Lena’s Orchid

My niece, Lena, has such a passion for life. I love her descriptive writing and want to share her story about success.
Follow Lena’s blog and enjoy.
Today I listened to The Rise of Urban Homesteading on KUER radio, and it caused me to revisit my own reasons for gardening and keeping chickens. My grandparents gardened for survival, but I’m sure that I garden for sanity. I know the grocery store like the back of my hand; five of them in the…
I love to work outside, and today I was cleaning up the chicken coop; scrubbing out their waterer, when my little Chickie-Dee decided to hang out in the garden with me. The other chickens don’t like her, so she is not welcome in the flock. That means she and I spend a lot of time…
I’ve been waiting for this day. I purchased five baby chicks from the feed store in March; “Hens” the sign read. Hmmm. . . that sounds easy. 5 little hens, fresh eggs again, and the ability to keep things small and simple. I needed to get back to my gardening and being outdoors where the…
Can you hear it? That deep rolling thunder that sneaks up on a summer afternoon? I’m in the garden; stirring the compost and planting lettuce and the trees around me start to sway. The drum-roll in the distance is mesmerizing. I look up and see the sheets of rain falling in the distance. They’re somewhere…
Hands down, the most beautiful plant in the garden is purple cabbage, and mine is doing so well for June this year! I credit the great compost pile in the corner of the garden. I haven’t had cabbage this full and healthy this late in the season since I had sheep to raise and little…
I love winter in our desert. It is the best time of year with the blue skies, red rocks, and especially the mild temperatures. But for every gardener, the lack of dirt under the fingernails can cause withdrawals. My solution is to start some vegetable seeds indoors. I would love to have a greenhouse someday,…