I started school with one intention: Learn what I could to use my own land wisely and effectively. And somehow, throughout this process, this experience, I have found myself changing courses. I started school shortly after moving from Louisiana to Texas. I knew almost no one, and I sure knew nothing about the soil type I'd soon be dealing with. Fun fact, I thought that traveling 3.5 hours down I-20 couldn't make a huge difference in the soil makeup and rain amounts... I was WRONG!
In the last two years, I have been through Master Gardener training, symposiums, workshops, classwork, labs, lectures, and webinars, covering everything from soil biology, composting, plant pathology, crop production, local farms, cover crops, food availability, IPM, water conservation, agriculture marketing, branding, and so on and on. I have learned so much, and even more importantly, I have met a lot of seriously good people.
However, I still have moments where I think, "What am I doing with this? At my age, where am I going with all this?"
This past weekend the agriculture group I am a part of started the first steps in planting a pollinator garden on Wylie Campus. Volunteers planted 50 plants, and we had the opportunity to show others around the campus garden beds started this spring. A photographer from the Public Relations Department was on hand to get photos for future stories or publicity material. I did not think much of it, and we forgot she was hovering on the perimeter doing her work as we went about our own.
This week our department head received the images taken that day.
Y'all... the results of her work had me teary-eyed.
It was cool out there, and I had a horrendous sinus infection and was working on very little sleep the day we planted that bed. None of that shows in these photos.
All I see is JOY!
These photos stood to reassure me I am on the right track. I am pursuing exactly the course He has for me. It wasn't the plan for me twenty years ago, its the plan for me presently. I am learning so much. And I am putting that to good use and will continue to do so as I grow from here.
A.S.B.
The plants were donated to the Collin College Agriculture Club by Rooted In, a nursery in Pilot Point
found by Clint Wolfe and Daniel Cunningham. We are so grateful for their contribution of
Go N Grow: Texas Tough Native Garden (boxed garden kits).
Christa Yanez and Henry Elmendorf (each pictured above) as well as fellow club member Coty Jacobs and myself made up the Pollinator Garden Committee. The garden began as a suggestion by Coty during one of our first club meetings. Henry designed the t-shirts and he and I prepared the bed in the weeks before the planting event.
Christas took the lead directing everyone on planting instructions that morning.
Photos by Sara Carpenter, 01 April 23
© Collin College