It's been a long, hard summer so far

Life throws us curves sometimes, and we usually don't see them coming until they have smacked us in the head. That is what happened with my summer garden plans. I tried to take care of my little seedlings, but didn't really have enough time. I tried to rely on other family members (ie: the spouse) to help with the watering but it was haphazard at best. Needless to say they did not survive. So I have been left with my herbs for the summer and that is all. But I'm okay with that. I am experiencing several life changing events at the moment and the garden would still be suffering if it had survived. Event number one will have me as a single parent in a few months and event number two happened two weeks - I lost my job. This was a total surprise to me. Jobs are in short supply here and the unemployment rate is almost 13% so that makes it even harder to find one. I am thinking about going back to college but I am also contemplating what seems like a million other possibilities too. I have written about wanting to have an herb farm here on my blog before and that dream has not died...it never will. I would love to be able to lease an acre or two of land and plant it in herbs, edible flowers and heirloom vegetables. I could have a booth at the local farmers' markets (there are three or four that I know of in the area) or have a selling area where I grow.

Another idea I have is to start a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture). It would be great to offer people fresh, locally grown food on a weekly basis. I have read about CSAs for many years but have never lived in an area where they existed. I think they are great and besides providing good food from a sustainable source, they help develop a sense of community that is lacking in today's society. A lot of people think my plans are idyllic and ask me "how would you be able to do that?" Well of course it would take some planning, and some money for funding the venture, but I think both are very viable options for me to pursue. And I would be following my bliss, which I think everyone should do. "Do what you love" should be everyone's mantra; I think that is a big part of being happy. Until I can follow through on my dream, I will continue to plant all I can in my containers. Soon it will be time to plant cucumbers, tomatoes, greens and all sorts of other garden delights. I can't wait to "get growing" again!