Garden Party for One

Okay. I am a dork. I love my garden. I was lamenting earlier this month about how growing season is over, blah blah. But I spent a while in the garden this weekend (had to catch up cause I missed last weekend) and was pleasantly surprised to see all sorts of pretty babies in my little plot.

Let me first do a shout out to my boy's dad who introduced me to the concept of "Square foot gardening." The general concept is very tidy small gardens with an emphasis on variety and vertical growth. It worked perfectly for me. And the way it is laid out makes it easier to tend. I have unhappy knees which can make it impossible to crouch for long periods of time. With this style garden I could "scoot scoot scoot" on rear end and tend to my green haired gal's frequently changing needs with ease.

So I am scooting around in the mid day sun, the mosquitoes are ravaging me, and I am happily picking this and staking up that. I am blissful. Sun drenched. Surrounded by green happy. The air is gorgeous and about a sunny hour in, the sweet boy brings me an unsolicited beer (reading over my shoulder now he notes that it was "The LAST" beer in the fridge) and then runs back inside away from the mosquitoes. I take stock of my now fall garden where I have growing: sweet potatoes, nasturtiums, jalapenos, bell peppers, TONS of eggplants, arugala, radishes, basil, parsley, oregano, thyme and carrots. I have so many danged eggplants that I decide to pull some stuff and give to my girlfriend who is treating us to beer-can chicken tonight. I put it in my hat to make it look cool. Not sure if I succeeded. Maybe.

I finish in the garden and go to repot one plant when "huzzah!" I spot red on black. I run inside breathless to get the boy "It's red! That's bad right!?!?" I am jumping up and down like a five year old. He goes
outside with me and mutters "I hate those @#$-ers. It's a black widow." Wow...I have never seen one in real life...it really is kinda bizarre, quite large, and that red spot! I've seen brown recluses but never black widows. Yikes. I let him kill it while I looked out the kitchen window at him. I have determined I have gardened out back enough for the day and move to the front to mow the lawn.

Of course, there I meet the Latter Day Saints, and they patiently wait for me to turn the mower off when I can I fill the bag no more. I smile and learn I can reach heaven if only I read this pamphlet. Not to make too much fun of course. They only mean well.

God bless nature and all of our religions!