Thursday, April 7, 2011

Look, Dad, My Thumb Turned Green!

For many years I was under the impression that I had a black thumb.  My father was an avid gardener and never failed to have a lush beautiful garden in his back yard.  He states that he learned his gardening from his grandmother.  He often tried to pass those skills on to me in my youth, but try as I might, I had not been able to grow much in the garden other than weeds until just recently.
I have been following my own very low carbohydrate diet for the last 18 months.  While discussing this lifestyle with my wife one evening, she commented to me about the significant amount of leafy greens that our family eats.  She noted a significant chunk of change goes to Sprouts grocery store every week because of the changes in our family's diet.  After talking about it, she located a book a few family members had previously mentioned on gardening and picked it up.
The book is "Square Foot Gardening" by Mel Bartholomew.  We read it together.   (I recommend reading something regularly with your wife and family. We either read or listen to an audio book as often as possible. It really is refreshing.)  Mel Bartholomew does a wonderful job. He makes the process of gardening simple.  For someone with limited time and limited space, this is an amazing approach to gardening.
I found myself standing in my yard looking over what is beginning to look like one of my father's gardens.  He passed away a few years ago, but I felt as though he was standing there with his arm around me saying, "Well done, Adam. Well done."
Thanks, Mel.

3 comments:

Brianne said...

You're dad would be proud!

Unknown said...

"Way to go, son!" That's what he would have said. Good job, looks great!

Adam Nally, DO said...

Thanks. You are very kind.