Freedom comes with the first frost

I was traveling for a few weeks this summer and needed to rehome the dogs and find a carer for the cats. No problem.

I had to hire a home nurse for the garden. It required daily watering, tending, weeding and the first harvest, and let me tell you, it’s not easy to get it all right.

When I got home, contractions were just starting in the garden. Suddenly the zucchini and beans popped out. The tomatoes were ripening and I had to keep a close eye on the beets and carrots and grab them before the squirrels got to them.

Someone teased me by saying, “Do you have the garden or does the garden have you?” and I replied, “Very funny – not.”

At the height of the harvest, I harvested baskets full of fresh produce that I distributed around the neighborhood to neighbors who didn’t particularly appreciate it as they also tried to unload their excess produce. I canned enough tomatoes, cucumbers, and applesauce to last through Armageddon and took out a small loan to pay for all the canning lids.

Finally the frost came and put an end to all the abundance. And for a moment I was sad. Then I came to my senses. Now that I’m no longer tied to one vegetable ruler, a whole new world of possibilities opens up.

In other words: freedom because there is nothing left to lose.

Hedberg can be contacted at [email protected].