A Rainy July
Far be it from me to complain about rain. The gardens have
been loving it, our rainwater barrels are at capacity, and our well is nice and
full. But very soon, if this rain doesn’t stand back for a while, fungus infections
are going to take hold of the veggie plants. Leaves are going to begin rotting,
blossoms will drop, and water-logged root systems are not going to absorb
sufficient oxygen for respiration.
It’s been raining all week. I put the gardens first, so
never mind if I’m getting weary of it. I want sun on my skin. But I’m starting
to worry about our food crops. This is the soggiest July I can remember.
Good news is that this week, I munched the very first green
beans from our garden. I was surprised to find them: this is a bit early. I
gathered about 15 and ate them raw for breakfast. Gawd, I love the taste of a
raw green bean fresh off the vine. They’ll really start rolling in now.
My husband and I have been invited to a summer party at a
friend’s farm in New Hampshire. I’m psyched for this. These are the best of
people: old hippies, wise, former Grateful Dead groupies, non-conformists, activists, simple livers, and lovers of people, animals, and nature. Indigo children.
The party is the day before I start the Buddhist retreat,
which is a bummer. I like to spend the day before starting a retreat in
mediation, relaxing, eating lightly, and readying myself for the experience.
This time, we’ll be traveling to New Hampshire to eat great food and lots of it, dance, talk, laugh, and will getting back late. But I
love New Hampshire and fellowship with groovy people, so I’m all in.
An update on our new clivia plants. Last night, I noticed
that the orange has tripled in size. I don’t fawn over the clivias because they
don’t need it. Place a clivia in a darkish corner and throw some water at it
from time to time, and it’ll be just fine. So, this impressive growth spurt
took me by surprise. The yellow ‘New Hope’ clivia is also gaining length and
girth. I’m happy to be back cultivating clivias.
The weekend is almost here. Be good to yourself.
Much love,
Barbie xo
