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Wednesday, June 23, 2010

The Perception of Perfection

The mower roared along the grass as I fought with the hose, carefully threading it along the base of the plants, their thirsty stems limp against my skin. My head pounded and my eyes hurt, my sunglasses nowhere to be found. The ground was too dry for soaker hoses and the blue skies made no promises of rain. The heat was unrelenting and the forecast cheerfully predicted another week of hot, dry weather. Oblivious to the temperature, blue jays, grackles, finches, and hummingbirds swooped around the garden, their calls filling the air. "Is that a woodpecker?' my husband asked. I paused and looked up. A male woodpecker perched on the edge of our largest tube feeder, carefully picking seed from the tray before flying over to the oak to stuff it quickly into the fledgling's mouth, the baby's dunn colored feathers blending into the bark. Back and forth, the male woodpecker flew, the fledgling waiting patiently for its meal, it's beak open and eager. I took a deep breath and slowly let it out. I was desperate for rain and worried about the water bill, still rearranging soaker hoses, and frustrated by my endless trips with a watering can to quench my gardens thirst. I wanted the temps to drop by fifteen degrees and the skies to open up and pour, filling my rain barrels and soaking the brittle soil. My garden wasn't perfect but to the wood peckers who live in my trees, it's just perfect enough, and that's okay with me.

4 comments:

  1. Your struggle with no rain is an all too familiar one to me. Sometimes I wonder why I garden, then I wonder why I didn't plant all drought tolerant things. Urgh. Here's hoping you get rain. We might get some tomorrow. I sure hope so or some hydrangeas are going to bite the dust. I'm tired of watering.

    It is such a heartwarming story about your pets. People who take in animals are the best! If only the dogs could talk I often so wonder about their stories. You have a great day and fingers crossed for some rain for you.

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  2. You made me smile!! I'm convinced my bassett mix would talk if only she could get all her vowels and consonants to cooperate! I think she was the mad genius behind todays early morning howlathon. :0)

    Our weather often varies between drench and drought and findng plants that can survive both is hard! But if gardening weren't a brilliant challenge, I'd be bored!!

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  3. I too am a lover of dogs and gardening, which makes me a very suitable follower for Casa Mariposa. I love the woodpeckers and their relentless pecking, but sometimes I wonder how my oaks feel about it. Loved your story.

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  4. Thanks so much!!! I think my next posting will be about the dog run I put in the garden. Actually the dogs created the dog run! I just realized their wisdom and fenced it off. Stay tuned! :0)

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