I love golf. I love watching it, and I loved playing. So why would I write a story about gardening? Well, ten years ago, my wife Jennie started having memory issues from MCI (mild cognitive impairment). It has progressed slowly, but three years ago I decided to quit golfing and spend more time as caregiver.
Enter the garden. It started small. Sufficient sunlight. A small fence. Then, a 25-year-old, 30-foot maple that Jennie and I planted had to go, as well as its stump and surrounding roots. More fencing. More dirt. A compost pile. A rototiller. A soil test. Well, you get the picture.
Gardening takes more time than golf, but it’s every bit as rewarding—and I never have to leave home … or Jennie! And the rewards? That very first burpless cuke is really wonderful. It’s almost as good as hitting a 5 iron a foot from the hole for a tap-in birdie.
My old golf memories will never go away—but new ones are right there for the picking.
—By Bill Finik of Valparaiso, IN
This article was published originally in 2023, in GreenPrints Issue #134.
