Living in the rural area has made my family closer to nature by gardening.  My father and mother would palnt a garden every year for any years.  Our family planted vegetables, blackeye peas, collard greens, okra, tomatoes, corn, and butterbeans.

During the preparation of the field, my daddy used a mule and farm plow.  My daddy would hold the straps around his arm, sweat poured from his head while the mule pulled the plow.  Daddy would walk behind that plow until the ground was ready to plant.  He made rows, we dropped the seed, and mom poured the water.

When the garden was ready for harvest we all worked.  The blackeye turned out very good, and the peas were full.  The collard greens hung from their stalks like elepahnt ears. The okra was good food, but okra is one mean vegetable to harvest.   As we reached fro the okra to cut it from its stalk, it bit first okra always bites the hand.  The tomatoes were a little different.  They were tender palnts and they would rot easily.  The corn would have to be pulled from the stalks by hand.  I didn't like pulling corn stalks, becuase the stalks and leaves would cut you.  Sometimes my face would swell up from being out in the corn field.  There were times when my face would look like a large puffed marshmallow.  But I enjoyed shucking the corn pulling the green shucks back and seeing that juicy yellow corn.  The thought of it made my mouth water. 

I learned growing up in a rural area  to apprciate the  the simple pleasures of life which included the food and how it was prepared.  The time I shared with family and friends.  I learned to respect natrue for the part it plays in our lives.  My mother and father would always share with others from their garden.  They didn't stop gardening until he was 80 years old and my mother was 70.

I learned though some of my life experiences such as milking the cow, playing with Sam, and gardening, that nature plays a great role in our life.  Even today we can't survive without nature.