No Rain

The rain stopped about 3 weeks ago after a bountiful spring. From late winter through the spring the rains came and the grass grew, the flowers bloomed and everything was lush with foliage. The vegetable garden grew quickly and thickly.

Then the rain stopped. The withering started and the bugs came forward - especially the Japanese Beetles. They quickly covered everything; eating the beautiful and bountiful blooms on the roses. The hibiscus, the plums, the okra, the beans were all covered and now I have a holy garden and yard. These beautiful little bugs can lay waste so fast it isn't funny.

The beautiful canopy of the squash plant folded up like an unused umbrella denying shade to the okra and lettuce. The lettuce, white with the sun's scorching rays, wilted and fell over under the glare of the sun. The fuzzy leaves of the beans slowly turned yellow with jaundice and the tomatoes baked themselves in the skin. The cilantro and basil, in pots under the porch's eave, have even wilted and are resting on the edge of the pot and hanger. Watering at night provides some relief but can't reach the heart of the plant. The hosta's leaves are bleached white while their pretty little flowers sway in the hot breeze.

The huge limbs of the hibiscus are laid over from lack of water, while the smoke bush is flourishing. The rosa rugosa is putting out new growth without a care in the whole and the bougainvillea is running over, under and around the fence rails beautifully. The sweet peas, so pretty and green, are climbing the arbor and the cosmos is blooming while their delicate little flowers standing straight and tall are reflected in the gazing ball as if there are a field of flowers.

This I expected in late July and August as is usual with our area. Not the middle of June. Now I will be lucky to gather more vegetables from this once lush plot. The clouds have been gathering in the late afternoon, only to be blown away by the hot winds. There is no relief even from the winds. Even the birds are too hot to fight over the feeders and the animals have stopped feeding by lunch time; everything stops for a siesta until late afternoon - everything except those Japanese Beetles.

Then as if by magic, everything wakes up, takes a stretch and starts all over again. The cooling winds encourage the squash to open its umbrella leaves and the tomatoes to perk up once again. But there is no reviving the scalded lettuce leaves and the boiled tomato fruit. I pick off the blistered and oozing fruit and toss in the compost pile with a heavy heart. The blooms are still holding on the beans even though the leaves are yellow. Maybe, just maybe, today will be the day for a good shower - enough for my plants to make it through another day and revive enough to survive.

Maybe next year I will remember to plant with shade in mind and water close by. I am sure going to have a crowd under the big oak trees!