I've Given Up on Gardening

Tired of the Garden

Yes, it's true,

happens every year.

Whenever I hit August, I tire of watering,

become sick fighting the bugs and biters,

give up the battle of the weeds,

letting the heat do its damage.

Bronwyn Harris

The end of August brings an interesting change in the air.

The light starts to slant.
"The sun is slanting.", my husband says.

Jessamyn Harris

And you know he's right.

I just never noticed before.

Now in September the sun is even lower.

And the light is gliding in sideways.

Setting more as a plane than rays.

Perspective changes.

Are beets worth the effort...digging them up?
Fighting for them in the long,
healthy crabgrass,
grown uncontrolled in between the rows?

Sunflowers FINALLY are tall.
How many seeds were wasted on that project?
Hundreds of carefully tended seeds yield 10 sunflowers!
But I have to say,
the sunflowers are gorgeous,
beyond compare.

Today there is a vase of small, 4" sunflowers at school.
(puny, not worth the work!!)

Tomorrow I'll take in the 7"sunflowers.
By next week the children will discover

the huge foot 'n a half mamas...

Mama sunflowers I mean.

(Kids like to label ascending size as family members)

Then maybe I'll bring one of the last ones of Autumn.

(which always starts September 23rd, my Mom's birthday)

How fascinated they'll be to see

the flower turn itself inside out,

pressing outward,

blatantly shoving the mature seeds forward

from a ring of tired yellow petals;

papery leaves drooping on the trunk-like stem;

offering a repast for hopeful jays

coming back from summer forays.