Blueberries ripen in their corner of the garden.

Sometimes I think gardening is the only thing that keeps me going. It is great therapy to go out and work in the outdoors, breathing deeply. We get a lot of joy from our garden, and since it is a family project, it helps with family togetherness. We might even learn a few things along the way.

Of course, nothing is better than fresh vegetables right out of the garden. Tomatoes, beans, corn; they all taste better when they have only traveled the 200 feet from the garden to the house. Better for curbing energy use too, with the average produce traveling as much as 1500 miles to get to the grocery store.

Gardening is better for you, and you do something to help the environment too. Who could argue with that?

Tomato plants bask in the sunshine.

One of the kinds of beans we grow.

Butterfly bushes line the driveway.