And I beg your pardon by Wendell Berry
The first mosquito:
come here,and I will kill thee,
holy though thou art.
If the Harrison’s yellow is blooming the mosquitoes will not be far behind. In the meantime I am making do with deer flies that have bitten and bitten. They are not as easy to swat and kill as mosquitoes that land and take their time to suck blood.
Wendell Berry is a wonderful writer – and poet. He bought a farm in Kentucky in 1965 and the main subject of his writings are about the beauty of nature, the agrarian values he holds dear, and the kind of good life that he believes is lived in small rural communities. I am with him all the way – and that is probably one reason I ended up in a little town like Heath.
Wendell Berry knows and appreciates the problems of farming and rural life – which I contended with myself today. The day was spent in happy labors, planting tomatoes, three heirlooms my neighbor gave me and three Black Krim samples from Hort Couture, and Renees Garden beans, Emerite and French Gold. There were the deer flies to battle, but I was happy getting these plants and seeds in the ground. Henry dug the final garden bed, so there is still a little work to do.
I went back to the Shed Bed, finishing the weeding (almost, anyway) and planting my pathetic little cosmos seedlings. I found a piece of wire fencing that was just the right size to lay over the cosmos, just a few inches off the ground. It looks like a big plant support. The chickens can’t get under the fencing and they won’t hop on top so those seedlings are safe. However, as per my custom I then planted salvia seedlings around the edge of the bed. They are not protected by wire fencing and the chickens love freshly tilled soil. They knocked over two of the seedlings. I hope I can rescue them. The hens will not be allowed out to play tomorrow -or for a few more days.
Thank you Carolyn gail for hosting Muse Day at Sweet Home and Garden Chicago. I love to see the first of the month arrive.
I just love yellow roses and these are real beauties. A delightful post. I do hope that the mosquitoes hold off for a little while longer. Darn those flies. They hurt like the dickens. They can even bite through Luna’s thick fur. Take care.
You and Wendell are both writers after my own heart.
Lisa – The yellow roses seem particularly lovely this year. I did catch that moment of sunset light.
Tinky – I knew you would appreciate WB.
Enjoyed the poem, Pat:) I’ve learned to appreciate insects much more in the past few years, but mosquitoes (and Japanese beetles) don’t get any mercy from me. I don’t have any chickens, but my cats enjoy newly tilled soil, too–I often find newly planted seedlings popped out of the ground, thanks to them.