My New Pollinator Friend

Last summer I moved into a new place, but get this, it came with a front AND a backyard!

Immediately I started seeding vegetables, fruits and flowers. Although it was a little too late in the season to start planting the sprouts, I was resolute. I would finally have my very own garden! 

Until my little orange kitten, Baby, knocked them down. Again. And again. And again. The last time was so bad there was absolutely no recovery of the tiny seeds or the compostable pots they were in. All that was left was a mound of dirt in the middle of my kitchen.

But now here I am. A year later, sitting on my back porch watching the lawn. Although it’s probably only a tenth of an acre, it's all mine, baby! I’ll be honest with you, it's pitiful. Weeds and poison ivy overgrow the land. Even my newly acquired garden bed is struggling. 

I have planted quite an eclectic group of produce. In the back of this tiny neighborhood, lives some smushed green bean vines. The trellis is being used as a ladder for the groundhog living in our sinkhole (don’t ask). Yet, the plant is determined to flower, never mind all the insects that have littered the leaves with holes. Poor broccoli has fallen victim to the wildlife as well, yet he too is intent on living. 

Next door we have the classic creepy haunted house. Aka some shriveled cucumber vines that died of a mysterious fungus. On a more positive note, my strawberries seem to be pretty happy! They are both hole-free and unscathed, yet, the plants still grow too slow for the season. Considering the current weather pattern, however, these strawberries might keep growing all year! 

Across the cul-de-sac, we have a single carrot that's been sending weekly complaints to the HOA about the overgrowing potatoes on the block. Worst of all, they’re ugly and have no leaves (the groundhog). 

Now, my sunflower seeds have started to bloom and a pollinator has moved into our neck of the woods. This whirlwind of an experience has been as carefree as it has been hilarious. How wonderful it can be to live life slowly and ponder often. 

In a time full of constantly running electricity and advertisements on every corner, I think it is more important than ever to connect with the real world, the Earth.