My husband brought a book home from the library for me this
spring. An Amish Garden, by Laura Anne Lapp, turned out to be an unhurried
walk through the yearlong journal of an Amish woman and her domain. Although I usually go for meatier reading,
this book immediately drew me in with its lush photography and soothing
prose. And at a time in my life when I
looked out the window and saw only mud, weeds and leafless branches, it still
nudged me outside to enjoy the new beginnings in my own back yard. I would actually recommend this book for use
in the senior care setting. The photos
are many and the narrative is excellent for short read-alouds with reminiscing
about gardening, canning fruits and vegetables, seed catalogues, raising children,
and family life. Put it on your
department’s wish list!
Let me say my preconceptions were way off base. I had assumed an Amish garden was only a
thing of duty, but Lapp describes her gardening almost playfully as an
adventure. She compares her gardening
style to that of her friends and family.
And they’re each distinctly different.
Long rows or raised beds, different crops and planting times. She picks and chooses which things to do her
own way and which of theirs to emulate, relishing the freedom to make her own
plans.
She makes mistakes.
The radishes she sowed in the fall, to till under as green manure,
sprout in the spring instead, overrunning everything. They now have to be pulled up or plowed under
without damaging the plants she wants to succeed.
She even changes her mind.
Describing the pros and cons of planting peas, when the rest of her
family doesn’t enjoy them, she still plants some. Later, when trying to till
under the radishes, she has a fit of impatience and tills under the peas as
well. At first she feels bad about it,
but instead of feeling guilty, she makes peace with her decision and plants
something else in that spot. There are no guarantees.
Lapp discusses the failures and successes, the crops that thrived and
those that didn’t produce. This sets her happily to thinking ahead as to what
she might try out the next year, and what she might change.
Lapp draws us gently through the seasons, celebrating life
as she goes. From planning to
planting to weeding to canning the harvest, each season of the garden, even
when it involves lots of work, is a source of satisfaction to this author. Again, this is great fodder for reminiscing.
Of course, I like to relate things to activities. Activity professionals must never enjoy
planning the programs. We must never
pick and choose which activities to use.
We never make mistakes. We never
change our minds. And our programs are
always guaranteed success – no duds.
Right. You know why you chose
this profession!
© Donna Stuart, ADPC
May 1, 2014*
Lapp, Laura Anne. An Amish Garden. Intercourse,
PA: Good Books, 2013.
*This article first appeared in the Metrolina Activity Professionals Association Facebook page on 5/1/2014.
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