Friday, July 22, 2011

Greenbeans and Crown Molding

When it is hot like this,
 steamy,
 humid,
 almost-unable-to-breathe hot,

I know it is that time of year again.



Green beans.


Do you like them?
Do you like them in a box?
Do you like them with a fox?

I think they are okay:
not my favorite;
take 'em or leave 'em.

But not to my Farmer.
He and our three children could live on green beans.

There is usually scrambling over the last helping of green beans.

So when I married my Farmer,
I soon realized that July's hottest days
would be marked by picking
and canning green beans.

I can't say I have always had the happiest attitude
when picking them.


I've had 13 seasons of bean beetles
 
 and their eggs,..
 
and larvae,..
to squash
 
in order to maintain the plants for a longer harvest.


 It's the season of scurrying along a dirt path on a garden mat,
a knee high view of the world around me,
 
spiders racing across my bare feet,
grasshoppers bouncing off my head,
praying mantis bobbing in irritation at my interference
in the search of their next meal.


"A house divided cannot stand,"
Abraham Lincoln so wisely said.
And like it or not,
I'm living in a house where

there
MUST
be green beans.




My husband has a favorite saying when it comes to household fix-ups.

"I'm not a carpenter.
I can't do that."

I ignore this remark.
Everything I've given my "non-carpenter" to do,
he does an amazing job:

like the framing he did all around the porch windows.


(HURRAY for the finally finished painted floor!)


I've tried to run his saws
and hammers
and swung at my fair share of nails.

But I TRULY am not a carpenter.
My carpentry usually gets flung out the basement door
with words of frustrating:
"I can't do this!"
after several failed attempts
and decades of lost minutes.

I don't try anymore.

A few weeks ago,
I measured some places around the house that needed molding
and went out and bought it.

I showed my "non-carpenter" when he got home
what my plans were for him
and got irate rejection of the idea.

But the molding was purchased,
my dreams were in his hand,
and the next Saturday,
the saw was buzzing,
and my molding was attached and beautiful.

He helped my plain, newly painted cupboards go from this:


to this:



Our house is not divided on issues of carpentry and green beans.

I understand this is very likely a broad use of the Bible verse,

"And if a house be divided against itself,
that house cannot stand."
Mark 3:25

but the general idea is there.

 Marriage consists of a man and a woman
two extraordinarily different thinking people,
trying to walk in unison on a path through life.

In marriage there is a lot of sacrificing,
a lot of giving up what one wants to do with "my" time
to meet the other person's needs.

Learning to love something that the other loves
is a choice sometimes:
it's friendship.

Smooches and sweetness are grand,
the rose petals on the road of life;
but in the long haul,
friendship is the soft-soled sneakers
that make that road walkable.

We all have them in marriage:
the greenbeans and carpentry we can do for the other.
It's not always fun,
 



but it's worth it.







Funky Junk's Saturday Nite Special







21 comments:

  1. this is great. love the compromises.

    (and I LOVE fresh green beans - snap 'em and eat 'em raw!)

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  2. I am just so impressed with you two.

    And the things you do to that home never cease to amaze and charm me.

    =)

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  3. This is a sweet post . . . beans, painting and good marriage advice. A full service blog.

    I am popping over from Sarah's great paint party. (Link #34)

    Fondly,
    Glenda

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  4. Great thoughts and advice. I don't have a lot to say on the subject of marriage, but know that this all is very true. I also love growing beans but wish I had a family member that was keen on eating them. Your green beans are purple?

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  5. Of course her beans are purple !! It's Tonya!!

    Love the floor & Cabinets. The picture of the girls is adorable

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  6. Jumped from Modern Country...LOVE the painted floor AND the molding on the cabinets!!!! The girls are ADORABLE!!!

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  7. Abolutely love the trim!!! In the wood world, we always chant "trim, trim, the carpenters friend!" (it can hide a myriad of mistakes lol I would know!)and then of course you sing the mary poppins song satire of "trim trim cherie" lol as you work...fantastic trimming!and that painted floor turned out gorgeous...

    And the royal burgundy green bean? we always called that "the working womans bean" because you can pick them at dusk after work and still see them!

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  8. First time to visit your blog. Great post! It's definitely all about the compromise and commitment.

    Stop by if you get a chance. I'm celebrating my first year of blogging with a Vintage Linen & Dish Action ... going on now -- 'til 9PM eastern Monday.

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  9. Awww! Your husband did a great job! And your garden is just beautiful.

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  10. Your kitchen looks so beautiful; cozy and inviting. You did a great job.

    Thanks for stopping by and leaving such FABULOUS comments about our kitchen reno. We are so glad it's finally done, lol!

    Sue
    xo

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  11. I love the new look of your blog! Your cabinets are so Beautiful! Wow what a difference that trim makes! You did a great job on the floor too. I hope you got a pic of the spot where your little one fell and had Croc prints everywhere. :)

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  12. I love your kitchen remodel, love the cabinets and trim, Aledia! Wish I could go for coffee, it's so cozy and inviting! Hubby did a great job and I love your garden, sweetie. Have a terrific week. Hugs, FABBY

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  13. Your kitchen remodel looks great and I really like your garden! Looks like you all are already getting quite a harvest!

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  14. beautiful! stopping by fr the hhh, thanks for your visit :) wonderful post!

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  15. Kitchen = WOW

    Garden...oh, those beatles killed our garden last year. This year, the deer demolished everything but the corn...last week, the squirrels...picked EVERY SINGLE EAR of corn...shucked them in the yard, ate them and left the mess for me to pick up....garden = gone! Yours is gorgeous! Good luck with those beatles!

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  16. Would you write to my friend Karen and tell her how you fixed it when your blog suddenly stopped coming up on people's google readers awhile back?

    Her email is karen.s.norman@gmail.com. Thanks! She is hoping to hear from you.

    =)

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  17. I love those purple green beans. What kind are they? Come visit at http://lisa-musingsofamiddle-agedmom.blogspot.com

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  18. I'd say your husband is TOTALLY a carpenter....and a decorator too! Your house is so lovely! You lucky girl!!

    Thank you so much for linking up to my 'Paint, Please' link party.

    Sarahx

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  19. Thanks so much for all the fun comments! Yes, Royal Burgundy Beans are purple, but they turn green when you cook them. We find the purple ones seem to be less vulnerable to attack by the bugs: they still eat the leaves, but seem to leave the beans alone. And yes, they are easier to see, too. :) I do love them raw. I'm just told not to eat them that way by everyone else so there will be enough canned ones. But I pick, so I eat. :)

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  20. lol!!! Cute post! Your garden looks amazing! Your cabinets are beautiful! :)

    ~Lynn

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I love your comments!