Thursday, August 30, 2012

To Post or not to post....

To Post or not to post....
...?

I wanted to  post about my garden.
But, it has been a difficult year of drought in Kansas   
Sadness  
Pestilence even ladybugs can not endure
Rabbit, deer and groundhog nibbling at anything green.

I'm impatient with my impatiens.  My favorite neon pearl spirea is down to one tiny leaf peeking out of the earth, struggling to survive.  Black eyed daisies (drought resistant), are only leaves, not a flower to be seen.  The tomato plant we water every day, once bearing full ripe red tomatoes is brown and withered.  Horned caterpillars enjoy the remains.
Something has been chomping off the tender tops.

Watching, a squirrel balances on a wire above me.  He struggles to balance the weight of the last red tomato in his mouth, to make it across the wire to take his prize home.  As I say goodbye to my harvest, at least one squirrel found water within the fruit.

During a recent visit, my cousin (from New York) visited my Studio.  Gazing out the window upon the acres behind us, he remarked about how inspirational it was.... about how I could look out the window from my art studio and see the gardens and the beautiful …. flow.....e........rs.  Sadly, we both looked at my garden, which was not.  I was too upset to explain it was because of the drought, I knew NY was not having this drought and wondered if he knew... how could he know I had a beautiful garden, spent hours planning, watering, weeding, feeding and mulching.  It looked so sad and anything I could say sounded like an excuse.....

I had been away for the  prior month due to a family emergency….
nothing had been watered.
So there you have it, my garden was dried up and withering, dormant and eaten by rabbits. 
I was too downcast to explain. 

Today, I walked around watering the sole survivors.  The early morning coolness gave me hope, remembering how it used to look.    (see other posts and pictures)

The only plant to survive in the middle island is poison ivy, thriving.  
Are my plants dead, or are they sleeping.

Next week, next month, next year, there may be rain, a needed quench. 

So Sorry to be gloomy.   This is Kansas in the hot 2012 August sun.

Continue to pray for the farmers, drought stricken crops, their animals with no food nor water.

A Silver Lining!
as I write, I look out the window to see dozens of birds sitting around the sprinkler. 
They are taking showers and playing.

They remind me of how God cares for the sparrow....
Oh, how He cares for us.

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My garden is a work in progress. I enjoy getting good neighborly advice. Please feel free to comment.