Spring Rush Homesteading Style

Bouquet of "Sensational Lilacs" and purple tulips from my garden this year.

I haven't been able to blog very much this week, because the rush time for planting has begun for the area that I live which has left me very little time for much else. So far this week, I have planted 772 hills of green beans (both heirloom and hybrid varieties), 30 hills of potatoes, transplanted 196 impatiens. I also transplanted 10 gazillion heirloom and hybrid tomato and green pepper plants (not really that many but it sure seemed like it at the time **LOL**), and I also planted leaf lettuce and spinach. That all on top of my dehydrating vegetables that we bought at our local farmer's market, harvesting as well as preserving asparagus and rhubarb. And also fighting the never ending battle with the weeds in my garden and yard. :-)

Then to make the busyness seem even worse, this morning while sitting on the patio with my darling hubs as we ate breakfast, we were going over the projects that yet needed to be done within the next few days. I was starting to feel overwhelmed and frustrated with all that was needed to be done in such a short amount of time. I was also feeling very sorry for myself, because earlier this week I had seen my neighbors, having outdoor parties, swimming in their pools, and enjoying themselves during these warm spring days. And here I was, working so hard and not having time for anything else.

Then...I remembered the Aesop Fable of the Grasshopper and the Ant.

Once there lived an ant and a grasshopper in a grassy meadow.

All day long the ant would work hard, collecting grains of wheat from the farmer's field far away. She would hurry to the field every morning, as soon as it was light enough to see by, and toil back with a heavy grain of wheat balanced on her head. She would put the grain of wheat carefully away in her larder, and then hurry back to the field for another one. All day long she would work, without stop or rest, scurrying back and forth from the field, collecting the grains of wheat and storing them carefully in her larder.

The grasshopper would look at her and laugh. 'Why do you work so hard, dear ant?' he would say. 'Come, rest awhile, listen to my song. Summer is here, the days are long and bright. Why waste the sunshine in labor and toil?'

The ant would ignore him, and head bent, would just hurry to the field a little faster. This would make the grasshopper laugh even louder. 'What a silly little ant you are!' he would call after her. 'Come, come and dance with me! Forget about work! Enjoy the summer! Live a little!' And the grasshopper would hop away across the meadow, singing and dancing merrily.

Summer faded into autumn, and autumn turned into winter. The sun was hardly seen, and the days were short and gray, the nights long and dark. It became freezing cold, and snow began to fall.

The grasshopper didn't feel like singing any more. He was cold and hungry. He had nowhere to shelter from the snow, and nothing to eat. The meadow and the farmer's field were covered in snow, and there was no food to be had. 'Oh what shall I do? Where shall I go?' wailed the grasshopper. Suddenly he remembered the ant. 'Ah - I shall go to the ant and ask her for food and shelter!' declared the grasshopper, perking up. So off he went to the ant's house and knocked at her door. 'Hello ant!' he cried cheerfully. 'Here I am, to sing for you, as I warm myself by your fire, while you get me some food from that larder of yours!'

The ant looked at the grasshopper and said, 'All summer long I worked hard while you made fun of me, and sang and danced. You should have thought of winter then! Find somewhere else to sing, grasshopper! There is no warmth or food for you here!' And the ant shut the door in the grasshopper's face.

It is thrifty to prepare today for the wants of tomorrow

This is the season for planting. The time for fun will come later. Thanks for reading and visiting my blog. :-)

"There is a time for everything,and a season for every activity under the heaven.. a time to be born and a time to die,a time to plant and a time to uproot," Ecclesiastes 3: 1-2 (NIV)