A Holistic Approach

Howdy all!! Been a busy week here, with what feels like almost nothing done.

Some plants got sown indoors this week, including the rosemary, Stevia, cauliflower, cabbage, and some peppermint. The broccoli seedlings are about 5-6
inches tall and have been transplanted to larger containers, and placed in the laundry room with the tomatoes. We have cabbage and cauliflower poking their headsthrough the ground as we speak. And Zen's cucumber plant and mammoth sunflower are doing quite well downstairs.

*Mom is not happy about him growing a sunflower. She hates them almost with the fury designated only for tater tots*

Two of our Roma tomato plants have grown their first two true leaves, and are starting the hardening-off process. Our money plant got sown outdoors, in the front by the garage. And our seed potatoes continue to chit outside during the day. The eyes are definitely coming along. I noticed that one of our peony bushes broke its back under the weight of the last frost. I will stake it and hope it recovers.

Also, my project for today, outside of schoolwork, is to empty the planter in front and bring it to the back yard. Not fun at all. It is a beautiful day out, though, so that makes it more pleasant.

I am worried, that buying the end-of-season onions from the bargain bin at Woodley's may not have been a good idea. They are almost all sprouting in the bag. I will plant them anyway, and we will see. This process needs to be learning-focused at this point. I cannot invest in an end product, because I don't have the knowledge or experience to build upon. I need to take this initial time to learn my garden, to make mistakes andfind solutions. Then, when I know how things work, I can become emotionally invested in outcomes.

Additionally, I have been having a lot of stress. About the garden, school, Zen, my health, you name it. So, I am beginning a project to refocus my mind in a constructive and creative way. Essentially, it is a binder with pages of projects that I want to do in it. Anything I want, crafts from magazines, art inspiration, homemade furniture, soap, textiles. It is a project binder. And when I am stressed out, or bored, I find a project and do it. That way I have a productive way to refocus my thoughts and energy that is not self-destructive. Plus, it keeps me creatively active. And sometime soon, I would like to start a letter-writing campaign that I dreamt up. Every day, I would take time to write a letter to someone telling them how great they are, and how important they have been in my life. It is, for me, a project that makes me come to term with this giant webof support and influence that I have. It forces me to be grateful and to spread messages of love and appreciation. I think part of my homesteading journey must include creative, artistic and emotional endeavors like these. I think to be wholly self-sufficient, that I must acknowledge the emotional and creative resources in my life, and to do my part to keep them healthy and replenished. As well as the resources I use in others.

So, this journey that began with food production has shifted and is now a process of becoming whole. (and not lazy) I am on a quest to not just contribute on a superficial level, but to devote my life to glorifying God through giving back to this planet and the people on it more than I take. At this point, I have spent my entire life taking, and now I intend to spend the rest of it paying back the kindness, generousity, love, inspiration, and support that has been so freely given to me without question.