Black Madonna, Alchemical Chamber, Womb

Yesterday, I spent four hours removing compost from the container. The compost was rich and black. There was no trace of the cotton gloves, dryer lint, coffee grounds that I had put in the container. I put some of the black gold on the lawn where the bare patches are. I put lots of it on the raised beds. Why am I so mesmerized by compost? It is magical to me. The metamorphosis of the materials still takes my breath away. Now I am learning about the insects that aid in the transformation. I have an army of millions at my suburban disposal. Amazing.

A Giant Emerald

The garden always surprises me. Just when I think everything has swooned with the heat, I find an edible. Today it was a giant, perfect bell pepper in the Pluto box. Most folks would call the container an Earth Box and it is certainly based on the EB model. It is actually an old lawn cart retrofitted with a water chamber and a drainage hole. I stuck a piece of plastic pipe in it for watering. I see there are many cherry tomatoes the size of marbles there also. I remember the wonderful Urban Feast of 07. There were peppers there also. Yum.

Tiny Purple Beans With Emerald Centers

In the 90 degrees plus heat, the garden keeps putting out sustenance. Tonight I harvested a handful of bright purple string beans, a handful of basil, two scallions and three cherry tomatoes, mixed in some feta balsamic dressing and yum. That is one of the virtues of the garden, the freshest of the world's food at my fingertips.

Seeing Michele Obama's garden on the South Lawn almost made me weep. It is small but it there, an outward and visible sign that food comes from the earth and not merely from styrofoam sleeves in the supermarket.

Assasins All AAARGH

I came out at dawn to revel over the tiny tomatoes that were being produced despite the global warning, Hades-like temps that have rendered the landscape a seared mass of detritus. And YIKES, the tiny tomatoes had been denuded. The lush vines were sticks poking the gray sky. And on each stick was a thumb sized green tomato horn worm. I cut off the branches and dropped them into this bucket. Then I thought, do these become butterflies??? Have I killed soul images? Every solution seems be have consequences these carmageddon days.

For Crinum Out Loud

. She has big strapping leaves with gaudy pink purple flowers that throw up their heads and scream "look at me." And I do. The Southern Bulb Company labels her Ellen Bosanquet and says she can get out of control easily.A passionate plant given to Bacchanalian excess. Her sorority sisters across the yard throw white blossoms that look like horticultural fireworks or big bow debutantes. According to the bulb gurus they all die back in the winter. Ah, yes, So much beauty for so little effort.

Neon Mormons Glean Ortega

Pear, pears, glorious sand pears everywhere. Great pear butter, jam, chutney. Folks just don't use the bounty that is theirs. Grate a little ginger into a crock pot full of pear slices, add lemon and honey and cook all night. The next day, blend the pears. Yum.
The Neon Mormons are Robo and me. We ride in a pair with our neon bike jackets. I heard one little boy tell another," They are the Neon Mormons." The name has stuck.

Rain Glorious Rain

Big juicy drops are falling from the sky and then there is a rainbow. We have been dry too long and so each drop appears as a liquid diamond; puddles are landscape jewelry of the antique excellent variety not paste gems. Why is it that only scarcity lets me value daily doings like transpiration and photosynthesis???? Without either of them, it is Gotterdamerung as Ashley said at Twelve Oaks.