After a restless night, I spent about six hours preparing the final garden plot. That means clearing last year’s structures, turning the soil, fertilizing, rototilling, raking, laying down ground cover, and driving the fence posts. It’s as far as I could get today. I took a nap and was achy all over. I headed to the cupboard and took two Ibuprofen, my go-to pain reliever.

I take ibuprofen because it works.

Today, weather permitting, I will plant peppers and everything else in the greenhouse. After that, the greenhouse gets cleaned, dried, and put away for the season. The greenhouse has done it’s work this year.

Harvesting the first turnips reminds me of this photo of my great grandmother in her Illinois garden. Gardening is both a legacy and an occupation.