not so closet green thumb

i'm a first time gardener and i tell everyone i meet that i have a plot in the community garden. yes i toil in the ground everyday (almost) to grow my own vegetables, but funny that there are tons of fellow gardeners. closet green thumbs that quietly go about growing wonderful flowers and salad fixin's in their own backyard. how these people keep quiet about such a task as growing something from a seed to food, i don't understand. i get giddy every time i eat a complete salad that was grown 2 blocks from my house. the time we meticulously picked weeds and watered our veggie babies so they would grow big and strong. then there's the early stages when it's all work as we wait for something to grow from the ground. we question our watering methods, the seeds, the soil, the season as we hold our breathe for a sign of life. snow fell and we worried for the tomato plants that they would make it through the night.

and now 2 and half months later we are harvesting vegetables. we know all the work that went into growing them and how far they have traveled (2 blocks by foot) to get to our table. there is a sense of accomplishment growing something from a seed relying on the sun and the noutrients from the soil to do most the work. we are bound to the earth whether we realize it or not. i feel a kinship with farmers and even my ancestors who work the soil for their livelyhood. did adam and eve feel the joy i have from seeing their garden? i wonder if one day we will all be gardeners again, back to basics and back to the soil...

summer lovin'

denver summer nights are absolutely perfect as the sun sets over the mountains and temperatures drop just enough to be comfortable with or without a sweater. it's already july and i'm dying to enjoy a summer night with a movie under the stars. there are many venues around town that offer the free movies and a chance to gather the community. i want to bring a bottle of wine, some pasta salad, a french stick and cheese as a settle into my lawn chair for a classic film. hopefully i'll catch at least on outdoor movie before summer's end and most likely at film on fillmore.

colorado shakespeare festival has been around for years. set on the campus of the university of colorado at boulder in the outdoor mary rippon theater. wonderful red rocks as benches set the stage of a nature filled night of theater and entertainment. bring a cushion and a bottle of wine for maximum enjoyment. check out their calendar here.