Sweet potatoes. Pacific Northwest.

Gardeners in NW Washington State rarely link the two.

Unless one of those gardeners happens to find a mail-order variety touted to produce in northern states.

And unless that gardener ignores the fact that Whatcom County has fewer growing season thermal units than pretty much anywhere in the continental United States.

I know such a gardener. I live in her skin. So I know that she planted slips in May, nursed vines through a rainy, cool summer, and counted the days until harvest. I know that she pulled the vines last week, retrieved her potato fork from the shed and then, from a twenty-by-three-foot sweet potato bed, dug these:

One semi-edible bowlful.

And found these:

A year’s crop, growing in tough conditions, then consumed by rodents, burrowing unseen.

A lot like 2020.

I also know that the gardener believes this, from Joel 2:25:

“I will restore to you the years that the locust has eaten . . .”

Because He does.

Even when locusts are rats.

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And IN AN EGGSHELL, SM posts from earlier this week:

Rural Relief.

Oh, man. Wish we’d had a sign like this during our chicken years. (Any of you relate? ).

“. . . the God of Israel will be your rear guard.”

—Isaiah 52:12b

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Cold Sweat.

“When my anxious thoughts multiply within me, Your consolations delight my soul.”

—Psalm 94:19

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Every day. No matter what.

“Do you know the balancings of the clouds . . .?”

—Job 37:16

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Fresh Paint.

“. . . though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be white as snow . . .”

—Isaiah 1:18

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And this week’s book winner is . . . JOANNE BARCZI! Congratulations, Joanne! Please click HERE to send me your mailing address (or go to the contact page above).

To celebrate THE VIEW FROM GOOSE RIDGE’S 20th anniversary, I’ll be giving away a copy every week through December 18! To enter the drawing, just DM me or leave a note in the comments below.

Published early in 2001 by Thomas Nelson, this collection of rural and nature-themed devotions has found its way into many thousands of homes around the world. Now published by HarperCollins Christian, it’s been dubbed a classic.

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Blessings, friends. I’m glad you’re here.

Watching Nature, Seeing Life: Through His Creation, God Speaks.