The other evening my wife and I were talking about the different views to life. You know. The past the present and the future. I write a lot about the past for sure but I do spend a lot of time dealing with the present and thinking about and looking towards the future. First, I looked up each of the three words and found that past and future are nouns and the word present is an adjective. I found this to be interesting as I figured they all would be the same. Then with some thought, I see why the present is an adjective. The dictionary says an adjective enhances a noun. Therefore, with that in thought this means that the present is a word needing to be enhanced as like there is no time like the present. The present is the time we are in right at that moment. 
It is somewhat funny as I had not really thought of it like that but when I finish this sentence I will have then the need to look back into the past to see what I have read. You see that when we speak of things in the future we are speaking of items that have yet to occur so they stay in the noun form and it is easy to see with that thought the past is a noun as to speak of it we talk of things that existed. Therefore, with that English lecture completed it is now time to explain just how they became involved with me.
Here we are at the end of winter and that is very much in the past. However, we are yet into spring which is not far from happening and that is in the future. So it must be that while we are speaking of both ends we then have to be in the middle and that is the present. So as winter begins to leave us and to watch the snow melt and the river to reside back into its banks we look at the future and think of mowing the lawn and, maybe planting flowers and shrubs and some of us are thinking of gardens and new crops popping through the earth into a new year of hope and anticipation. Whatever the tense be past, present or future we see they are all connected to form one good feeling topic. I know as for myself it will not be long before I am buying the fertilizers, lime, and Miracle Grow that hopefully will not be off into the far off future.
I have begun picking up little branches out of the yard that fell in the winter and walking the yard looking at things that are needing to be done to keep the place looking nice. Sometimes I see so much in that to do column I just get tired thinking about doing the work but also excited that I will be outside to do them. So all that I have said in this paragraph is a past present future that ties the topic together. It can be scary when a person learns something new as I have just done. Since we have had all winter to talk about it let us move on to a newer and more colorful time and place in our year here in the Ohio Valley where if you do not care for the weather wait a few minutes and it will change. In a way, that is a true but sad statement but also an interesting one at times.
I think back to the huge gardens I helped my parents grow when we all lived on the farm. Much was needed as instant was not really on the stores shelves yet along with items in the frozen food section. No our meals were home grown and made from scratch which at the time a second thought was not given to how much time and effort was put into it. The garden was made up of many rows of items to be used or preserved during a growing season. I also think to the large gardens my parents raised when they moved to the edge of Bethel. My dad was an ardent gardener and he and my mom raised enough for their use and their children’s and a large part of Bethel I think. I even recall the big gardens my wife and I had raised in our younger years that we so enjoyed the success of making passible.
These days I think of the successful but smaller gardens my daughter and son have raised and I have to lend a hand in working the ground and planting the seed. I now have a place about the sizer of a postage stamp but I can get some tomato and broccoli plants out along with some green beans and they all must be very good as the deer eat them as I assume they are having a garden party and it is all on me. (Man am I generous.) Again, for me so much of the garden is the preparation of the garden and the planting. I feel with the seed in the earth spring has officially arrived and from that point on I am looking into the future to see what happens and once in a while the future can surprise, please and amaze us. It is not often but when it does man does it ever feel good and make you happy you set the plant or sowed the seed and to the chance it on the future.
With the future, there is always speculation as to what will happen. In the present to predict is difficult as it becomes a past immediately. However, if you are looking at the past it has happened and the predictions along with the results are all there in one section to look at. In the past topics are more substantial than the present or future. Well at least for the most part. Sometimes the truth can be stretched a bit or a lot depending on who is doing the telling of the story. So since, I have seen so much more of the past than I have yet to see I more than likely will continue to write to you all on topics from the past and hope they will continue to be of interest to you all. So hoping to see you all in the papers.
Rick Houser grew up on a farm near Moscow in Clermont County and loves to share stories about his youth and other topics. If you are interested in reading more of his stories they can be found in his books ‘There are Places to Remember” and’ Memories ARE from the Heart.” He may be reached at houser734@yahoo.com or mail to P.O. Box 213 Bethel, Ohio 45106.