My daughter and I are reading the Laura Ingalls Wilder series and what I’ve overwhelmingly noticed is how much they pay attention to nature. With the advent of air conditioning and central heat and electricity, we don’t have to worry so much about nature. Every once in awhile it gets in the way, like when there are tornadoes and blizzards and hurricanes, but many people don’t actually get outside and commune with nature like we once did.

I was reading recently about how before there was modern medicine, people used herbs to solve nearly every malady. How many people nowadays would know what herbs to use, and how to grow them? Not many of us.

This is one of the reasons it is so important to garden. Sure, you may not know as much as a medieval herbalist, but every little bit of time you spend in the garden is a bit of time that you’re out there with nature, getting to know it. Learning about weather patterns and what certain weather looks and smells like is important.

And that’s just one of the reasons I garden.