A good day of work.

Our memory is designed to work in an amazing way. We tend to forget the bad days and moments which we encounter a lot in our lives. But when we try to cherish and remember the days that we feel proud of , have worked hard and achieved a lot, it makes us happy, puts a smile on our faces and does ourselves and people around us a big favor. When we make an effort in keeping focused on maintaining the positive attitude this way we get to live another day to the fullest.

It was one of those days that I want to remember. It was a busy day, full of great moments, things accomplished and experiences enjoyed. It was one of the days that I'd love to have more of, when I would feel proud of what we had managed to do together, when I'd feel an inner peace and pure joy from a day of hard labor.

The sun was gently caressing my skin, the soft blows of wind were adding to the enjoyment of working outside, the distant voices and laughter of the kids reminded me of my own childhood days. As kids we spent numerous hours being outdoors, making our own games, having minimal adult supervision , if any at all. The times when we, kids, looked out for each other, the older ones halping the younger ones, all figuring out the roles in the games we were inventing.

My family, just like almost any family back in the 80's living during the falling apart Soviet Union era had a patch of land that the state gave us so that we can grow our food. Some terms for the land was a free temporary lease. We got one from my Dad's factory. It was behind the city so that we would have to either take a bus or go by car on the weekends. There we couldn't put the perennials or plant trees or berry bushes to rip the benefits in the years to come. But the annual harvest of potatoes, cabbages, onions, tomatoes, peppers, eggpalnts and other crops was so amazing that it provided a lot of food for a family of 5 for most of the year.

But then there were other options to obtain a small patch of land . From my Mom's employment in the Marine Academy we were able to get a patch of land with an option to buy. And there we planted all types of trees and bushes that provided us with different fruits and berries from apples, peaches, plums, apricots, to black and red currents, gooseberries, raspberries, figs, to name a few. It was also a place to get away for the weekend, be in the nature, spend time with friends and neighbors and enjoy being free.

And for us, the kids, being free was the most importan thing to experience. Because when we were left alone to explore we would learn faster, we would figure things out, we would grow in body and mind.

And that's exactly what leaving on the farm provides for our children. I love to see how they learn on their own, how they enjoy being outside and how it helps them to be happy.

The four of them were diggiing in the dirt in the garden today, laughing, making up games and really enjoying each other's company. With not too much but bare feet and hands plunged into fresh spring dirt, a shovel and an old metal toy car. Watching them took my thoughts back in history and, meanwhile, let my back rest a bit from working in the garden.

When working hard phisically I noticed how important it is to take moments to catch a breath, to look around, to listen to a new sound nearby, to trully enjoy the moment. The sky was blue with no signs of chem trails. A thing to rejoice about. A woodpecker was making music banning on that electrical pole. The barn swallows were returning and darting around catching the bugs. Occasionally the goats would bleet and ewes call for their lambs. And little by little a lot of things were being done while my mind was at ease and thinking happy thoughts.

We managed to plant 110 white cabbage plants. Covered them with mulch and connected the watering system. Then we built 4 raised beds and planted kohlrabi, arugula, spinach, pac choi and kale. I worked around the berry bushes we planted last summer and was happy to discover that all of them had survived the winter and were putting up the buds. Mirek rototilled more land for planting our honey berries that have already arrived. The garden is starting to shape up a bit and it makes us happy.

At the end of the day we were aching all over but felt a true satisfaction from a day well lived.