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Thursday, April 9, 2015

H is for Dreams

Today’s post is brought to you by the letter H and the category of memoirs

In honor of my Home.
It took many long years before I owned my first home.  I used to dream about having one and what I would do wit and how my gardens would grow.
These are some of my thoughts in a different sort of prose, enjoy.



I never had any other desire so strong and so like to covetousness, as that one which I have had always, that I might be master, at last, of a small house and a large Garden.     -Abraham Cowley, The Garden, 1666.

                                                                                                                                          

So it is written, so shall it be true.

Long were the times I spent in thought of spaces in which to exercise my dreams. Hoping for a chance to dig my hands into the rich soil and feel the warmth of a late spring day on my back.

Not just any soil, but soil that was attached to my name by legal papers.
Too many years went by tending the gardens of others.  As I tediously pulled weed from earth I jealously scowled.  Although the labor was good for the heart it was sour on the soul.  The joy was lost in the creation when I walked away.  Most likely never to return or worse yet,  return to an ill-kept site, staring in wonder at the hard work that was so easily swept to the side in light of other worldly ventures.

It was ne'er in vain as all those years cumulated and an expansive growth of knowledge found its way into my core.  In perfection, there must be practice.  Soon enough, the pen would grace the paper and I would acquire one such acre to practice all my practicing on. 
It is here where I sit and watch the bees light on the flowers.  It is here I smell the sweet roses and laugh at the bouncing daylilies.  Marveling at how the soil puts forth such an abundance if just cared for a little.  It is akin to a child, who upon the slightest bit of love, can grow into a strong and vibrant character.

So quick they are to grow, the vegetables in the garden.  No site is more endeared to a gardener than the first of the cucurbits or that first red, ripe tomato.  And only a gardener will understand when you say that growing can be more fun than eating.
I cherish the land, the structure and the nature within.  Dorothy said it best,


“There’s no place like home.”




23 comments:

  1. It looks like a nice home! I've owned, I've rented, I've owned, I rented; I lived in a home I didn't own or rent (last home before we moved, hubby owned it, inherited from his parents). I like the advantages of both. Rent, there's a problem you call the landlord. Own, your building up an equity that hopefully will grow. We're at a cross roads. We're renting, but we have the potential to buy. So what do we do???

    betty

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I have always wanted my own. That way I can do whatever I want to it. If I want to tear up the lawn and plant 1000 tomato plants, I can! Sure there is the maintenance and occasional repairs but I enjoy those kinds of tasks.

      Delete
  2. I get a warm feeling from this and I like the analogy of growing a garden with growing characters.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks, Nick,
      Everything needs a little love once in awhile if you expect great things from it.

      Delete
  3. I have always thought you had a great home and with all of your improvements and hard work, it is now a spectacular home!!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Dani,
      You have been there all along to watch the change too!
      Thanks for your loyalty

      Delete
  4. I like a garden, both vegetables and flowers. But I'm just not good at it. I need plants that thrive on neglect.
    ~Visiting from AtoZ

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    Replies
    1. I hear that a lot Wendy. Start small so it's easy to take care of. Easier to learn as well.

      Delete
  5. Having a place to call your own is a special feeling! Dreams do happen. It just takes work. Thanks for sharing!

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    Replies
    1. You are correct Cathy,
      Dreams often hide their work requirement deep within them so you don't see it at first and everything seems like a great idea! LOL

      Delete
  6. I relate, but on a slightly different vein, it has been my house that needed tending - the garden still awaits.
    There is something magical about using our hands, a little bit of the mind, and then standing back with pride, looking at our efforts. Dorothy is right!

    I also like what Nick said… I can only imagine the stories that living on an acre, with garden and animals, that feed your mind.

    Wonderful H post, my friend - I enjoyed it.

    Jenny, Pearson Report
    2015 A to Z Challenge Ambassador
    @PearsonReport

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. JP,
      With my OCD and ADD, my wife is glad it is only one acre and not ten. Just think of what I could do with ten......

      Delete
  7. I have the garden, but sadly my old house is in need of work. But, she's 102 and still standing. You have a nice home.

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  8. A very thoughtful post! Thank you. Gardening is my second "profession," writing my first. I had the misfortune of turning over the land, getting it to look nice, thinking we could live out our days there, then had to sell. Did this over twenty two years. Thankful to be in a home where hubby and I can sit still for awhile (retired from day jobs now and loving it).

    Inventions by Women A-Z
    Shells–Tales–Sails

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I love to garden. Sometimes I get a little bit too serious. I am a perfectionist and I carry that into my gardening to a fault. LOL
      Thanks for visiting.

      Delete
  9. I love fresh veggies but due to living in the desert it's hard to keep a garden going especially when I have chipmunks eating everything.

    Sunni
    http://sunni-survivinglife.blogspot.com/

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks for visiting Sunni.

      Chipmunks are notorious pests. An outdoors cat or two would solve that problem quickly.

      Delete
  10. Your writing gets better and better all the time! I'm so glad you have "roots" and enjoy watching the fruits of your labor year after year. Great post!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks, Barb,
      If the weather was better I would be in the garden right now. It is a mess after the winter.

      Delete
  11. Brand new follower here, dropping by from A to Z.

    Nice to meet you, Jeff!

    2015 A to Z Challenge Co-Host
    Matthew MacNish from The QQQE

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  12. Nicely done. I think most of us would like a place to call our own. I've got mine even though really the bank owns it for now, but still it's got my name on it.

    Arlee Bird
    A to Z Challenge Co-host
    Tossing It Out

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  13. I really like the concept of having my own garden, but I realize that if I attempted such a task there wouldn't ever be a garden. I would not be able to maintain it. At least at this point in my life, and since I don't foresee surviving into my elder years I don't believe this will ever be on the docket.

    Now... if there was a pretty nifty game based on building and managing a garden... then maybe :) That's not too bad of an idea perhaps...

    Returning some A to Z love, thanks for stopping by! Updated the Hornet post (Though never getting the chance to play the game last night) and added what would be viewed as a humorous nod towards your comment. :)

    ReplyDelete

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