Memories of Gardening

Gardening has crossed my mind often this winter and spring as I've looked forward to finally growing some fruits and vegetables of my own. I won't be able to dig a garden here at the house, since my parents may be selling it this year, so my husband and I have discussed the idea of a community garden instead. Our city has many community gardens scattered here and there, some that come with a fee and others that can be used free of charge. I'm looking forward to it!

All these thoughts about gardening had me reminiscing about our neighbours in Austria who had one of the most ambitious gardens I've ever seen. I was always in awe of the massive plot beside their house, which consisted of specially-chosen flowers, fruits, and vegetables organized in long rows from the front fence all the way to the end of their back yard. Some rows were even covered with a miniature (about one foot high by one foot wide) wood-framed greenhouse which the husband probably built himself. I aspire to craft my own garden one day that lives up to the standards they set!

I wonder if our neighbour-lady missed the days when her own two boys were still kids, because she really seemed to enjoy having my brother and me around. She babysat us while our parents were out doing church work or visiting friends, and during those evenings I remember her laughing and smiling a lot when we involved her in our games and playtime. She and her husband would also take us for walks through the village or up the mountain behind our homes where they'd teach us about the plants and animals we spotted along the way. My brother and I often ran (hopped, biked, skipped, or climbed over the fence) to her and her husband's place where she would feed us lunch, let us follow her around the house while she cleaned, let us water their garden or help her pick fruit from their trees as she answered our many curious questions about whatever it was we were doing. I miss those carefree days and the lessons we learned from our kind neighbours about living close to the land and understanding the nature that surrounded us...

So, do you have any gardening memories, past or present? What about hopes of creating your own garden one day? :)