June 26, 2012

Beloved:

I’ve been to breakfast and Brown County this morning with Bill Coverdale.  He knows the way to a daylily farm where I wanted to buy flowers.  Acres of flowers cultivated by people whose names I’ve yet to learn.  She greets us like people she was expecting; glad we’ve come but sad to say none of their 40,000 varieties are for sale.  The ground is too dry for digging so we window shopped instead.

We visited her husband who was staking cucumber vines.  For this job he  carries a Pringles can full of bread ties in leg pocket of his overalls.  “Brilliant!” I thought.  She showed me how to cross pollinate two different daylily colors; about 45 minutes of labor spread over two years.  They harvest a bushel of tomatoes PER PLANT by growing each plant in a five gallon tub engineered with trash bags, duct tape, rabbit wire, pvc pipe, a 20 oz soda bottle, rocks and a handful of 12-12-12 fertilizer.  They have rows of them set atop wood pallets.  “ Higher yields and we never over water them this way,” she explains.

“I’d buy some eggs if you’ve any to spare,” I told her.  “I’ve some purty green and brown chicken eggs, or duck eggs if you’d rather.  I’m needing $2 a dozen for them now even though I hate to say it,”  she said.  They also grow geese, turkeys, guineas, pigeons and pheasant.  “We’re studyin’ on peacocks.  We hear they’re good for guarding the place.”   To myself I wondered if Biscut and Buzzsaw, the fox terriers who were leaping and barking hysterically were offended by this comment.  

So I left with eggs instead of flowers but richer just the same.  Rich to be alive and well on a cool summer morning with my flower loving friend.  Rich to be greeted by someone who doesn’t know my name and yet receives me as though she has nothing in this world better to do than hang out in the garden and answer my questions.  Rich to learn from them and be invited back, just to look around, or for eggs, or flowers - if it ever rains again.  Of course I’m going.  ~ peace and prayers, pastor annette


Attachment - one I bought at the daylily farm two years ago