by Natalie Ledford
Juxtaposed against the backdrop of the worldwide pandemic and the tragedy of losing my voice, 2020 proved to be one of the most fun, fulfilling years of my life. Without knowledge of the coming pandemic, Len and I decided to buy property at Lake Roosevelt instead of continuing to rent a boat slip. We also decided to grow a big garden with some friends and keep bees next to it. In addition to that, I cultivated my own starter and began making delicious sourdough bread. It was like we had a premonition that we would need a place to hang out and things to do!
In February, we bought grow lights, and I started tomatoes, peppers, tomatillos, watermelon, squash and broccoli in my basement. Once the sprouts took off, we moved the operation to our garage. That became my sanctuary from the craziness of everyone being stuck together in the house during the quarantine. In April, we set up our bees and began to feed them sugar water till it warmed up and the nectar flow began. Once it warmed enough, we transplanted the vegetable starts and sowed the rest of the garden. It was super fun to work with my friend and teach her about beekeeping and gardening. We had each other through the summer, our kids had someone to hang out with during the lockdown and our husbands joined in for regular dinners throughout the summer.
Also, throughout springtime, we worked very hard on our land to clear it and make a pad for an RV with water and electricity. Memorial weekend we purchased a used rv that we found on Craigslist and transported it through miles of farmland, finally rolling it onto our lot. From then on, the weekends were filled with boating adventures on Lake Roosevelt. It was so therapeutic to be out in nature on the water as a family instead of stuck at home.
I don’t know how others handled the isolation, but we had an almost ideal situation…and enjoyed the fruits of our labor with a bountiful harvest and delicious homemade salsa.
Having grown up in the Pacific Northwest, Natalie has a fierce independence and wild adventurous heart. Nat has always been a hands-on person with a love for life, beauty and celebration. She has a degree in horticulture and training in music, carpentry, interior design, floral design and life coaching. Natalie spent time as an intern at a church and went on several ministry trips to places like the Philippines, Japan and India. She was involved heavily in music over the years with several orchestras, choirs and worship groups. She has also dabbled in many things including beekeeping, welding, machinery operation, large quantity cooking and gardening. She loves learning and trying new things. She thrives by being in the outdoors and enjoys making music with friends, preparing and eating good food, contemplation and communing with God through prayer, worship, dance, and journaling, or as she calls it, musing. Right now she is writing music and poetry and is in the early stages of writing a book. She hopes to be healed so she can go on to do many more things…travel, beekeeping, starting a farm and training others in practical ways to become their best selves with life skills and inner freedom.
Leave a Reply