What we tend to

I am in the garden early this morning, working in the cool of the day. On my mental list is the tying up of the tomatoes.

I flit from one task to another and am sure that I have attention deficit disorder. Chastising myself for thinking too much, I tie up some of the tomatoes, side dressing them, and the cucumbers with lovely sheep manure that Stephen picked up for me from Fallsdale Farm last Wednesday. I pull weeds, transplant a volunteer tomato plant into the last empty space I just couldn't deal with last week, and create a pot with extra basil plants for a friend. I am aware that, while not staying on one task until it is finished, I am accomplishing things and moving the garden along in spurts. I recall a friend telling me yesterday that I am too hard of myself. Mostly I desire to be meditative in my garden work.

I'm getting better at being clear about asking for help and explaining why it is that I need whatever I am requesting. For instance, I would really like a dump-truck load of manure from a neighboring farm. I talked with someone with a dump truck who said that they would help. Talking with Stephen, however, it seemed that really pulling that off right now will be difficult. When I told him what I really needed was just a few buckets for side dressing the plants, he was able to get that accomplished when he was doing other tasks on Wednesday.

We were efficient together, and the plants grow lush with the extra nutrients.

My summer is made more lovely in remembering last year when I was in the Florida heat while doing my Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE) at Tampa General Hospital. Then I went from air conditioning to air conditioning and rarely stepped outside. In contrast, I am in awe of the Upper Delaware and its pastoral and greening landscape.

The lawn in hardening under foot, but the garden beds where we tend and water remain soft.