Tag Archives: urban garden

An Essay about Compare and Contrast

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Remember when you had to write those compare and contrast essays in school? Three points for this, two points for that, proper “proof” of your argument for or against, hamburger paragraphs, thesis statement and conclusion…blah blah blah. My kids are suffering through that experience right now so I’m being blessed with the feedback. This is not one of those essays, however. It is a post about comparing and contrasting though… and what I am musing about this week.

This lockdown world has forced many of us to branch out into the online world and buy from a pre-described list of products. Myself included. And call me old fashioned, but I still like to look and feel and taste and smell the stuff I am about to purchase. A stock photo and short blurb just doesn’t cut it sometimes… especially if the “thing” is new to you. So, here’s the story:

In great hopes to get a jump start on our Urban Garden, and to save a little cash, and at the prompting of so many better-than-me-gardener posts, I decided to start seeds in the basement under a “grow-light”. Which conjured up all kinds of grow-op images of secret marijuana plantations concealed in my basement under the devise of jumping into the cannabis free market and raising someone’s stock prices… but, I digress. Apparently starting seedlings requires light and heat and “stable” conditions… hence the grow light.

The search for : The Sunblaster 1600… 200 Version

Which thus begins my search and comparison… online. I knew what I wanted: The Sunblaster 1600… complete with trays… the large size, not the micro garden for mere herbs… I need light for beefsteak tomatoes, baby, and maybe watermelon… but where would be the least expensive place to find it? Without crazy shipping costs? So began my compare and contrast adventure. Which is hard, because, as I mentioned, stock photos and small descriptions don’t always give you the information that you want. Dimensions were listed in both inches and centimeters, some sites included shipping, some could be picked up curbside, some had different product numbers… How is a girl to compare apples to apples when you’ve got granny smith vs. gala??!

It takes some investigating… and asking questions, and good old pen and paper lists and conversions. You will be happy to know that the Sunblaster 1600 …200 version… is now sitting on my counter ready for set up! And the mighty Amazon was not the best deal in town (in case you wanted to know). I’ll keep you posted on the seedling development.

So what should be the take home from my little adventure? Is it good to test, compare and contrast? In the case of a large purchase, then yes, this is a wise practice. In the case of school essays? Yes, you have to do those, too. What about your place of worship? Or how you worship? Or dare I say who you worship? Now, I don’t want to tread on thin ice here, I haven’t really studied “testing”… but I do think we need to be diligent in asking questions… and doing our research so we are comparing apples to apples. Does your church promote and adhere to Biblical principles? Is it God focused or leader focused? Will it waiver with the times or stay steadfast to the standards God lays out for us? Do they care about people because God cares about people or do they just want numbers in the pews… or in the offering plate?

Photo by Robin Spielmann

It’s not easy. It “looks good online” doesn’t always translate to the real product when it arrives on your doorstep. And I think it is okay to question… and pray about it! God knows where you need to be… and He will help you get there! Don’t be fooled by flashy promotions and short blurbs… if you want to grow the proper fruit… you need the proper light! Go ahead, do your research and compare and contrast. Soon, if your choices are right, you will see the seeds begin to sprout and then grow strong and mighty in the full soil of God’s true kingdom!

Celebrating Freedom

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Happy Victoria day! Happy Belated Mother’s day! Happy Beginning of Summer! Happy who-knows-how-many day of Lockdown! I don’t know about you, but I am feeling the need to wish you a happy something. To celebrate. To move forward. To move on. Things are slowly, slowly starting to open up around us, but we are still being cautious, and many of our “normal” summer events have already been cancelled. Covid-19 and the pandemic of 2020 will cause us to question how we do things for sometime. Life will go on, but we need to be prepared for changes going forward. We usually spend this first long weekend of summer at our trailer, opening up, dusting off the winter, and looking forward to sunny days and slower times. Instead, we are still home. We’ve been doing slower days for three months already! Home — but still keeping ourselves busy. We are ahead of schedule this year with our little urban garden, and the youngest has been itching to get our seedlings in the ground. This weekend was spent in preparation!

We expanded our growing space this year by purchasing two raised beds… and 3 cubic yards of soil! (which is a whack load of dirt, lemme tell ya!) I guess if I can’t have the farm, we are going to bring it to me, by golly! Now, let me premise the rest of the story by saying we are not great at building projects. We have limited experience and even more limited tools. But where there is a will, there is a way, right? And, so, we spent the entire day building, levelling, shovelling and soon — planting! I thought, great — I will blog about the fruit of the spirit in Galatians 5. Seemed like a gardening-type verse to focus on. Yet, as I read the passage over this week and meditated on it, the context, and what I might muse about, I was convicted by the following verse:

“Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other.”

