Through the Garden

   Crisp air brushes my face as I head out the back door; leaves crunch under foot as I trod the path to the garden gate. There at the gate a busy woodpecker greets me with his knock. Tilting his head this way and that he busies himself with work.

   Inside the gate the rows of growing vegetables call me close. After a long dry summer such beautiful signs of life are so welcome.

   Tender shoots of onions sway in the cool breeze- if I bend close their pungent fragrance can be found.

Cabbages and their neighboring broccoli fan out their leaves opening themselves to welcome the warmth of the sun.

Chard contently pokes through the leaf mulch getting bigger and fuller every day.

The kale seems to be a favored snack among a garden pest. 

Parsley thrives near the bed of carrot tops and radish bulbs; nearby the beets add color to the sea of green life. The warmth of the greenhouse draws me in..more beauty and life greet me there.

The blossom of a squash plant...

bright green tomatoes..

and the fragrance of savory herbs. There in the beds grow tiny greens- just babies now, but tender enough to add to a simple winter salad.

   Hearing the truck rolling up the drive my garden stroll comes to and end. Time for a warm cup of tea and a chat with a teen just returning from her college classes. I must hurry because her work schedule will take her down the drive again soon. Thankful I am for the crisp fresh air and hearty growing life that nourishes my soul and reminds me of hope in our Lord--here I am strengthened and nourished as I stroll through the garden.