Confessions of a Gardener

I have a confession to make......I have never gardened. I know what you are thinking, what kind of farmers wife doesn't have a garden!? Don't judge me! I decided this year that was all going to change; not only do we now have a garden, I will also try my hand at canning and freezing veggies for the winter.

I know, I know, it is a lot to take on for someone who has never done this before but I am determined to succeed......failure is not an option.

Therefore, the past two weeks have been devoted to the garden. Last Wednesday my husband and I came home from work and jumped into the garden until the job was done.

I gathered my gloves, seeds, gravel rake (to loosen the dirt), the trowel, and we went to work.

We have it all! Broccoli, squash, Cauliflower, Corn, Beans (bush not pole), pumpkins, okra, cucumber, carrots, radishes, and an assortment of flowers for the edges to make it pretty.

Of course, I had to buy new gardening gloves just for this occasion. I can't have dirt getting under my nails! Yuck.

Another addition to the garden area is my new humming bird feeder.

It's so pretty. I think I'll get one for each corner.

Now, over the weekend we planted tomato and sweet pepper plants.

I don't have anything fancy to keep the birds from snapping off my little plants so we got creative. I ransacked the kitchen searching for enough containers for all the plants. It came down to a milk jug, coffee containers, a Gatorade jug, and a couple of juice jugs that I just happened to have sitting next to the trash awaiting the dumpster. It ain't pretty but it'll do.

Let me tell you, this section of the yard was just that......yard. So, there was a whole lot of sod to fight through, weeds to weed out, and even rocks to chuck out of the garden. It was a mess! And, guess who had the job of picking, raking, and shoveling through all that mess......me. Aaron was there helping, just not with that part, he planted seeds after I raked up the dirt. Oh well, I asked for it. The garden was my idea after all.

After planting my tomato and pepper plants I inspected the garden and look what I found......Our first sprout!!!! I was so excited that I just had to photograph this momentous occasion.

With the garden planted, the seeds sprouting, and the day ending I just had to sit back and enjoy the view while patting myself on the back for a job well done. Hopefully something grows in my first attempt at a garden. I couldn't have asked for a better sunset then this spectacular view to close out a day of hard work. I'll keep you posted and together we will share in the joy (or heartache, only time will tell) of gardening.

How's your garden going?

Famous & Misinformed: Singers that support HSUS, PETA, and other anti-ag groups

I ran across an interesting blog post today and just had to share it with my blog family. Celeste Laurent has a wonderful blog where she serves up her story of farm and family with a heaping helping of journalism on the side.

Here are just a few listed in Celeste's blog post: 10 Singers who support animal rights extremists

Carrie Underwood

Carrie is a huge supporter of the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS), a lobbying organization that tricks animal lovers into donating money they think will help animal shelters when in fact, HSUS does not operate a single shelter!

Carrie has made personal donations as well as releasing songs with proceeds going to HSUS.

Kellie Pickler

Pickler is an example of the power of propaganda videos from extremist groups like People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA). She told People Magazine that she decided to become a vegetarian after “googling” information about how animals are treated on farms.

Its a shame that Pickler would do something as drastic as becoming vegetarian without getting the truth from a farmer!

Justin Bieber

Bieber recently recorded a public service announcement for PETA promoting adoption of shelter pets.

Bieber’s work with PETA is shocking since he has often remained neutral when it comes to current issues. Its even more concerning to think that there are thousands of teenage girls struck with “Bieber Fever” who could be influenced by his association with this extremist group.

Emmylou Harris

This vegetarian country legend has been a long time supporter of PETA’s spay and neuter campaigns. PETA famously quotes Harris as saying, “I’m a proud member of some great organizations. One is the Grand Ole Opry—another is PETA.”

Emmylou sure knows how to make this Kentucky farm girl blue. Its a shame to see a country legend support an organization that opposes country music’s agricultural heritage.


I, for one, am disappointed and angry that a country legend like Emmylou Harris and a country star like Carrie Underwood would support groups that are anti-ag. They are turning their backs on the rich heritage that made them stars in the first place. It is this kind of misinformation and propaganda that we, as farmers and ranchers, need to address by telling our stories. We need to expose animal agriculture for what it really is and show how farm animals are really treated...with care and respect. Farmers and ranchers need to tell their stories and put the propaganda to rest. Show your support for agriculture by NOT supporting singers that don't support ag. You may think that your little contribution won't matter but it is the little things that make a big difference.