 |
| CURLY LETTUCE by Sea Dean |
I am completely isolating due to my weak immune system and lungs and my survivalist stash will come in very handy. I always have plenty of vitamins, minerals, rice and protein powder on hand. However, there is no substitute for the delight of fresh greens. I live in a condo, so no garden; although there is a fresh herb garden maintained by the complex, which I would be putting myself in touch and droplet jeopardy to use. So I’ve been eyeing up my balcony and planters. I usually plant geraniums, but perhaps I will follow the lead of my forebears and plant a victory garden this year.
The idea of the victory garden was invented in WWI Britain to nourish a starving population. By-laws were relaxed allowing people to create veggie gardens in public spaces and even keep a few livestock if they shared the meat and eggs.
 |
| CABBAGE by Sea Dean |
I remember my paternal grandmother had a large allotment where her four strapping boys would dig, plant and weed like a multi handed machine. There was even an evil minded goat for milk called Olive and you didn’t want to turn your back on her. One day she got loose during milking and chased my maternal grandmother all the way down the main road. Nana Dot grew berries in her back yard and made jam and pickles for the whole family which were fairly distributed amongst those who did the work. Every weekend the boys would show up with their families to weed, water and pick, the kids would play in the dirt and the women make tea and exchange gossip. It was part of the cement that made family so important to me.
My balcony is quite large, but shaded, so I’m probably just going to plant herbs, arugula and lettuce. It will be fun to bring life and growth back into this sad world. I’m thinking I may drop some seeds off at my Mums care home so they can plant their own and give the residents something to occupy themselves with. (Of course I will wear gloves, wipe off all the packets with alcohol and seal in a plastic bag to keep the residents and staff safe).
I would love to hear if you have any plans for your own victory garden.
Stay Home - Stay Safe
Have I seen these before? I opened the email, and WOW! I thought, "This isn't Sea!". But That is so wrong, because I all ready know that you can paint anything. They seem vaguely familiar. Can't trust my memory, LOL :) Love them both. And now I am hungry for a salad!
ReplyDeleteI loved your story, delightful! Reminded me of making Tamales in my family. If you wanted some, you had to help. So much work! And my good friend, her family was the same. Gardening is something I miss. Don;t think I will ever do it in this state. They have a thing called Valley Fever, The symptoms mostly mimic those of Lupus. It's hard on the lungs. Good luck with yours Sea! Fresh lettuce! YUM!