A mother of two children in Central Florida, gardening is one of the LAST things I have time to do, but what started as a “victory garden” has become a favorite pastime. No longer working outside the home, I spend my days driving through school drop-off and pick-up lanes, running errands, washing clothes, volunteering in the community and managing a household. Visits to the garden have become my personal reprieve!
Unless of course, it’s summertime. Heat and humidity don’t do any favors for the vegetables, let alone my appearance, but then again, summers are for vacations. However fall through late spring is a wonderful time to be outdoors. The harvest from a productive garden is simply a bonus. Besides, it makes a great addition to the dinner plate. While my kids may change their appetites on a daily basis, the two agree: a bean never tasted so good as the one they grew themselves!
My other favorite pastime is writing novels, specifically women’s fiction children’s chapter book. Not that I’ll ever give up my day job as mother and wife, but I would like a more creative outlet than cooking and cleaning. There’s only so many ways you can cook chicken before the family looks at you and asks, “Really? You expect me to eat that? I can’t hardly identify the thing, let alone rally an appetite!” Changing laundry detergents doesn’t impress the husband, either.
“My undershirt doesn’t smell clean.”
I smiled. “I used a new brand.”
He grunted. “Something good for the planet?”
I nodded my head cheerfully. “I put herbs in the dryer, too.”
He paused. “Can we save it some other way? I really don’t care to walk around smelling like funk.”
“It’s lavender,” I corrected, but his point was made.
So rather than dwell on my family’s lack of appreciation, I throw myself into writing. A combination of romance and life lessons, my stories are meant to entertain and offer perspective on some of the most challenging issues facing women today. My children’s books aim to connect young readers with nature and the food they eat. Unfortunately, too many kids today have no idea that a carrot grows under the ground.
While a fan of the old adage “it’s not what you say, but how you say it,” I’ve found many times it is what you say that counts. For that matter, what you do. Each and every day.
As a woman and mother of a daughter, I believe we women need to pull together, learn from each other, and brighten this path we call life by coloring it with our own beautiful, intricate, and individual blossoms of distinction.
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Bio:
Award-winning author Dianne Venetta lives in Central Florida with her husband and two children. It was volunteering in her children’s Montessori school garden that gave rise to her new series Wild Tales & Garden Thrills, stories bursting with the real-life experiences of young gardeners (written as D.S. Venetta). Children see the world from a totally different perspective than adults and Venetta knows their adventures will surely inspire a new generation to get outside, and get digging.
Dianne has been featured on Reader’s Digest, Mother Earth Living, Yummly, GalTime, Gardening Know How, EarthEats, eHow, IdealHomeGarden, and the cookbook Earth Eats: Real Food Green Living. Passionate about organic gardening, her dream is to see a garden in every school, library, and community.
Visit her author website for more details: www.dsvenetta.com and www.diannevenetta.com
Mailing address: P.O. Box 491345, Leesburg, FL 34749
Please contact me via the form below, or dsvenetta@gmail.com
Great job with your blog. It’s really fun to read. Best of luck.
Nanci
Look forward to enjoying more of your musings!
It is indeed nice to know more about you. You already have a great start with such a good writeup. I look forward to reading more of your posts. Good Luck and Welcome to Blogging and Blotanical!
So glad I found your blog – I will definitely be following it. You are a great writer – good luck with achieving your goals! Welcome to blotanical!
Thanks for the kind words! Check my “fertile plots” section here in the near future for a taste of my novellas.
Great blog! I enjoyed reading it. Happy New Year!
Oh you are so gifted and so grand with your blog!! I am so impressed that you have become this artistic mom, creative and wonderful. I envy your time and wish I could have a garden..one day…and I will get all my tips from my Micelo. Miss you..will definitely stop next trip to O
Wow! you are an amazing writer and i look forward to reading your blogs each and every day. You seem to be a beautiful person both inside and out!
Thank you for the kind words. It really starts a girl’s year off right!
What a wonderful blog! And I honestly enjoy your fabulous sense of humor!! Looking forward to reading more! Glad to connect with another S Florida gardener, too. I’m on the Treasure Coast.
Great to hear from you, neighbor!
