Bleak Midwinter in the Garden

February, the midst of a miserable winter. There has been little snow and less sun. Lots of clouds and rainy weather. We have also suffered the injury of a vandalized building. The garden looks like it may never produce. But looks can be very deceiving.

February has been a banner month for our fledgling garden. On the 17th of February we received word from the ELCA we have been awarded a grant for 2016 in the amount of $3000. Along with the $3500 that had been pledged by the congregation we are well on our way to seeing growth (yes, pun intended) in our Memorial Garden in 2016.

On February 24 I received word from the Alaska Synod that I will be able to sell bowls at Synod Assembly made from the trees that were taken down on the plot. I will be very busy finishing bowls during the next couple of months so I will have wares to sell. My goal is to sell $500 worth of bowls. They will be priced from $10 to maybe as high as $50 depending on size. It’s difficult to say right now as I don’t have any of the finished product yet. The bowls will also be available at the Lutheran Church of Hope if the church council will permit me to display and sell them there as well.

I will need some assistance at assembly so if anyone has some free time April 22-24 please let me know. Assembly will be at St. Mark Lutheran Church on Lake Otis Blvd. You can call the church office or send an email to leave a message for me. The church phone number and email  can be found at HopeAK.org on the web. There is also a link to this blog there as well. I will get some pictures posted of the bowl turning process as soon as I get started on them.

Be sure to check out the wish list that is on right side this page. The wish list does change so be sure to check back often. There are many things that can be ordered from Amazon, Inc. If you have Amazon Prime there is often no shipping charged even to Alaska.

If you have any pictures available of people we can put on our picture gallery of those memorialized in the garden please send them to me or the church office so I can incorporate them into the blog’s picture gallery. Digital pictures are the best but I can scan photos as well.

Thanks for reading and there will be another post soon so keep coming back.

Peace be with you all.
 

Does Santa Come to the Garden?

December is a busy time for us all. As the holidays approach there is much to do to prepare for the festivities of the end of the year. Moving closer to solstice means the days will soon be getting longer and the sun will once again warm our days and the nights will be shorter. It's the time of year when all gardeners begin to get itchy for the new season to start. The new season for our garden will really be the first. 2015 was the trial run and much more will happen in 2016. There is still no word on the grant application from the ELCA Hunger Team but that will come in due time.

If you are traveling this winter and can bring some items back to Alaska on your journeys for the garden, please let me know. I can order supplies and have them sent to you in the lower 48 and you could bring them back as baggage or in your baggage. Shipping cost for most items to Alaska are prohibitive as you know and any little assistance can help a lot. Please call me directly (my number is in the church directory) or call the church office and they will relay a message to me.

As you can see at the right of this publication I have put together a wish list for the garden. This will change from time-to-time as items are received. As you look down the list you will see items that are priced as little as $5. There are items on the list to fit all budgets. If you have a question about an item please contact me.

Mark you calendars for December 21. We will be having a recreational fire and a pot luck at Lutheran Church of Hope at 6 PM to celebrate the solstice. We will try to remove some of the stump material stacked up over the summer that will need to be hauled away if we can't burn it. We will also be having some seed tape making parties at the end of February and into March. Be sure to watch this space for more information.

May the love of God be with you all during this joyous season.
 

Another Kind of Harvest

On October 31 Bonnie and I celebrated our 45th anniversary. On Friday evening we went to a movie and had a bite to eat while we were there. It was very pleasant. On Saturday, our actual anniversary, we kind of sat around at home and handed out candy to trick-or-treaters that came to the door. Sunday we were supposed to dine with some close friends at an early Thanksgiving dinner since both couples would be out of state for Thanksgiving.

We were late for dinner but as we pulled into the drive I commented on all of the cars that were parked on the street. Went into the house and all was pretty quiet for a dinner party but just thought everyone was running late. As we walked into the family room there were a host of people all saying surprise! Indeed we were surprised. Our daughters had changed the Thanksgiving dinner into a surprise anniversary party for Bonnie and I. It was a marvelous surprise. We had a wonderful time and thank all of our dear friends for honoring us with their time and their friendship.

So why is this entry on the Harvest of Hope Memorial Garden blog? Well, as part of the entertainment our daughters had a money dance for the bride and groom. That would be Bonnie and I. Money collected for Bonnie would be donated to the Listening Post. Bonnie volunteers there on a regular basis. Money collected for dancing with me would be donated to the Hope Memorial Garden. Thanks to my daughters and the generosity of our friends the garden collected $272.

The money will be put toward seed starting equipment and seeds for the coming year. I had just started researching the equipment that would be required and the total came to just over $200 for the trays, six and four packs, and the label sticks. Haven’t even begun to look at the cost of seed and soil that will be necessary. We are off to a good start for next springs planting.

I have also been researching rototillers. If you have any suggestions, knowledge, or expertise in the area help is always appreciated. Prices for a good rear tine tiller start at about $850 and go up from there. Contributions are also welcome any time.

Getting Started

The seed that started the garden at Lutheran Church of Hope was Alaska Synod of the ELCA Assembly in Wasilla, Alaska in April of 2015. The emphasis of the Assembly was essentially feeding the hungry throughout the state and the world. As the Assembly moved forward I attended many sessions on food, gardening, and feeding the hungry. For many years one of the things that was talked about at Lutheran Church of Hope (LCOH) was planting a garden behind the church to help feed those in need in Anchorage. I felt the call of the Lord and decided to undertake this project.

We now have five elevated boxes constructed, three have been filled with soil, and those three have been planted. There are still two to fill and be planted. Hope to get this accomplished this weekend with the help of the congregation.