By Jackie Sledge, Big Country Master Gardener Association
Happy Thanksgiving! I have spent the last couple of days thinking “thankful” thoughts, and I want to share some of them with you.
Many of us may have had some frustrating or disappointing garden experiences this year, but we have also had some successful and rewarding experiences, too. We always need to be thankful for successes and find ways to learn from the frustrating or disappointing ones.
Let’s take a few minutes to remember the happy times, the peaceful moments, the time spent enjoying nature, and the smiles as we make an “I am Thankful For” list:
- I am thankful for the changing seasons. Some years we only have a few days of warm spring and cool fall temperatures and have just hot or cold the rest of the time. We need to be thankful for all seasons – even if they are only a few days long. These changes give us something to look forward to every month of the year.
- I am thankful for something as basic as good soil. We have heavy clay soil on our lot, but we have worked on it for over 20 years to try to improve it. The soil is much better in a few parts of the yard so I am grateful for that, and hope that I can continue to see improvement in more areas.
- I am thankful for year-round color in our landscapes. We have spring bulbs and spring flowers; perennial color in spring, summer, and fall; fall blooms and changing color of leaves; and evergreens and berries during the winter. I have red oak trees in my yard, and their leaves are now changing from green to yellow and red. Soon the fall wind will blow them all other my yard as well as neighbors’ yards, but I will enjoy the beaty of the trees until that happens.
- I am thankful for the native plants and Texas Superstar® plants that survive and thrive in our area. I try to plant them as the anchor plants in my landscape.
- I am thankful for pollinators like butterflies, bees, and other animals that visit our gardens. My indoor cat also loves to watch our pollinators, and she always lets me know when hummingbirds or bees visit the red salvia outside the dining room window. She either taps on the window to get their attention or lies on the windowsill to watch them while she is basking in the sunlight. What a way to while away the day!
- I am thankful for the vegetables, fruits, and herbs that are important to us in so many ways. Plants provide us with food – so many varieties that even the pickiest of eaters can find things to enjoy.
- I am thankful for the benefits we receive from plants – our food, the oxygen we breathe because of photosynthesis, and the many medicines that originate from plants. Plants give us life.
- I am thankful for the ways gardening is good for us. It burns calories, reduces stress, and improves physical and mental well-being. Gardening allows us to have a sense of accomplishment and time to focus on the beaty around us.
- I am thankful I can talk to plants. I recently read that plants respond positively to vibrations, which includes the sound of my voice.
- I am thankful for tools and equipment that make gardening easier. I am thankful for two-wheeled wheelbarrows, kneepads, kneelers, good clippers and weeders and loppers, battery-powered equipment that is lighter and easier to use, a variety of gloves, fun hats, sunscreen, bug repellents, and many other things.
- I am thankful for gardener friends. We share success and failure stories. We share cuttings and seeds, new ideas, book knowledge, and advice. We develop wonderful friendships as we dig in the dirt beside each other.
- I am thankful for the Big Country Master Gardener Association. When I walked into the Extension Office Conference Room to start the Intern Training Class, I didn’t know a single person in the room. It was only a very short time until I had become friends with an entirely new group of people who have enriched my life in many ways.
- I am thankful for the Taylor County Extension Office staff – Steve, Kim, Maggie, Dawnyel, Tammie, and Amy. They do an outstanding job serving our county, helping our Master Gardener group, and being our friends.
My “I am Thankful For” list could go on and on, but I need to stop at some point. Remember that all gardens are a blessing. Enjoy your garden/yard as well as the ones in your neighborhood, local parks, community gardens, and zoos.
If you have any questions, call the Taylor County Extension Office at 325-672-6048 or email us at mgardeners@yahoo.com. We hope you visit bcmgtx.org for all Big Country Master Gardener information and events, like us on BCMGA Facebook, and check out training presentations on BCMGA YouTube. We are here to help you.
