Garden in August

This summer has been very stressful and the garden has been badly neglected. The big, nasty stressful thing that's been giving me more anxiety attacks than I thought possible and that drove me to near clinical depression has not let up. It's actually gotten worse. But the garden grows on.

Beautiful bell peppers very close to transforming into yellow or red or orange. By forgetting to mark the garden better, I've given myself a surprise to look forward to.

One huge Cinderella pumpkin hanging out in my butternut squash patch.

These hot Hungarian wax peppers are easy to care for, and add a lot of flavor to our food. In the background, the apple trees we planted in the spring are thriving.

These giant California zinnias growing in my squash patch have made my home a little more cheerful inside. They have been a joy to share with others, and have made our best friends' wedding a little brighter. In fact, all of the wedding flowers came from the bride's garden, my garden, and my moms garden. I am so thankful for the resourcefulness, community and love that I've gained in the last few years. These flowers have inspired me to grow more flowers next year... because I love to share them that much.

This year I grew potatoes for the first time.

I finally grew food in an area which produced nothing in the last two years. Neither green beans or zucchini liked this spot. These potatoes taste like persistence.

These carrots are something special. I learned the hard way last year that they need to be thinned. This year my daughter is in love with them, and runs out to the garden to pick a carrot for her snack. These carrots represent the love I have for gardening and sharing that love with my kid.

This salsa tastes like hard work and joy.

This is why we do what we do. Those tomatoes will become the spaghetti sauce my baby eats until next summer when we do it all again. I'm grateful for that.