They come by stealth, in the gauzy light of earning morning, in the rain-soaked hours of the afternoon, in the starlit calm of 2 a.m.
They launch full-on, soundless, brutal attacks. And when they have finished with their mindless destruction, they leave as silently as they came.
They belong to no state and carry no flag. They work for themselves, and answer to no one.
They are...
THE GARDEN TERRORISTS!
 |
| Lemon-eater! |
 |
| Leaf chewer! |
 |
| Rose nibbler! |
 |
| Bud destroyer! |
You would think I'd be prepared for this onslaught by February, but no, every year, they manage to take me by surprise. You can hear my anguished cries as I see my newly-budded roses stripped of every potential spring flower, my clematis leaves as lacy as Swiss cheese. My tiny green starter lemons made into...well, lemonade for squirrels, not me.
Caught as unprepared as the U.S. at Pearl Harbor, after the initial attack, I gather my formidable arsenal of weapons, don the rubber gloves, and spray, spray, spray. All the while fretting about the environment, the good bugs, my own lungs, etc.
But the damage has been done. The first bloom of my roses will be a shadow of their potential glory. Some of them, shattered by the early-season violence, won't bloom at all until June.
To be a gardener is to be a soldier. No one ever told me that
when I first picked up a trowel.
Caught as unprepared as the U.S. at Pearl Harbor, after the initial attack, I gather my formidable arsenal of weapons, don the rubber gloves, and spray, spray, spray. All the while fretting about the environment, the good bugs, my own lungs, etc.
But the damage has been done. The first bloom of my roses will be a shadow of their potential glory. Some of them, shattered by the early-season violence, won't bloom at all until June.
To be a gardener is to be a soldier. No one ever told me that
when I first picked up a trowel.
© 2013 by A Silken Swoon. All rights reserved.
Oh my gosh, Eileen,
ReplyDeleteThis is a wonderful story! I love the way you write!
Lisa
You, my dear, are an artist of words! I laugh, I cry, I love your creative endeavors! And all those peskey little (and big) critters......well, they will arise and pass.......so take a deep breath and know your blog is being "eaten up" by those who love you!!!! LV
ReplyDeleteThank you so much, LV. Every writer needs an audience, and you are inspiring me to continue with my ramblings.
ReplyDelete