Slightly more than one week ago, I took my camera outside, and began to record sunsets every evening.
Then I added sunrises. I shared them with some of my favorite songs I thought fit the video, such as Crash by DMB, In the Air Tonight Phil Collins, Sunrise by Norah Jones.
The more I share my gardens, and when I share my writing, I want to let people they’re not alone in whatever they have faced. When I first started this blog, it focused on my writing journey. It changed to Season of Corrie to honor my five-and-a-half-year-old daughter after we suddenly lost her to a tumor through writing.
At first, I wrote raw. I had to work through a lot of heartbreak and anger. I had to do this with family and friends, and over time, I made my peace with certain parts of my journey and path as a family.
With time, the writing, pictures, and subject have transformed to cover the gardens, which honor Corrie, and her story.
When I first started TikTok, I just watched. Gradually, I made garden content. I do not claim to be an expert because I have only gardened for three years. I am a fast learner when I take in material. Last January, I became hooked on no dig gardens.
No dig gardens begin with 3 to 4 layers of cardboard on the bottom. Take out any staples, tape, and plastic. Put leaves or sand or both over that. Make sure to water each layer, unless it is freezing. Add compost and dirt. My husband, John, will dig dirt out of the woods for top soil with some rocks to outline the different gardens. I use a soil conditioner from Lowe’s called Clay Breaker, and mix the dirt before I put mulch over the top.
While this is a lot of work up front, it is so easy to plant after it is done.
The garden above is my latest complete no dig garden. It joins three others in the shade in front of our house. I named it for my paternal aunt, Martha.
For me, the gardens are deeply connected to family, both John’s and mine. I never mourned my aunt because she died a few months after Corrie. While I saw her one more time, I was not the same, nor was she. I did not attend her funeral, but John went in my place.
So I built her a garden.
The more I built and learned about gardens then I wanted to share with other people through social media. Sometimes it is difficult for me to speak face-to-face with others if I don’t have a good feel for them because I am neurodivergent. I become nervous if I cannot get a good read, and then I remain quiet.
But, I have I always felt comfortable when speaking with other people in a garden nursery. I have never found others to compete or express strong opinions, while at a greenhouse. People garden, not as a matter of the mind, but as a connection to the heart.
A parent said to me today, in a joking way, that “I just needed more to do.” I am working on a doctorate, am a LEGO Education Ambassador, active gardener, and have been invited as a part of the Gro-Rite Garden team as an affiliate.
Gro-Rite Garden is a raised bed designed by Justin, the owner of S & K Greenhouse in Shelby, North Carolina; with ease in mind. The materials are recyclable, it doesn’t require any tools, and you can build it in 10 minutes or less. I love the idea of promoting this garden bed because the people who run my favorite greenhouse are truly the best.
I am not saying that as a sorority girl with a side-eye ready to go the moment someone turns their back. My grandmother said, “You meet the best people in church.” For private reasons, I disagreed with this idea. I do believe you meet the best people in garden centers.
I encourage you, no matter what you are going through, to find the thing that will allow you to release stress. You need something. Holding on to the feelings affects our body in so many ways. One reason I found Yoga beneficial is because it releases the negative energy and soreness in my body.
We will not always walk a straight path. I had done well for so long, but in April, an event occurred which sent my back almost 2 to 3 years in my progress. Until late August, I had major anxiety about going to certain places, especially around my place of work. I worked through it, and made it to the other side.
I have been nominated for my (work) state’s STEM Teacher of the Year, and I am excited about the path to earn my EdD. I am happy to join Gro-Rite in promoting their garden bed. (If you’re interested, check it out with this link if you’re interested.
I wish you a great night.
Corrie's Season 