The Gardener
Writing is like planting a garden and waiting for the emergence of something green.
The one who plants is bent over the dirt. She takes off her gloves as they are stifling hot and place too much between her and the earth — rich, damp, and deep.
She brushes a mosquito from her arm, leaving a smudge of blackness mixed with blood.
The cultivator, or as she referrs to it — “the claw”, is held firmly in her hand and is drawing lines in the dirt, breaking up clumps and pulling up roots that had long gone dead.
The odor of turkey poo drifts up to her nose, which crinkls in recognition that what feeds growth is not always pleasant.
She punches a hole through resistance and drops in a seed, then another, then another. She pushes the dirt back into place, blending old and new, with a smile of satisfaction.
She knows she can’t simply wait for the magic to happen. There will be watering, weeding, and vigilance to watch for pests biting away at her produce. She must protect and feed tender shoots.
But she also knows there is only so much she can do. The rest is up to Mother Nature and a bit of luck.
Cross posted on Vision and Verb where a collaborative group of like-minded women from all over the world share their passion for photography and the written word.
In addition to my comments at V&V, I would love to see another photo of your garden a month from now! That dirt is incredible!
Nice. Photos and descriptions, conjure up mental images of gardeners I knew from the past. I don’t have that green thumb, but I appreciate the work and skill that it takes to help nature along. Your photography is always wonderful. Thanks.
Susan, Thank you. I’m not a gardening natural but just hoping that I learn and improve each year. Gardening is my therapy.
Robin, It is the blackest, richest dirt I’ve ever had, yet seems to drain well. Fingers crossed that it does some magic!
Raised beds, square foot gardening, turkey poo – the whole works. I’m impressed!
Thanks for visiting my blog. Looks like we have some common ground in terms of our interests, so let’s keep in touch.
Mark – Thanks for stopping by. I’m hoping my gardens evolve to look more like yours.