Yes, our oldest, our Ichiban, Joshua, turned 39 yesterday! This is, of course, a wild concept for a parent; that one's child is 39 years old. It is my ritual, since the year of his blessed arrival, to begin my serious planting in the garden on Josh's birthday. The day before he was born, I gardened seriously for the first time with the help of a good friend, Peggy. She taught me a lot of things about gardening, things I remember and employ to this day. By day's end on May 19, 1975, I was in pain. Big pain! I thought it was gardening pain. (Every gardener knows gardening pain, especially in the early weeks of the season!) But I was so wrong. It was labor pain! And by 1:15 in the afternoon of Tuesday, May 20th, an adorable baby Josh was in my arms! Bliss! That summer, Joshua grew, along with the tomatoes and chiles, the cucumbers and the morning glories - heavenly blue! That was a wonderful, precious summer. Here is a photograph of Josh carrying on the gardening tradition with his beautiful young family while I was visiting them in North Carolina earlier this month. What fun! Happy 1st day of your 40th year Young Joshua!
Up early to enjoy the fragrance of last night's big rain! It was quite something; I love the smell of damp dirt - dirt that's so dry that when the rain drops first hit it, the dust floats up and fills your nose with that unmistakable fragrance of high desert! In spite of the grasshoppers, most crops are doing well. This week we will have our first tomatoes, cucumbers, green beans, and maybe even zucchini. Daisies abound! Hollyhocks are so tall they are beginning to fall over. I have never seen so many honeybees as are on all the mermaid roses, blue mist, and cat mint right now! The gardens are a true celebration of freedom and independence! Happy July 4th!