Galatians 5:26 (NIV)

So much of my isolation has been spent scrolling through news feeds, searching for ideas, plans, gathering information. This is not inherently wrong, of course, and it has become part of our lives — especially now, when everything has “moved online”. And so I muse: How much have I envied others as I scrolled? Have I become conceited in my own posts as I “brag” about what I am doing at home? I’ve found myself looking at the newscaster’s artwork on the walls as I listen to the news. I wonder about the kitchen gadgets and the furniture and lack of dirty dishes as I look up new recipes. I see the actors and actresses without their camera crews and wonder how they pull off their great looks without help. What about those Zoom Meetings? Perhaps you’ve been seeking out worship and devotions and watched churches who can put on heavenly displays. Or maybe you’ve been like me — totally jealous of the Instagram stories of vast acres in the hills, with perfect rows of green growth… and chickens.

photo credit: silvertulipgifts (Etsy)

The Mitton crew has had a good weekend. Our garden beds turned out great, and we worked together as a family. We spent time outdoors and got a lot accomplished. I am proud and feel good about the things we did. We have reason to celebrate those things. Still, I am reminded to be humble and remember that God has blessed us with the means and the abilities. As He has blessed those I see online. I must remember not to listen to the voices that remind me of the doubts and insecurities I have. The ones that tell me what I have is “not good enough” . The envious thoughts of “if only…”

Oh my friends, I hope and pray that as I post each week and share my pictures and muses with you, that you understand that we are on the journey together. Our lives are far from perfect, and those on the screens are far from perfect too. We all need a Saviour and the fruit of the Spirit. It’s hard to balance dreams and reality, isn’t it? To curb our envy, and still pursue lofty goals. Galatians 5 reminds us that we were called to be free as we walk in the Spirit, and not be burdened by the desires of the flesh. It is my prayer for us on this long weekend. Here’s to celebrating that kind of freedom!

A Bouquet of Flowers

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Well. Here it is. First day of back-to-school week, which means summer is officially over. If you’ve been following along through my summer posts, you know it has been an interesting summer… full of ups and downs and failed plans. So, I am marking today with a big bouquet of flowers. A celebration of sorts, a chance to move forward in the adventure, and see where this next “new year” goes.

Our little urban garden is starting to yield its last of the produce, but we are still waiting for the sunflowers to bloom. They are strong, and very tall… but have not presented their happy, seed-filled faces yet! Did we plant too late? Did we forget something? I’m not sure. Perhaps they are just late bloomers, and we will simply have to wait and be patient. We also planted nasturtiums, an edible plant that I was hoping to pretty up salads with… but they didn’t grow at all! What did grow was a huge goldenrod bush… basically a wildflower… better known as a weed. It flourished mightily. Although, I hear you can make a really nice goldenrod tea… when life gives you lemons and all that… At least the bees enjoyed it.

photo by kilarov-zaneit via Unsplash

I was never a big flower fan when I was younger. Of course, I loved a bouquet of roses as much as any romantic teen, but gardens should be practical and contain something “useful” like vegetables. But I have grown and matured and have come to appreciate flowers. The simple diversity of blooms and variety of colour, alone, makes them worthy of pondering. As I read more on gardens and foraging, the medicinal use of things like echinacea, camomile, and lavender, have peaked my interest in the practical characteristics of the “pretty” plants. So, forgive me if you are a flower fiend, and have tended the perfect English rose garden for years. I am still learning.

As a scientist, I’m aware that flowers also have quite a deep history. I’ve already alluded to the medicinal uses of flowering buds. Still, have you heard of this thing called the Fibonacci sequence ? Flowers have such. Repeating patterns in perfectly mathematical sequences that bear the mark of a unique and complex Creator. Cool. And let’s not forget the simple fact that flowers are the lifeblood of the plant… seeds and fruit that perpetuate the next generation! Not just pretty faces, indeed.

And so, on this first day, of this new fall year, be encouraged by a “simple” flower. Pick a bouquet for yourself or someone else and share the love. Tag me on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram! I’d love to see how you are choosing to bloom today!