Give me the simple life.

Mother Nature constantly amazes me. This melon was quite a surprise. I never in a million years thought I could grow a melon. I only purchased one little plant and didn't pay it much attention. The other day I went out to water and there it was - happy as a clam. I guess it's actually happy as a melon. Wonder how it's going to taste?
Growing a vegetable garden has been on my list of 'things I want to do before I die' for a long time. On January 1, 2010 I decided this was the year. I had lots of help with the raised beds, hauling dirt and gravel, deciding what to buy, deciding when to plant it, deciding when it was time to give up and start over, deciding what to plant on the second try, knowing when to pick the vegetables and knowing when to stop because it's just too hot. There's more to growing vegetables than I had originally thought. It takes a lot of skill and knowledge that you can only get from just getting out there and doing it.

I love this plate of food because I grew the tomato, the okra, and the zucchini. Just like the song says, "Give me tomatoes and mashed potatoes. I love the simple life."