SUNSHINE GARDENS

I was tempted to let go of our 2 plots (800 square feet) at the community gardens when I realized the enormous amount of time and energy it would take to re-design them. To fix the problem my wonderful rocks had created meant only one thing, and that was to get rid of them, all. If not for Carlos' promise to help out, plantings visions of a new, beautiful garden in my head, I would have been forced, by reason of limited energy, to leave the plots to someone else on the long waiting list.
There's something special about growing one's own vegetables, something akin to an addiction. They taste better, they are fresher, a fitting reward after months of hard work.
It was an unbearable thought to let go of the single thing that connects us to the land. Though the weather hasn't been exactly what one would order out of a catalog, it hasn't stopped, but merely slowed our progress. If it isn't the rain, it's the heat and humidity. And through it all, the pesky mosquito, who forces us to dress up when all we want is to dress down.
I have failed to make this gardening experience sound desireable, but then again, hard physical labor is something most of us will avoid if we can. The gardens never let us get soft. It keeps our muscles firm and strong, our pores clean, and well, what can I say, the harvest provides food for our bellies, the labor for our hearts and souls.