According to the book of Luke, chapter 2:23, the first born male shall be called holy to the Lord. There may be a host of reasons why the first male was given such importance. Women did not hold a high place of importance in that culture, and often were considered chattel. Men however could hold property, reach places of power and could be relied upon to support the parents at some point in the future. Being first was on my mind yesterday. We are studying the book of Luke in our adult Bible class at my church. Our teacher asked for a volunteer to read the Bible passage in Luke, I raised my hand first so I was the first reader.
Thinking of all things first, I got a glimpse of a firefly a week ago. That first of the season always gives me a lift in spirits as it signals that summer is indeed here, the fact that it appeared before the 21st seems in line with the other things I see around me. Just a day or so after seeing the fire fly I saw that my big Gardenia bush had one bloom opened. I had feared it was a goner but nope, it is alive and well and smelling good.
I was looking out my window and saw a spot of yellow in a patch of tall Stone Mountain Daisies. it seems way too soon for them to be blooming. I went out to inspect and yes, one bloom had opened and more are forthcoming. On this same outing as I went to my compost bin, I saw red blackberries and craning my head to see more I found two ripe berries. Of course I picked them for later. This blackberry bush had escaped destruction, and just showed me that accidental gardening can be fun too.
Some other accidental gardening which is proving to be rewarding is the Magnolia tree which was caught between two felled trees, when it was about two feet tall. Now it is around twenty feet tall. It seemed to flourish after the felled trees were cut, and removed to give it room to expand. I sighted a first bud just threatening to open, I was watching it but apparently not close enough to see it open. All I did see was the pod of seeds left where it had been. I saw no other blooms, so this must have been a trial run!
Another first for this year came from the blueberries under the netting, where around nine bushes are growing. They looked huge and dark blue. When I brought them inside (around 1/2 cup) their taste was disappointing. They were tart. Thinking it must be my taste buds not working well, I asked my son-in-law to taste them. He too, said they were tart. I was speculating as to why such a fine looking berry could be tart, then decided the answer was not in my head but perhaps I could find it online. I searched and got some help from other gardeners who had the same experience. Most said the berries had been picked too soon. The advise was to let them sit for a couple of days on the kitchen counter or just wait longer to pick them. I did let them sit 24 hours and then tasted again. This time they lived up to my expectations, and were mighty fine in my cereal.
My thoughts went back to the first fruits of childbearing, about why the first male is so important. The survival rate for newborns in the past was not very high. Perhaps parents prized that first male child so highly as they were not assured that the next one would survive. For whatever reason it is exciting to see the first new baby in a family, or the first bloom on the stately Stone Mountain Daisy, and even the blueberry which holds so much promise, as time goes by.
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