Nice story! But I wanted to see pictures!

I've been trying to integrate my vegetable garden and perennials beds more, but it seems no matter how hard I try to beautify it, my vegetable garden always leans toward the functional side. The fact that it is in raised cinderblock beds doesn't help the esthetics, lol!

No cattle... yet, lol. But I am considering chickens!

I love the idea of a "walking garden"!

:)
Dee

No cattle here, but we had horses for the last 40 years and one very old and small pony is still with us. We mow our 2 1/2 acres pasture now as lawn since the little beast can't hope to keep it all grazed down.

Years ago we had a large vegetable garden and, without a rototiller, it was a full time job, so eventually we did abandon it. I think at some point we will probably grow vegies again. My flower gardening in past years was limited to a smallish circular bed of annuals and geraniums in windowboxes. It was time consuming to care for 2 horses and 2 and the large vegetable garden, but we were younger then.

Now we have time to actually focus our attention on landscaping, trees, paths, and permanent flower beds. We spend a lot of time mowing the acreage but have plans to turn some of it into forested areas so the upkeep will be less.

I think it would be very difficult to combine raising livestock and vegetables with decorative gardening. That sort of combined farming is very demanding.

Like you though, Dee, I've thought about chickens too, to have some sort of livestock (besides dogs and cats) when our pony finally goes to greener pastures. But I've heard that chickens can live up to 20 years so I don't know.

Childhood memories are filled with days watching mom tend to a vegetable garden, dad on larger crops in between his tailoring business and little me in our small flower garden. It's a hard juggle and something usually disappears in the process. Did I mention the few chickens and ducks we had that inevitably made their way to our dinner table? After a yummy meal, there was little rememberance of our sadness watching another chicken or duck's 'appointment with mom (know what I mean, lol). She often reminded us that those chickens were helping put food on the table.

Diggerdee and Spedigrees - Getting older (and I'm not old, lol) is a factor in maintenance and upkeep of it all. Yet, we all can dream of creating beautiful and healthy gardens. Happy gardening!

p.s. So just how old is that pony, Dee?

Our pony, Ruby, is 34, older than dirt. She's been with us since she was 3. Time flies!

We're old too, and there is definitely an age restriction on the maintenance and upkeep of gardens and animals, as you remarked, Marina. What I'd like to do and what I'm able to do these days are two different things.