Subordinate Gardeners - Charli Sue, Lady, and Fats

 

 Veterans Honor Rose is close to perfection.

Ranger Bob is recovering from very serious surgery, so I have his rescue dog Lady and his 13 year old cat nicknamed Fats. I heard a meow sound that was somewhat like the squeaky ball's noise. But no, Fats used her needle claws to start climbing the bed quilt.

The boss - Charli Sue - is having a good time with Bob's pets. Fats has the seniority by far, but Charli's Patterdale Terrier mix is unrelenting. She quietly began moving Fats down the blanket to the floor.

Charli is a true gardener, young at heart and full of energy. She tells off the male dogs that look and bark at her from three neighbor yards. She races Porchi the Great Pyrenees up and down the fence, barks at Pug, and responds to Shorty the Corgi. Her true love is chasing squirrels and revising mole runs. Charli also fetches fallen apples and eats them.

Lady does not have the energy to keep up with Charli but loves to find and chew the squeaky ball indoors. It is 100 degrees today, so her reluctance to stay outdoors is justified.

How does the ancient cat fit in? Fats set herself up on the bed to enjoy one of the gardening shows on Prime, a long-running show packed with information and new plants to grow. Charli and Lady had to find places on the bed to cuddle as well.

Gardeners have trouble scowling, because the worst disasters are balanced by miraculous recoveries. The Mountain Mint we buried - by mistake under wood mulch and cardboard - became two tall sections growing chest high, hosting bees and butterflies in the bright sunlight.

Someone recently said, "Your garden is filled with more birds and butterflies and bees and fragrance than I can find anywhere else." I said, "Thank you! That comes from the plants I brought in. 

A neighbor from a block away walks over to see what is blooming. Veterans Honor is blooming late, but perfectly - as always. Enchanted Peace is prolific again but facing Japanese beetles again.

 Enchanted Peace makes people say, "Look at that one! No, no, don't cut it."

Roses need and want cutting, and that is why I keep 50+ party cups for vases. They fit in the car beverage slot and everywhere else.

"KJV Proverbs 17:22 A merry heart doeth good like a medicine: but a broken spirit drieth the bones."

More can be accomplished through forgiveness and a merry heart than continuous angry, blaming, bitterness, and revenge. If the bad responses were effective, we would have a much happier, free, and productive life.

A gardener will break an expensive piece of marble from some spiffy furniture and say, "I can use that for the garden path." 

Mountain Mint makes bees and butterflies happy when other mints have faded for the summer. The often ignored tiny flowers of many plants like mint, borage, and bee balm will feed a lot of God's Creation.