Article 39

THE CASUAL GARDENER, Shawna Coronado

To have less stress, appreciate the simple things!

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I have many gardening friends and some who are very highly educated in the field of horticulture. They have
repeatedly slapped my hands for using terms which are not scientific in nature when describing the act of
gardening and planting. At times I find it helps some readers who are not gardeners grasp the concept of
horticulture.   But then again, perhaps it is my country upbringing! You can take the girl outta the country, but
you can’t take the country outta the girl! My husband jokingly refers to my upbringing as “South of I-80”.
Indeed that’s true, but my education in the country has given me some basics in life which I find precious – for
example; a hardworking mindset, a desire to help others, and an appreciation for all things natural.

A prime example of my friend’s disapproval is my use of the words “dirt” versus “soil”. A good buddy of mine
recently told me, “The first day I attended class at the U of I in Hort 101 the professor said, ‘Dirt is what you get
under your fingernails and behind your ears. Soil is the media you will be working with the rest of your life.’”
Indeed he is correct. Soil is a fascinating media filled with microorganisms, water, air, and quite a lot of other
stuff that is very scientific in description. Yet I still frequently call it dirt.

For those of you who are curious - there is a reason I often refer to soil as dirt. I reference the word dirt
because of the memory of my Grandfather. He was a farmer in rural Indiana and spent his life knee-deep in the
soil. I used to ride with him on an old red tractor where you could sit up above the wheel if you sat on the
fender.   It was an open-air tractor and he used to let me ride out there with him when I was six years old or so
until my eyes would droop and he would pull me onto his lap. He was a big man and I would sleep there, warm
and toasty in his strength with the hum of the noisy tractor in the background and the fresh air all around.

He didn’t have a lot to say, my Grandpa. He was a quiet man with humble thoughts and was inexperienced in
the ways of college or a higher education. But when we were on the tractor together, if I sat quietly long
enough [it’s painfully difficult for me to keep my mouth shut, by the way, so I was patient indeed], he would open
up and talk about the world of farming. He told me about the wheat he wanted to plant that season or
discussed the harvest season coming up. He was a man who was tuned into his environment in ways that many
today are not. He’d lean over and point at a large circle of freshly plowed soil and discuss its color. He knew
that the darkest, blackest soil had the best yielding plants.

Grandpa was friends with a local chicken farmer and he would take the chicken droppings out to the field and
spread it over the areas in the field which were not black. Grandpa lost two fingers as a younger man because
of a farming accident and would often hold the wheel with the “stubs” to my shock and amazement. I remember
Grandpa’s southern drawl, blue work overalls and a cigarette held in his two stubs as he was riding with me on
that big red tractor. He would lean down and say, “Look at that good black dirt! This year we’re going to have
a strong crop in this field God willin’!”   He’d smile at me and I’d smile back and well… the world was simple at
that point. There was the big sky and the noisy tractor and the black dirt. To Grandpa, that dirt and his family
were all that made a difference!

Today life is so complicated and filled with trauma. We are all rushing and running like a chicken with its head
cut off. We have little concern for others. Let The Casual Gardener remind you - - keep it simple! Have less
stress in your life. Appreciate the everyday mundane things which are truly your world. Like a smile from your
Grandpa or a hug from your child or dirt, I mean soil, beneath your feet!

Why not go out and do something good and simple for your community – your little world – and make a
difference?

Please send your healthy gardening questions for The Casual Gardener to dearshawna@thecasualgardener.
com or The Casual Gardener, P.O. Box 358, Warrenville, IL 60555. www.thecasualgardener.com

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