Carrotfornication

Yesterday I spent a few hours in the garden, trying to wrap things up for the season.

I cut about 1/50th of the basil still growing (what kind of person needs that much basil? Who knew?)

I cut dill, parsley, mint and oregano

I hoed up the last of the potatoes.

I collected another 8 or so cucumbers.

I pitchforked and shoveled more dirt onto the asparagus row to bring the level of dirt flush with the rest of the garden.

I checked on my canteloupe, many of which are making attempts at growing but won't make it before the first freeze.

I picked all of my decorative gourds and put them in a bowl on the counter.

I picked my 2nd only tomato of the season.

I picked half a pail of green beans.

And finally, I pulled up the rest of my carrots.

Apparently funny things happen with carrots when they are in the ground too long. You know, they get fidgety, anxious, waiting for something to happen.

They start to chat with their neighboring carrots in order to get to know them better.

Soon, there are ice cream socials and dances. Cell phone numbers are exchanged.

Before you know it, relationships start.

I named this couple:

The passionate embrace

and I thought, oh, how cute.

And then came these two.

I really don't have a dirty mind. I might use crass or unladylike language, but really, sex isn't everyday conversation for me.

But, really? C'mon guys, there are kids present.

So, to summarize my first year as a gardener:

It started with a sign:

It involved lots of manual labor.

Sometimes the work was slow and painful. (Remember slice toes?)

God often intervened on my behalf. (Remember upside down asparagus?)

Sometimes it looked awful and felt overwhelming.

Sometimes it looked amazing and made me proud of what I'd accomplished.

Sometimes the fruits of my labor astonished me. (This was delicious)

 And sometimes, it just made me laugh. (This was my very last harvest of the day yesterday)

It was hard, it was a learning experience, it was rewarding. It was sweat inducing, it could be frustrating, it could be painstaking. It helped feed our family, and it helped me remember I could do something even if I didn't know all the ins and outs of it.

Yep, I'll do it all again next  year.