Seeds of Friendship
A seed story 
Golden raspberries and loganberries, a bounty from Carmen’s garden. Photo: Carmen Butler-Thomas.
“I have long been a seed squirrel and sharer of seeds. It’s always my goal that there is more fruit and veggies available in a place after my presence! I can’t help it... I love seeds!”
Becky Dice and I first met over our love for plants and seeds in 2020. This happened a bit before Becky’s family, whose home is in Angwin, Napa Valley, moved to Makwasa, Malawi, Africa. Her husband had been asked to become the CEO of the Malamulo SDA Hospital. Malamulo Adventist Mission has been located in Makwasa over 100 years. It currently has a hospital, health college, secondary school, primary school, and publishing house.
Before leaving with her three children on this adventure, Becky brought by several loganberry plants and cuttings, asking if I would plant and care for them, because she was afraid they would die while they were overseas, promising that when she returned in a few years, she would come by for some starts to renew her garden. She recalls that she “gave [me] the loganberries in early spring of 2020 because we thought we would leave in March, but then COVID hit.” Thus began a friendship that has continued over the past three years.
Austin and Becky, and children Cyrus, Danny, and Elyse Dice,
Malamulo Adventist Hospital, Makwasa, Malawi (Thyolo District). Photo courtesy of Carmen Butler-Thomas.
Becky’s husband is the administrator at Malamulo Adventist Hospital, and the Pan-African Academy of Christian Surgeons (PAACS) runs the surgery department. She explains, “the program is not Adventist-run, but the director (Moses Kasumba from Uganda) and assistant director (Brent Sherwin from LLU) are Adventist. PAACS really is a wonderful program and bolsters our hospital and its mission.”
Becky was pleased that I wanted to share her story with others. She confessed to me, “I have long been a seed squirrel and sharer of seeds. It's always my goal that there is more fruit and veggies available in a place after my presence! Ha ha! I can't help it... I love seeds!”
Seedkeepers Vivian, Carmen, and Brent for the Bird Nest annex; loganberries ripening on the vine, Carmen’s loganberry pie; berry starts outside the annex. Photos: Carmen Butler-Thomas.
I agree, not only do we have two beautiful loooong rows of loganberry vines that already bear heavily, but I’ve been able to share cuttings and plants with several friends from the neighborhood and a local gardening group that I started in 2020 called Napa Valley-Zone 9 Gardening Fun. And all from Becky’s vines!
Becky and her family come back every summer to visit friends and family, and my husband Brent and me. While here in July, they stopped by to see the new Angwin annex of the Napa County Seed Library that we aptly named the Bird Nest seed library. She carefully selected a few seed packets to take with her when they returned to Africa. In Malawi, which is in the southern hemisphere, it is now spring, and just in time to plant!
Thanks to the Napa County Seed Library, Becky will be filling her little corner of Malawi, Africa, with an abundance of fruits and vegetables!
