And You, Sir, Do Not Have a Pair of Vegetables...

Okay, that's the strange radio-edited version of "Red Solo Cup" by Toby Keith, but it was the only thing I could come up with for a musical title!
I write today to talk about compost. Yep, you read right. I said compost. Okay, so that's not the only thing I'm writing about. I have decided that this year I'm going to put in a veggie garden in the backyard. I've been wanting to for a while, but the first year we had just moved in and were trying to get settled. Then the second year (last year) I was pregnant and not really in the mood for garden maintenance. But this year, especially with my work schedule, I'm hoping to put one in and get it started. I think there is nothing better than fresh vegetables. Call me crazy (maybe not literally), but I think there's even a better taste than store-bought, and definitely better than canned (from the store...I might mention home-canned later). Not to mention, it'll save us a bit on the grocery bill, which is a huge plus. If it's successful, I hope to continue gardening to show Jake and any future children the benefits. And, in one of my books I bought (for a steal at the Green Valley Book Fair, I might add), you can burn a lot of calories by working out in the garden, which helps with my weight loss!
I've always had this little urge to go back to basics: growing my own food, canning, making what I can, etc. I would love to have livestock if I could, but a small garden is the biggest bite I'm taking right now! I'm totally serious, though. If we ever get the land, I would love to try my hand at raising chickens or maybe a cow. Now, I realize my family reads this blog and their eyes are probably bulging from their sockets. This is just a desire I have. Obviously in no way is this in the near future, or even a farther future than the near future. But I do have a yearning to go back to "the old ways." Maybe the Amish have it right (there are other cultures, I'm sure, but they're the first that come to mind). They grow their own food. They bake their own bread. They sew their own clothes. What do the rest of us do? We as a people on this earth I believe rely too much on others than on ourselves. We've really become quite lazy. Images of "Wall-E" come to mind (for those that haven't seen it, it really is a good movie and makes you think a little). Why has a piece of paper or a small chunk of metal become more important than the essentials that keep us alive? People kill for it, when they could have taken that energy and put it to something useful.
But I digress...this is not an entry to make an economic statement. Well, not as bold a one as I was heading to make. That's for a later time. Right now, I'm excited about starting a garden and hope to keep having one for years to come. I'm also hoping to learn from mom about canning and preserving, so we can enjoy our veggies all year round. I'd like to put in cucumbers, tomatoes, spinach, green peppers, and broccoli. I'm kinda thinking I'd like to try carrots in planters, but I'm not sure if I want to take that on just yet. I'm not very good with potted plants, so the carrots may not make it very far. But they say it's a good one for little kids, so maybe I'll try it when Jake's a little older.
So when dad gets the rototiller up and running, he's gonna come over and till up a plot for us. I don't have the greenest thumb, so wish me luck!

Side note: I realize that I didn't really actually talk about compost at all! But I'd really like to start a pile or get one of the bins. If anyone has suggestions on the topic, I'd appreciate it!