Garden

Today is Thursday, the one day I can legally water my plants with Eldorado water, not just grey water. I am cautiously pleased that a number of plants seem to be making it, this second summer of my learning to garden in the high desert.

Keys to fragile success: WATER, of course. (I thought xeric plants did not need much water, but that turns out to be maybe after the third year, and even then.....)

Soil amendments - I use a lot of Soil Mender and Yum Yum mix, both developed here in Santa Fe, I understand.

Straw mulch - I have used two bales so far and have two more in reserve. The problem is, when the monsoons come, all the plants are so grateful, including the seeds left in the straw as well as all of the seeds scattered under the birdfeeders.

Big river stones surrounding the plants. These help preserve some of the water, collect miniscule amounts of dew, help me remember where some of these tiny plants are so that I can both water them and avoid stepping on them, and, I hope, will help me with mulching over winter (and know where not to dig!)

Ollas, which preserve the water and let it seep out slowly. A plus which I did not expect - the purslane which I love to eat is fat and succulent around the ollas, so I guess i have a monoculture vegetable garden as well. (I just discovered that purslane is rich in Omega-3's!)

Finally, allowing the large weedy-looking asters to grow tall and shade the young plants. The sun is just too fierce. Eventually I hope I can weed out many of the asters and leave the rest nicely grouped for a wild flower show in the fall.

I am growing primarily plants which are aromatic and attractive to hummingbirds, butterflies, bees, and people. The big three groups I love are agastache, the artemsias, and lavender. There are lavender farms near here, but I have yet to keep any lavenders going to grow big and bushy. Patience.

A vicious hailstorm tool out, or nearly, a special trumpet vine, but we keep watering it and hope it comes back next year. I am also just getting some moonflower vines started after trying multiple times.

I have saved all my receipts for the garden in a jug which is overflowing. Billions of dollars, I fear.

Visitors to Santa Fe

I had been told that when we moved to Santa Fe, we would have LOTS of people visiting. I did not quite believe it, though I hoped it to be true.

Well, tonight is the first night in a while that I have not thought about supper for anyone else but Ricardo and me. I know the parameters there- life is a good deal simpler.

But what fun I have had! Lots of folk visiting or else coming over for supper while there were other visitors.

The longest and best lot were Alkelda the Gleeful with Lucia, and then Bede as well. Nephews Zack and Lennie. Guest Running Horse. Gary, the guitarist. Rebecca, dear cousin. And then Liz and Aaron for a few days. Whew! And hurrah.

Pray for my Intentions

I would like to use this space, truly, for reminding myself of my intentions and also for recording things i don't want to forget.

The summer is speeding by. Lucia and Alkelda and Bede were here, and it was lovely. This came on the heels of my visit in Denver - a conference and also spending time with cousins Arlen and Lola. Several things came out of all of the Denver experiences.

1. Intention to read to the Dead. I am using Bart's big notebook to start on keeping a list of those to whom I want to read.

2. Write a "birth" story for Bart eventually, i.e. like a birthday story but going back over the rainbow bridge.

3.meditate on the point/periphery

4.Think about the epileptic/hysteric polarity

5.prepare more spring rolls and also make art (inspired by the Denver art show)

Something that has come up more recently is the encouragement to finish my masters in the next school year. Yikes! This is going to be monumental. More on that later.

I need to do something about the lyre and also the lyre association.

Gear up for the new school year. I have a sneaky suspicion that there will be some change that I am not expecting.

I am finished with this post for now. I will say only that i am currently addicted to Reginald Hill's Dalziel and Pascoe books. Very literate and witty, and they make me want to go back to some of the old English Lit classics. (In my spare time, ha ha.)