I found your blog through blotanical. I’m so glad I did. I enjoyed reading your posts and I think you are an excellent writer with an great sense of humour. Keep up the good work. Cheers!
Feel privileged to call you “friend”. Terrific blog…light, thought provoking and somewhat an escape. Lovely.
p.s. I love my watermelon/carrot.
Hi!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Nice blog!
i love your blog most of all the kids buzz
Hey there! Thanks for stopping by my blog. Yours looks great! Looks like we are “neighbors”. Look forward to new posts! (Love the laundry bit above.)
What an inspiration you are to the women out there muddling through the daily routines! I remember the days when I spent hours on the tractor…it was the best therapy available… Cheap too
Will look fwd to your blog updates and advice along the way 🙂
My husband might dispute the “cheap” part but he won’t dare disagree — anything that gets the monkey brain to sit a spell is well worth it to him!
Delighted to connect via Blotanical!
I’m always inclined to follow a blog where a ‘frisky’ humor features prominently, in this instance, along with a unique approach to a gardening blog.
Let’s connect on twitter, too: I am @BayAreaTendrils once in a great while,
and daily @travelgrdnsbuzz
I’ll look for you there;)
Will do! You can follow me on twitter @ bloominthyme and facebook.com/bloominthyme for more photos and in depth information.
One of my favorite things is getting out in the garden with my two young boys and sharing my passion for gardening with them. They love it!! As a mom, its such a gift to be able to share a little plot of earth and learn about life =)
Diane, it was so nice to read about your ventures with gardening, raising a family, homemaking, and writing. Maybe one day my two older children will appreciate the joy of gardening like I do. My youngest child does. And you are right about the fact that nothing compares to the satisfaction of going out to your garden and picking something for dinner that you’ve grown yourself! Happy Gardening!
Hi Dianne,
You have a wonderful blog filled with the life seeds from mother nature! A country girl transitioned to city living, I hungar for true feel of nature’s green-you’d helped shed a bit of springtime warmth:) will visit often!
Clara.
P.S. Looking forward to reading & sharing your story!
Dianne,
What a great outlet writing truly is for those of us with full schedules! I am a part time mom to two boys, just graduated with my first college degree, care for a 900 square foot garden and six acres of land, bake and cook in hopes of entering culinary school, and try to maintain my role as a wife to my wonderful husband. I too love to write, and have been working on two books myself. My first is an inspirational romance novel. While mostly fictional, the characters do exhibit a bit of my own family in nature and experience. The other is a nonfictional story of my first marriage and the tragic events surrounding my divorce. It’s meant as more of an inspirational, encouraging story to help other women who have suffered, or are going through something similar to what I faced. Yes, I’m young, but life experience has handed me a few low blows with experiences beyond my years. I hope that I can work hard and be successful as a wife, mother, gardener, and author. Thank you for your posts and your inspiring stories. Life is full of adventures and you have to embrace each one independently and find the glory in them.
~MC
Wow, Meagan–it’s almost like we’re living parallel lives! While I don’t believe we can “have it all,” I do believe we can follow our passion and enjoy each and every moment of the journey. Mine has been over ten years! Partly because I’m a slow learner with a thick skull 🙂 But I’ve enjoyed every bit of it.
“Stay true to your dreams and they will stay true to you. Remember: the time will pass anyway.” ~ a mix of sayings I’ve read over the years.
Love your blog, Dianne. Informative and a fun read. Great job! Posting about it on Facebook and Twitter.
-Best,
Virginia
I just discovered your website…great information on organic gardening! However there’s no book identified under “MUST-have garden book.” Would love to know. r/martha
That’s odd. On my browser I see it. It’s called The Vegetable Gardener’s Bible, by Edward C. Smith.
I’m so glad to see someone making time for gardening despite having a lot on their plate! I feel like I’m always juggling work and personal stuff too, so it’s great to know that there are people out there who
prioritize self-care and hobbies. What do you think is the most surprising thing about your experience with gardening?
The most surprising aspect I found was how intriguing the natural wildlife aspect. So many bugs, good and bad! And the way nature works in harmony. Truly rewarding.