Ma Nature Belly Laughs

She must laugh out loud when she sees me moping around the garden, gazing sadly at the dead blueberries, the wounded oak tree, and the leafless arbor tilted drunkenly northward. She must hear me when I tell St. Fiacre that I am finally going to throw in the trowel. Sure Tropical Event Debbie did Duval !Sure bad things happened in the garden! But sure too is the return of growth and green. Five weeks after Debbie's dance,the arbor has been straightened through the magic of rebar and is now encircled with the kiwi which may one day bear fuzzy fruit. The oak appears to be sending out tiny leaves on the tip of its gnarled branches. Two dead blueberry bushes and one dead camellia have started a new Hugel. Why can't I ever remember to trust the process ? Why do I still need the bumper sticker that says , " God grant me the serenity to accept the fact I can't see around corners."

A Fine Murder Weapon

I remember an Alfred Hitchcock movie that opens with two FBI agents munching on a leg of lamb. Later, it is revealed that the lamb when frozen was the murder weapon in the crime they are trying to solve. The woman who serves the agents is smiling as they discuss weapon possibilities because she did the evil deed. I thought of this scene today as I harvested potentially lethal spears of burgundy okra. Frozen, they could inflict major damage.I thought I checked the plants yesterday, but perhaps I did not check closely enough. The six inches pods are sharp pointed, curved and inedible.The four inch pods are delicious beyond belief. I ate some four inchers raw, chopped into small succulent pieces sprayed with Bragg's Aminos . Yes,one of the joys of backyard gardening is growing veggies that don't appear on the shelves of even the organic produce purveyors. Burgundy okra is one of those veggies. Plus,a pod might come in handy during a street fight. And,during the political season, who knows when one might break out???