Sunshine was not with us again today (teenagers!). No, she has a good excuse this time - she is away at camp. A bible camp. AND, she is actually working there, helping others, not as a camper! So I guess I should cut her some slack and get on with my story...
Today we (Speedy, Sprout, and I, CasualCrafter) had stopped in at our church in the afternoon. We inquired, and were directed towards a local hiking trail. The weather was beautiful, and Speedy was excited. When we got to the trail marker, it was blank!?!? I'm sure if I spend a little time searching, I can find a trail name, but for today, there was none! This was alright, because we didn't stick to the trail for very long. About 30 yards down the trail there was a smaller foot trail off into the bushes/long grass. Guess which path we took?
Definitely not the easiest! Unlike most hikes where I wear Sprout in a sling or pouch, today I opted for the stroller. Both Speedy and I thought it might be a good time to teach Sprout how to walk with us, and I thought the stroller might be of help to us in this training. Not only did the concept of holding his brother's hand and walking with us NOT go over well, but the stroller itself became a challenge on the path we chose. The path was mud, and it has done nothing but rain for the last week and a half (some would argue the last 6 weeks!). The little wheels did not stand a chance, and were soon covered in mud, and barely managed to turn themselves. When we left the muddiest section of the path, I believed the grass would provide some relief for the stroller. Wrong again! The tall grass not only stuck to the mud, but actually managed to wrap itself around the little wheels, attempting to immobilize us even further.
This hike was by no means a pity-hike. We had a blast, took pictures of our muddy shoes/wheels, and got a little extra exercise for all the work! But the best surprise was yet to come.
It turns out, the path we turned onto led into community gardens! Row after row, plot after plot of flowers and vegetables. It was exciting for me to see which we could identify, all in different stages of growth! Dill, cucumbers, sunflowers, pumpkins, peas, beans... We could have stayed for hours... but there was not an outhouse in sight!
As we headed up to the main road to find our truck (the trail with a stroller was exciting enough the first time), one of the gardeners called us over and filled our bag! Turns out she has had a very good year for peas, cucumbers, and zucchini. She gave us some of each, then added some tomato's, adding that they would make an excellent addition to supper. Turned out they are also all organic!
We left there feeling so blessed! Speedy asked if we could stop by the side of the road to pray ... the weather was beautiful, the unplanned trail was beautiful, and now we had these beautiful (and tasty) vegetables that someone had worked hard to grow, but that ultimately were God's creation, and we are so blessed to be able to enjoy them! Of course, Sprout just echoed "mmm" and "please", trying to get more fresh peas!
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