"A man who works with his hands is a laborer. A man who works with his hands and his head is a craftsman; but a man who works with his hands and his head and his heart is an artist." - Louis Nizer
In many ways, we are building from the ground up. The richer we make the soil, the more meaningful the harvest. Gardeners live artful lives. Each year that we cultivate, the earth teaches us more about the skills to craft a life and livelihood from seeds and stems. We learn the harmony that comes from turning barren earth into a colorful and fruitful palette. Each season, our roots and desires to live sustainably inform design inspirations framed by the natural world around us - from luscious spring green through harshest winter gray. Apple cider to zinnias.
Garden historian Mac Griswold had it right: "Gardens are the slowest of the performing arts." As performing artists, every pot of herbal tea we make is artisanal, a blend of art, craft, and science. Each garden bed, the artistic vision of our inner painter, chef, and perfumer. Each compost pile, the artist's medium, the activist's plan of action, and a sandbox for kid engagement - and rogue pumpkins. Gardens are bringing back time for reflection and connection. They can offer a snail-paced still life that helps us to savor the fruits and flowers of our accomplishments and remember the gardeners who taught us, even if only for a few sacred moments in a busy week. Artisanal skills can provide a good meal or a livelihood. They offer a form of plan and innovations that keeps us entertained and intellectually challenged throughout the seasons of our life. Artisanal living gives us an opportunity to vote with our forks by supporting the farms, gardens, and agritourism sites that crop up in its wake, not the strip malls, processing plants, and food deserts that sadly remain too prevalent in corporatized dystopian landscapes. Artisans skillfully dovetail hands and heart - and as all gardeners know, that can surely heal the earth, even if only one backyard at a time.
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Y'all didn't know you were "artisans", did you? :-)
Subject 'essays' & information are alphabetical ... yes, there is a chapter on Apples & one on Zinnias! Also some chapters (58 total) examples: Cordials, Dandelions, Edible Flowers, Fiddleheads, Old Ways, Raised Beds, Thanksgiving Grace, Victory Gardens .... lots of subjects.