Cozy Blanket

Have you ever seen blankets thrown over plants so the frost won't kill them? How about raincoats, or umbrellas. How about plastic? I made a little shelter for my tomatoes at my last house. I tented them by taking the plastic to the house and then A-framing it out to the ground, keeping the rain off the tomatoes made it so I had tomatoes until November. Of course, this is the PNW and the frost doesn't come until late, November or December. Some winters it never comes. Some we get the 20 below like other places. Like Spokane, growing up 30 below wasn't uncommon. When the ground freezes deeply, it is hard on the plants. But still I managed to have winter carrots, it just took a lot of cover to keep the ground from freezing.

Now this week it's supposed to be in the upper 70s all week. Maybe we are having an Indian summer. The nights are cool, the air coming in the window smelling a bit of wood smoke. That's one of the delicious things about fall—a bit of wood smoke in the air. When I went to Taos to Natalie Goldberg's writing workshop, it was Pinion smoke in the air, very fragrant and lovely. I enjoyed it completely. And around here, fir or spruce or cedar, and sometimes pine. Pine burns fast as does cedar. I love having a wood stove to heat the house in the winter.

Okay, the garden is resting. I'm resting. I realized at 3 in the morning that I'm pushing myself. Perhaps I've approached the garden that way too. How can I push the garden? Well folks do push plants, with green houses, hot frames, heated soil, plastic to warm the plants, those water heated tomato tubes. But pushing is exhausting. Letting things unfold is better, just set course and see what happens. What else is there?

This morning I'm writing in bed, my cozy throw wrapped around my shoulders. I've decided lingering is a good attitude for me as I heal from this divorce. Just relax and enjoy—things will be moving along again in no time. Might as well enjoy the down time. As for the garden, my shovel is waiting.

Peace,
Flower