While we are waiting to hear when our gardening orientation will start, I find myself in a state of anticipation and reflection. A good friend commented that like the yoga class that I am also beginning, gardening is going to be a big stress reliever--I forgot that could be a dimension of gardening.  

An interesting fact - The University of Chicago Medical Center sent a bulletin that included a snippet about those who live longest in the U.S.  According to this particular study, they are the people who either are farmers or who grew up on a farm. There are many generations of farming on my father's side and a good deal of longevity--his Mom lived to be 100. Maybe I’ll feel a small ancestral tug when I’m working out there on my little plot!

     I am beginning this blog to document my experience of learning the ins and out of gardening. Over the winter my husband Dave and I signed up for a community plot with The Peterson Garden Projects, a volunteer organization with the mission to help people grow their own food; they transform empty, languishing lots on the north side into fruitful community gardens. There were several sites to choose from, but the one that absolutely called our name was The Stars Garden site. A seedy and abandoned lot on the corner of Lincoln and Jersey, with only an old 1950’s motel sign, The Stars Motel, standing on the edge. More than once Dave felt compelled to photograph this site...there was something wistful about this abandoned lot at night with the lonely sign from a bygone era. And what a thrill - we found out a few weeks ago that we are in!