einstein and the Professor"
When God Is Silent
Do You Crave Beauty?
Using Stories to Discipline
The Danger of the Wrong Story
Using Stories to Teach Lessons
God is in charge of the future
November Dare Joy Challenge
Ungratefulness
Developing an Attitude of Gratitude
Looking for Jesus
What Do Your Prayers Reflect?
Life's Little Pleasures
Daniel—Greatly Loved by God
Take Every Thought
Jars of Clay
What Do Your Words Reveal about Your Heart?
How Do You Get Strong Faith?
Too Busy for God's Word?
How Do You Think Like Jesus?
Reflections from a Mom
Pain—What's It Good For?
Why Marry?
Consider the Robin
One Life Who Made a Difference
What Day Are You Living In?
Interrupted by God
Is Jesus Really the Answer to Everything?
Are You Beat Up?
What's Your Hurry?
Are You a Manipulator?
Are You Salty?
Are You Condemned?
Trying to Understand?
Do You Expect Answers to Your Prayers?
Do You Eat Your Stress?
Need Focus?
Going through Trouble?
Immanuel—God with Us
Looking for a Relationship?
When God Says, "No!"
What Do You Do with Left-Overs?
How Great Is Your God?
Are You Needy?
How Do You See Sin?
What Do Your Words Mean?
Is Evil Overwhelming You?
Those Aha Moments
Is Your Soul Happy?
Are You Ignored?
Looking for the God Moment
Do You Know Truth from Almost Truth?
I Believe in Jesus—What Now?
Do You Have Your "Son"-Glasses On?
Less Is More
Singing His Praise
Are You Trying To Do It All?
What Do You Do with All These Prayer Requests?
Have a Problem?
Do You Know How to Pray?
Looking for God in Every Moment
Are You Receptive to God's Blessings?
Tell the Senate: Mothers Aren't Birthing People
Is Your Life Complicated?
How Do We Fight Evil?
Fearfully and Wonderfully Made
Giving Up or Taking Away
the Bible is simple
Are You a Dripping Faucet?
What's Your Testimony?
The Final Move
Be Careful What You Wish For!
Are Your Prayers Answered?
I Choose Joy
What Have You Learned from Your Hardship?
Who Are You Trying to Change?
What's Your Five-Year Plan?
The Danger of "Aloneness"
My Colors
Are You a Whiner?
Are Your Works Approved?
Do You Think You're Stressed?
Is Your Soul Feeling Ragged?
God Speaks to the Heart of the King
What about the Details?
Have You Felt the Long-Suffering of God?
How Does God Lead You?
Do You Have Enough?
Don't Carry More than You Need
Cast the Seed
God Is Faithful
Are You Deceived?
Are You Essential?
Are You Safe?
Are You Tired of the Same Old Thing?
Does the World Make Sense?
Have You Seen God's Majesty?
Do You Feel Judged?
If You Only Had One More Day To Live
Are You Understood?
Do You Long for the Word of God?
Slow Down and Smell the Dead Leaves
Are You Hospitable?
Our Heritage Is Bought by Blood
Are You Disturbed?
Are You Depressed?
I Did It My Way
Finding the Simple Life with Meaning
The Simple Life
Do You Have the Right Words?
Did Your Dream Die?
On the Other Side of the Fence
Marijuana, Mental Illness, and Violence
Confessions of a Desperate Mom
Saving for Tomorrow
A Wedding Remembered
Who Will Stand in the Gap?
Are You a Protector or a Ruler?
Who Are You?
Are You an Image Bearer or a Wad of Cells?
Are You a Watchman?
Where Do You Find Meaning?
The Lamb of God as Told by a Scribe
What Love Is This?
Remember: The Symbols of Passover Explained
Tea and Rest
Do You Have Peace?
What Makes a Marriage Work?
When Life Is Awful
Are You Strong Enough?
Rules
Seasons
Be Faithful through Suffering
Do You Know the Word?
Wake Up! Strengthen What Remains
Are You Spit in God's Mouth?
Is Jezebel in Your Midst?
Do You Stand Against Satan Himself?
Are You Tired of Being a Mom?
What in the World Is Happening?
It's Not My Story
How Would Your Faith Compare?
Are You Sinking?
Are You a Rule Follower?
Useful for Him
An Intimate Moment with Mary
The Worldview that Makes the
   Underclass
Thoughts to Ponder
What Does It Take To Know the
    Heart of God?
See the Story in the Stars
Do the Scriptures Burn You?
Being in His Presence
Contentment: It's Not for the Timid
How Secure Are You?
How Do You Respond To Stupid People?
The Earthworm Is My Hero
Heart Issues or Issues of the Heart
Things Aren't Always What They Seem
More faith articles are found here:

under the Table of Contents. Also available in book form.
Or here:

under the Table of Contents. Also available in book form.
Articles on Suffering can be found  here, 

under Table of Contents. Also available in book form.
Special Days
Remember: The Symbols of 
   Passover Explained    
Aug 12, 2017 The Heavens Declare the Glory of God
July 4th, Freedom
What Is an American Soldier?
Valentine's Day: A Day of Love?
Memorial Day-A Day To Remember
Veterans' Day-To Honor Our Men
Fall Colors
First Thanksgiving Day
    Proclamation
Christmas: Stories behind the Songs
Christmas: Stories behind the Songs, part 2