Got Hope?

I do. Not that I did a few weeks ago. I’m talking about the garden, of course. After the deer devastated the vegetables we put up some fencing that we had. It wasn’t enough to keep out the chipmunks that just kept eating the tops off the green beans, lettuce and carrots every other day. It was depressing. Then I went crazy and put up fence all around the garden. At 9:00 at night. Nothing was getting in to the garden at this point, not even me. So I took a garden hiatus. I emotionally disconnected from it and just let it go. I checked it every few days and had to pull most of the zucchini and squash because of vine borers. But I’m okay with it. I’ve gone crazy the last few years fighting off vine borers and I’ve decided that maybe I just won’t grow squash anymore, maybe it’s not my thing.
My whole gardening perspective changed. For the first time in at least a week I spent some real time in the garden today. There are about 10 butternut squash growing. The peppers and eggplant that were destroyed earlier in the season are making a comeback and have set fruit. The basil is huge and the tomatoes are slowly coming. There is hope! The garden may not be everything I was hoping for at the start of the season but maybe it never will be. Finding perspective and solace in the garden is something I can always count on if I just give it time.