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| Peace rose - the receptionist went "eek!" when I mentioned how spiders protect the roses. |
Sassy came outside with me to harvest roses for the doctor's office. She set up a defensive perimeter and scanned in all directions. If she goes on alert, there is always a reason:
- Children to befriend.
- Cats to watch.
- Dogs barking that need some sassing back.
Sassy will also do things and make noises to get her staff to follow her directions. Her newest tactic is the emphatic sit down, which means she wants to go another direction or stay to see someone. It was a quiet morning - no more school traffic - so we went inside after the roses were in the vase.
This PA does not care for roses, so I gathered them for the front desk.
- More Veterans Honor roses were in full bloom.
- Easy Does It was blooming but also needed pruning.
- Peace had a perfect rose for the vase.
We walked into a big line at the doctor's office. "Busier than McDonalds at rush hour," I said. The woman in front of me commented on the roses, so I told her, "We had a front yard full." She said, "My daddy planted 1500 around his property. He grafted each one first." We had an interesting convesation, especially since her father also used Creation principles, avoiding all toxins. I went from rose farmer to rose dabbler in a few seconds, but it was all for the love of roses.
I signed Chris in and gave the receptionists the roses. One mother brought her babe in arms over to see them. The girl sniffed them and said, "Wow!" Later, when a lady bent down to enjoy the fragrance, I said, "How do you like my roses?"
"Your roses?"
"They were, but I gave them to the office to enjoy." This led to a long conversation and potential visit. She wanted to know all about the roses I was growing, because she grew some too.
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| Shasta Daisies divide easily and wilt even easier. |
Daisies Cry for Help
Last night, after Greek class, I went outside to tend the Shasta Daisies. Optimism was building for an actual storm, so I looked for the best place for more of the stored rain. The daisies looked miserable. I carried 20 gallons of rainwater to them and watered them.
The experts say, "Divide daisies in early spring," but spring lasted only one day and summer struck with more heat than rain. The young Crepe Myrtles have been getting more rainwater, and they have responded with even more red-green new leaves and stronger branches.
Rainwater does more than provide the perfect fertilizer for plants - free, non-burning, and always welcome. The soil microbes are charged and energized to do more work. The larger creatures feed from those microbes and hold that treasury of natural growth ingredients in the top layer of soil.
The dental hygienist expressed disgust about bacteria. I was going to make this point - "How odd, because the bacteria have given your a job that pays for your house. Besides, bacterial are the foundation of all life, which is why God created them to multiply so fast. Earthworms feast on bacteria, and bacteria digest the earthworms' food for them."
But I did not even start, because she is known for filling a patient's mouth in the midst of conversation. That happened once - and I began sounding like a drowning victim - she laughed so hard. I could not convey this to her easily, but that reminded me of our daughter Erin laughing at harmless disasters, her face merry with enjoyment. The association was easy - the hygienist has the same first name.
Various conversations have told me that most gardeners know next to nothing about the soil universe they want to adjust, invade, move, water, till, fertilize, and fill with plants. But it is better to pour one bucket of rainwater than to curse the drought. I sent Erin two copies of
Creation Gardening.
I have one more rain task before the storm comes. One barrel is half-full of rain and coffee grounds. The color and aroma are unique and not for weak. I will pour this stew on three plants:
- One very large Butterfly Bush
- One potentially large BB.
- One Pokeweed.
This cluster shades our bedroom office, which would normally cook in the western sun. The bushes also provide a waiting room for birds as they take turns at the thistle seed feeder. Any bush will also harbor insects, so they have some additional food available at times.
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| Poke feeds the birds. |
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Poke flowers feed the beneficial insects.
God delights in making the most despised the most useful for His purpose. |
When the Butterfly Bushes flower, they will smell like candy and attract bees and butterflies. Poke's flowers will feed beneficial insects galore and feed over 60 specials of birds. I warn jaded Southerners to treat my Pokes as free bird-feeders, not as weeds. Any violation of the 8th Commandment is followed by horticultural stink-eye.
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| Stink-eye response for "I will cut down that stupid Pokeweed." |
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| Canine stink-eye |
