This Week’s Picture: The flowers are blooming. It won’t be long before i see cucumbers at the end of those stems. At least that is what I expect. It won’t be the first time that I saw flowers and no fruit.
In the Days of my 1996 Garden

It had been nearly two weeks since the flowers, which were blooming all over the place, had fallen off and still there were no tomatoes, no melons, not much of anything. Just a few squash and a few cucumbers here and there. Probably had to do with the fact that the soil was not treated beforehand. My request to start a garden came far too late to do any pre-treatment of the soil.

A Trip Into “the Woods”

After eyeing my disappointing crop one day, I decided to just take a walk into the forest area, which we referred to simply as “the woods”. I was so disappointed, I did not check to see if I would be there along or not. I was not on guard for any of the wild life (lizards, snakes, large moths, etc.) that terrified me. I was generally terrifed by any critter that crawled, slithered or flew. This afternoon I did not care. I just walked deeper and deeper into the woods. I walked alongside a creek that ran through the woods. I was calmed my the rush of the water that flowed over the green, moss covered rocks. It was a moment of peace for me as I stepped slowly across a path that was made by others. As I walked I forgot all about my disappointment. Bushes, reeds and ferns lined the river. Pine trees, oak trees, and vines hanging from oak were everywhere. I was lost in the moment but not lost in the woods. I know the path would take me back home. I finally remembered my garden. Next year, I said to myself. I saw a rotted stump of tree, about a foot tall whose roots clung to the ground. I kicked it over, then watched the termites scurry all over the place. I continued to kick away until I saw the reddish colored wood in the middle. I picked up a limb that layed on the ground nearby and begin to knock away the rotted sections of the stump until the piece of reddish-orange wood stood out from the core. Kindling, I thought. Kindling was a great starter fuel for fires that were lit in wood burning stoves. You could buy them from the stores that sold wood, sometimes the lumber trucks would drop off a bundle along with scrap wood from the lumber yard or sometimes you could find it in old rotted out stumps of trees. I kicked the kindling until I heard a crack. It was broken free. I reached in with my hand and yanked it up. I brushed off the dust and termites. I smiled as I turned back to the path and headed towards home.

Stay Tuned Next Week for Jerry’s Patio Garden.