Moving Inside

Not too long ago I read a story of the third-century monk St. Antony of the Desert.  It related him as being approached by a philosopher and apparently probed about the abilities to live in such baroness, and more so without books.  How could one grow and expand without these needed works of knowledge?  Antony’s legendary response was, “My book, sir philosopher, is the nature of created things, and it is always at hand when I wish to read the words of God.”  The approach of winter, the cleaning of our gardens and the storing of our bounty denotes a similar impasse.  We work and learn on a campus focused much on health.  We have an agreed philosophy to break down barriers so that folk have the freedoms and opportunities to engage in healthy activities. However, the largest barrier realized is winter, and what to do with that?  It is during winter that we are all here to study and that same desert of cold and white can bring student activity to a crashing halt.  Much like our gardens, which unfortunately are starting to wither, brown and show their age, winter can slow us down.  Yet, we still need to eat, and more importantly on many days we still need to ‘connect’.

St. Antony was speaking of food for the brain of course, food for the spirit, and our eternal connection with nature.  To a great degree your involvement in our CSA program was a small piece of your connection to nature this summer.  You interacted by not only supporting our program, that was outside oriented, but also you were privy to the spoils of our work.  The pieces of nature that were only a thought a year ago are now sitting on your counters.  This is nature, grown in the soil of your county and ripened with the same sun that tanned the backs of Silver Beach.  And, like our students on campus, winter forces us to bring this connection to a halt.  Or does it?  

The hanging fern dawning my front stoop all summer will soon move inside with all its annual friends.  And, I hope to stretch that connection as long as I can.  Likewise my department will have at least a half dozen items in our greenhouses this winter that are examples of what could be nurtured in your own home (basil, cilantro, parsley, oregano, rosemary and mint).  These and more are easily grown inside.  With a little care and love they will not only give back the sweetness of their flavor, but maybe a small piece of that connection to nature that winter tries to take away.  So before the snows inches any closer - strike.  Go out; gather young plants at your farmers market and plant a small ‘connection’ in a sunny window. – Garth