How does your garden grow?

1030am

Another day. Same room. Same Chair.

Today, however, Dad is up. He moves slowly, but under his own steam. As Sweetie would say, this is a good thing! He got to the bathroom unaided. I heard him singing a little ditty he must have learned many years ago while at the Naval Academy.

Boy cat is asleep at the foot of the bed as if keeping it warm for his sleeping buddy. I noticed yesterday that the cat spent as much time, maybe more if that is possible, curled up in the bend of Dad's knees. It made me feel hot just to look at it. But there is something sweet about seeing these two together.

Dad awoke this morning with a list of instructions. Not a long list, just things to do that we didn't do yesterday.

Get the car fixed.

Call the bath lady.

Check on the breathing machine.

I add my own ...

Change the beds.

Wash the sheets.

Empty the dishw

asher.

Check on the garden.

The garden! I haven't told you about the garden.

When my cousins were here the menfolk put their heads together and arms into gear and built me two small garden boxes. I directed them to be placed near the fence on the far side of the yard, where the sun shines brightly most of the day. Maybe too brightly when the temperatures reach 100. I lined the boxes with newspaper and filled them with dirt. If the cats from across the street were watching they must have thought they'd found litter box Nirvana. While Sweetie read a book on square foot gardening I played in the dirt.

Jill and I transplanted my bean, radish and sunflower seedlings. The beans are already beginning to wind their way through the fence. Except for one radish holder-oner nothing survived the transplant. Graft vs host complications or operator error? Nothing a trip to the Home Depot/Target garden departments couldn't fix.

One box has my beans, a tomato, a squash and the radish. I think gardens are supposed to have nice neat rows, of nice neat plants, clearly marked as to what they are. It is probably no surprise that my garden is more of a hodgepodge! I've sprinkled some more seeds in there just to see what might come up.

[Photo: I hope I'm a better gardener than photographer. Up near the fence where you can't see for the shadow is a line of beans!]

The other box contains my attempt at herb gardening. Parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme.

Plus some basil, a cucumber that may or may not survive that didn't fit in with the

vegetables. Some dying dill, lavender and oregano which clearly did not survive too much heat, over zealous watering or a combo of both. I've also added in some Zinnias and Black-Eyed Susans because I have this vision of flowers and herbs all growing up together in a collage of color and smell. [Photo: St. Francis sits atop the sodden remains of a lavender plant. I think I'll leave growing that aromatic jewel to my sister in Washington.

I'm fairly sure if these gardens actually produce produce it will be more at the hand of the Great Gardener in the Sky rather than my lame attempts at being a nature girl. Still, I walk out there every day with hose in hand, and a heart full of expectations. [See Pam's blog.] Just seeing my beans reach towards the sky makes me smile. They don't stop to think how far they've got to grow. They just plant their bean roots and grow their bean leaves knowing that one day, they will blossom into everything they were meant to be. I think there might be a lesson in there somewhere!

Sitting at the computer isn't checking anything off my lists, so I better get moving.

Wishing for you Sunflowers and Zinnias to brighten your day,

Merry ME