When we first decided to start gardening, we stood a lot in an empty yard thinking of what we wanted to grow – where the trees would be – how we could plant vines to seclude us from the neighbors – and  dreaming of scores of vegetables and a beautiful place to relax…

But, if we did this garden thing, we didn’t want to pay for watering the garden. Water out of the city system has chlorine and wouldn’t be good directly on the plants, anyway – so we were off to find a solution before we even started.

We researched and found these great rain barrels that hold 65 and 55 gallons and had the style we wanted. The taller one is hitched to the smaller with an over flow and when they are both filled, they overflow into a pipe that brings the water to a dry river bed.

The dry river bed was a result of standing in the rain and seeing the water pour down the sidewalk and drains into the back yard and into our basement. So we followed the contour grade of the land, built up one side with some logs and put the overflow to go through to the back where the trees would be one day.

On the side of the house, we have another 55 gallons for the side and front yard veggie and flower beds. In this picture, it’s easier to see the downspout diverter that allows us to switch the water from filling the barrel and going out to the green pipes to the street. With these three barrels we can water everything in summer months for about two weeks. I would like to add more if needed in the future.

I also spent time thinking of the wild life that lives in the area: birds, insects, squirrels, bats, toads, etc. I never thought about bees and dragonflies needing water, until I saw them land on the edge of a bowl of rainwater and drink. So, now there are small containers scattered in the garden, especially in the herb spiral where we see many toads. I have a plan to add in a small toad pond at the end of the season and hope to have them born here and stay here.

Tonight, I went outside and filled the bird feeders and as the birds gathered around me in the trees, impatiently waiting for me to leave, I watered the herb spiral, our new tomato plants and filled the little containers of water. Our whole lot is only 100×50, but it is starting to feel like a little food forest sometimes. It holds enough veggie beds for us, and will one day produce more fruit than we can eat. This year we are adding more portable planters and are hoping to have extra to share.

For today, the adventure was to leave my even smaller cubicle and come home to the people and place I love most.  A little chat with a friend on the way home, texting with my daughter, dinner with my husband and son and a snuggle with Benjamin rabbit and our Silky Terrier Pippin.

A little while with my hands in the soil and my feet on the ground to connect to planet earth and I remember that I am part of something greater. Reconnected. Grounded.

What greater adventure is there?