Gardening in December

Yes, in December! It’s really weird to be planting things one week and have our Christmas the next but I’m getting used to things not being like they used to! My little garden started out like this… We had to first chop, (yes with a machete) the weeds out. Then a few weeks later when the weeds are grown back I got my plants! Dad, Nathan and I walked down one Sunday morning to the market before services and got our first little plants. They sell them in groups of 4, 6, or 8 for a dollar TT ($1USD=$6TT). So I got 4 tomatoes, 8 lettuce (which died a week later), 4 cucumbers, 4 peppers, and 6 bok choi. When buying plants the seller puts them in a bag and then you take them home! Totally different than getting them in nice little flats like in the USA! So I paid my $6TT and brought them home. That afternoon I planted them in pots….and waited till they were a bit bigger to put in the ground. Then on Friday we headed out and found a couple of nurserys that had plants and got 4 more tomatoes, 4 cabbages and some seeds…squash, beets and Bodi Beans. Bodi Beans are like green beans only about 18 inches long and have a bit of a different taste and we really like them. Then next week I planted all the plants and the squash and the beets. All the little plants loved their home…the seeds didn’t! They have not come up yet and I don’t think they will. I am going to try them again this week. I planted the beans a few days ago and after a nice rain they were up! I am so happy! Now I just need a fence for them to climb on. So that is my garden so far. I’m sure that I will be taking more pictures as they get bigger. I am so thankful that I am able to go out and garden here. It’s one of my ways of relaxing and enjoying God’s beautiful creation! I so enjoy going out in the warm sunshine and pulling weeds to my heart’s desire. I am so thankful that I can. Working is such a wonderful blessing. I am very thankful that I have a garden in December to take care of!

Blooms on our Lime tree! YAY for more limes!

Our Mandarin orange tree!

Last...is our Julie Mango tree. We are hoping that we will have some fruit off these two trees before our time here is up.

Home, that humble abode of which we live.

For the last 19 years of my life I had lived in the same house in the same town. I grew up romping about the 19 acres we had. Then I pack up and leave. Now home is in Trinidad and Tobago, West Indies. This is a BIG change. It’s hot here all year long, it’s a different culture and a different way of life. But, one thing has stayed the same. We are still together as a family. And you know, if you are with the people that you love no matter where the house you live in is located, it is home. The old saying “home is where the heart is” is not far off. I miss my old home, my dear church family at Cave Springs. But as much as I miss the old, I’m so thankful that I have this new chapter of life to write.

Here are some pictures of our house and yard. It’s so much different than the 19 acres in the US but it’s home. And I do like it.

The front of the house. The open windows are the living room windows.

Our living room. Complete with musical instruments! It's nice and roomy and we have such a nice breeze that comes through the windows. Cheyenne also likes to poke her head through the bars when we are all doing something as a family! It is quite cute!

This is the dining room. It is between the living room and kitchen. It also (as you can see) doubles as the school room.

Here is our kitchen. It has lots of cabinet space for storage and cooking. We have quite a fun time in here! =)

The girls room, complete with mosquito netting for each bed. There is also a bank of very nice drawers and closet area. (The fans are sitting in front of it).

The boy's room. They have the same set up as the girls with netting and closets.

The Office! We keep our school things and computer stuff in this room. It also is our spare room for guests.
Our back porch. The laundry "room" is on the far end and we have a nice sitting area and some pretty plants on this end. It's quite lovely to sit out there in the morning! It's facing west so we have enjoyed some beautiful sunsets too!

This is the view from the front of the house. It was very rainy that day!

The view from the side of the house, taken from the back porch.

This is the wider side of the "yard" about our house and some of our potted plants.

The other side of the house and two of our extra water tanks.

Our lime tree! It is in one end of the garden. (Pictures of the garden to come when we do some planting).

Meet Cheyenne. She is our guard dog. She is a good dog and is learning to obey us well.

This is "the Flame" outside our house. It can be seen from the kitchen window and we watch it as we cook and do dishes. It is a burn-off fire from the local oil refinery.

So that is home! It's slowly becoming "our" home as we continue to decorate it and live in it. We are so blessed and thankful that we have such a very nice house to call home!