I’m Holly from zone 7b.
Sometimes I wish I was a pioneer. Then I move the clothes from the washer to the dryer and think better of it.
But there are sacrifices we’ve made, trades we’ve bartered, for this life of comfort and ease. I’m not trying to do away with the supermarket, Siri, or Starburst (and all the people said Amen), but I am trying to live intentionally alongside them. I want my girls to know that blueberries grow on a bush and that ladybugs eat aphids. And not just because it was in their Facebook feed when their granola friend went to environmentalist camp. They’re still young and I’m still an idealist, so this is a journal of my journey.
I’m not an expert gardener, a landscape architect, an organic, a die-hard diy-er, or a homesteader. One of my favorite wise women says she doesn’t have a green thumb—she just has dirty fingernails and a tired back. And I want to be like her in so many ways.
My boundary lines fall in pleasant places. We live in a beautiful neighborhood, with caring and engaged neighbors, and a yard that is perfectly lovely just the way it is compared to how 99% of the world lives. I give thanks for this home and this family every time I think of it. But I’m a Christian, and I’m called to redemption and peace. This yard project is a blessing straight from a loving God, and a way for me to attempt to bring beauty to my domain. It’s one way for me to push back the darkness, and I hope you’ll enjoy reading along.
