Tuesday, June 22, 2010

Predator Pumpkins

Last year, around the end of June, I was talking to Charles about how fervently I dislike gardening (pain, heat, dirt, weeds, bugs, snakes, et al), when he made the most amazing statement: "Well, people who garden do it because they like gardening.  They enjoy it."

You gotta be kidding me.  For real?  All this time, I thought good women planted gardens, and I so wanted to be a good woman.  Not gardening didn't make me a goodNot woman?  Now, if it was garden or starve, I'd do the deed, but that may be for another year.  I was NOT enjoying gardening (that year or any of the others), so I quit; I never saw the garden again, and neither did it see me.  Vegetables disappeared beneath weeds, and if that was wasteful, I'm sorry all over myself.  I became a much happier woman, and no one needs a cranky (dusty, perspiration-streaked, whining) woman hanging about.  *brushing garden dirt from hands*

But late last fall someone tossed over the fence, into the garden, (surviving) pumpkins which had served an ornamental purpose.  Splat!  This spring: Surprise!  Pumpkin plants in the garden, a few feet from the tomato plants Charles does enjoy planting and tending.  Yanking up many and transplanting others to the other leg of the garden, we decided to allow some to stay where they'd magically grown.  Now Charles wrestles the monsters, directing them away from his tomatoes, which they threaten to choke on a regular basis.  To the right you see the plant which crept through and past the tomatoes to get to the kid. 

For me, volunteer plants, untended gardening, and photo ops are perfection.  And here you have it:

Now that's a LEAF:


Crazy pumpkin-crawl on the other side of the tomato plants:


Gotta love the tendrils.



So no thanks to me, we may have quite a pumpkin harvest this fall.  God planted the pumpkins, He waters them, Charles wrestles them, and I'll eat 'em.  Perfect. 



But after that the kindness and love of God our Saviour toward man appeared, not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost; which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour; that being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.  Titus 3:4-7

2 comments:

Laurel said...

Amazing tenacity those pumpkins have!!

CarolineNot said...

Laurel, that made me laugh. ºÜº