Long ago, my mom planted an eco seed in my head; long before either one of us ever heard of the term ‘green’. My mom was a no frills kind of girl. What you saw was what you got. She didn’t wear makeup and she wasn’t a shopper. She passed our used or unwanted things on to others.
Ma was a DIYer. When we were young, she stayed home and took care of everything around the house. She did all of the interior painting and would end up painting our bedrooms the wild colors that we chose without complaining.
My first gardening experience was in our small backyard garden in New Jersey. Every summer she would work a small patch of earth and harvest the best tomatoes that I’ve ever eaten, even to this day. Jersey tomatoes are known for their flavor. I’d give anything, except moving back north, to be able to grow tomatoes like that.
I see a lot of my mother in myself and it makes me smile. My eco-friendly lifestyle, a lot more extreme that what she would have ever imagined, is in most part due to growing up around such an amazing woman.
Neither one of us realized back then how her lifestyle would affect my future. I guess that means that children ARE listening and watching what we do, even when we think they’re off on another planet.
Ma was a DIYer. When we were young, she stayed home and took care of everything around the house. She did all of the interior painting and would end up painting our bedrooms the wild colors that we chose without complaining.
My first gardening experience was in our small backyard garden in New Jersey. Every summer she would work a small patch of earth and harvest the best tomatoes that I’ve ever eaten, even to this day. Jersey tomatoes are known for their flavor. I’d give anything, except moving back north, to be able to grow tomatoes like that.
I see a lot of my mother in myself and it makes me smile. My eco-friendly lifestyle, a lot more extreme that what she would have ever imagined, is in most part due to growing up around such an amazing woman.
Neither one of us realized back then how her lifestyle would affect my future. I guess that means that children ARE listening and watching what we do, even when we think they’re off on another planet.
The first picture is one of my tomatoes. The second one is an old picture that shows my ma's tomatoes.
Until next time.....
