Stories of Twenty-Fifteen – Week 21

Here’s this week’s story:

Title: Planting Vegetables
Story:
Last year when Jake’s mom was visiting, I asked her if she’s be willing to put some vegetable beds in the backyard. I wasn’t sure if anything can grow in our yard considering how little sun we get and I also didn’t want to ruin any of the grass. But I still loved the idea of the boys spending time nurturing and eating food we grew ourselves.

My mother in law not only rose to the challenge but was thrilled to tackle this project with the boys. So when they came to visit us in March, while Jake and I took our trip to Cayucos, they began their project of creating some planters in the backyard. The boys and she discussed the items at length and ended up with lettuce, peas, radishes, carrots, micro greens, tomatoes pole beans, and bush beans. A nice, wide range of wonderful vegetables.

They bought the beds, the soil, the seeds and spent their weekend putting the whole thing together. And the boys are now tasked with watering the plants every day. They take so much pride in telling me what they chose and how to water everything just the right amount.

I know that for most serious gardeners, this is a tiny step that might not even be worth mentioning, but, for us, this is exactly the right size for a project. We are not usually great at growing things and I love that it’s a small step we can take to try doing something new. It’s manageable by the children so they can fully own the process and take pleasure and pride in the outcome.

Some of the plants have already begun sprouting and it’s so wonderful to watch the kids’ delight in seeing their work come to fruition. It’s so magical to see food growing in our yard. It gives me incredible joy.

Thank you so much, Marilyn, for making my dream come true. For doing it in such a simple, elegant, and kid-centered way. We are all so very lucky to have you and we are so grateful for this lovely new project. It’s the gift that keeps giving again and again. We love you so very much!!

Stories of Twenty Fifteen is a project for 2015. You can read more about it here.