Every night this week I've been up at my community garden planting the things I should have planted a month ago but couldn't because of the whole end of the world thing. When my garden was opened I figured, PHEW, everything will be back to normal now. And then I watched a frog climb up a fence and reassessed.
There's a lot of wildlife around my garden. Therefore there's a lot of wildlife in my garden. Fluffy, slimy, warted ... all wandering around, looking for places to hang out, maybe grab a beer.
Because of this I consider myself to be a bit of an expert on none of them. Other than knowing they exist, my knowledge of toads for example is this; they are toads. I just haven't given it a lot of thought. They're probably not much different than I am. We both like to be outside in the garden, appreciate a good meal and have warts.
But that's it. That's all I know about toads.
Actually that's not true, I also know that toads are shy and tend to stay hidden until you start swinging a massive, sharp hoe in their direction at which point they will swan dive in spectacular fashion, directly at your face.
Toads, as it turns out, are quite gymnastic so I shouldn't have been surprised to see one of them climbing a fence this week - but I was.
Also surprising ... seeing a painted turtle. It was just outside of my plot, which is an unusual site. When I got closer up to the turtle I could see it had dug a hole and was just sitting there. Half an hour later she was giving birth.
The turtle digs a hole and then buries her eggs to hide them from predators because like any mother her number one priority is to protect her children. And to remember to buy wine on the way home.
It was FASCINATING and there's video of it in my Instagram highlights.
Now, we're up to a fence climbing toad, an incredibly rare view of a turtle laying eggs so now it's time to add in the festival of snakes.
Scaryyyyyyy. Snakes! You don't want to be, you don't mean to be but there you are - afraid of snakes for no reason at all. I happen to like and get along with snakes, but not everyone does. Some people in fact kill snakes for no reason at all.
For those of you who are anti-snake I'm sorry but there is going to be another snake photo. I just thought I should warn you. I'm not sure why I didn't think of warning you before the first photo.
So this snake, which was one of several I found in the garden one night, has claimed my compost bin as its own. Compost bins are warm and protected which is exactly the kind of place snakes like to claim as their own. A safe, cozy home makes a snake happy.
So when I went to open up my compost bin to dig some out of the bottom I tapped on the bin with my foot a few times. You probably didn't realize that I speak snake, (nobody likes a bragger) but I do. Tapping your foot a few times is snake for "Hey. I'm here and I'm coming in, so you might wanna just slip out for a second."
He didn't care. Or she didn't care. I'm not sure which, but if I open the compost bin next week and find it littered with socks and take-out boxes I'll have my answer.
Most of this was all within half an hour of each other. It was like gardening in a low rent Floridian reptile theme park.
And the same night all this happened a neighbour told me she saw a coyote walking down the middle of the street at around 10 o'clock at night. This isn't in the country or even the suburbs, this is in the middle of a town. Things are not normal.
Thursday night was pretty quiet at the garden with just a constipated frog hanging around to keep me company. I could tell he was constipated. He had that look.
I got to plant my corn. I planted way too many varieties: Dakota Black popcorn, Glass Gem Corn, Peaches and Cream corn and Serendipity corn. I'll probably be lucky and have enough time for the sweet corns and the popcorn to mature, but I'm pushing it for the Glass Gem corn which takes a lot longer than the others to form.
Back at home the ranunculus I bought from Dahlia May Flower farm are blooming. Over and over again, I just keep cutting them off and putting them in the vase with the others. Ranunculus have an incredible vase life, lasting for a couple of weeks so you can just keep adding to it.
Also at home, I experimented with germinating regular old mustard seed that I had in my spice cupboard. This after a fellow gardener proclaimed he had finally thought of something exciting to grow (that I hadn't already grown.) MUSTARD.
When he told me about his idea, we looked at each other with pity, sorry for how stupid the other one was at never having thought of this before.
Of COURSE we should grow mustard!! So I'll be planting some black and brown mustard seeds this weekend.
These are the seeds from my spice drawer that I germinated in a damp paper towel. I ate a few and they're spicy! They taste like a radish if a radish unloaded a machine gun in your mouth.
Even with gun toting mustard seeds, fence climbing frogs, composting snakes and egg laying turtle, this next surprise was the biggest of the week.
What you're looking at is a Bells of Ireland plant, grown from seed. I knew they were doubling in size every few days so they were healthy, but Thursday night when I pulled back the leaves to have a look at the plant, I found the bells.
I wonder how long those bells were stuck back there just waiting to be seen.
Things definitely aren't normal this year. At all. This year we're actually comprehending that no matter how different we look we are all the same. In the important ways anyway.
We enjoy a garden, a good meal, a safe home and want to protect our kids. We are at times stunned at our own obliviousness.
We are all the same but we are not equal.
This year we are acknowledging that, feeling shame for that and trying to change that.
This year we are taking to the streets to change that.
Deirdre
So beautifully said. Thank you
Mel
Hi! I haven't started my sweet corn. Did you plant corn seeds this week or had you started seedlings and planted those out? I live just east of Toronto, so we have a similar growing season. I've been seeing lots of wildlife too and they are bold coming up to within a few feet of me. The snakes I could handle but the raccoons, snunks and possums. Nope.
Karen
I normally plant corn on June 1st but everything was so crazy this year, I just got it in this week. So yup, you should definitely get it in. ~ karen!
Brian
Great blog. Hopefully the snakes don't find Ms Turtles brood. To snakes - frogs, toads, and turtle eggs- make for fine dining. It's just nature. You are right, things are not normal (what is normal?) and change is gonna come, it just has to.
Lin
Thank you for sharing your garden blessings and thoughtful words.
Peace
Laura Ernce
I want to be you! Do you give yours? Where do you live?
laurie howard
so beautiful...very moving post
Thank you for sharing this.
Carol in Montreal
What a wonderful, funny, interesting and informative post, Karen, like all of them but extra special this time. Thanks!
Joyce
Amen, sista! We are all alike! We need to take it the streets and the polling places!
Nancy Lane
Beautiful, beau, beautiful. Bells of Ireland were my mother in laws favourite flower so I am a bit weepy at your talking about them. Spot on blog Karen.
Kat
One of my favorite blogs that you have written yet!
Debbie D
So pleased to see people trying to change things too! You will need to keep us updated on Mr. Toad's wild ride (didn't know they had tails! and yes, I have had one take a swan dive at my face too!), the Turtles (are they Happy Together--only someone who lived in the 60"s will get that one) and lovely Mr or Ms Snake. I hope and pray that the spirit of change will continue.
Grammy
Everything about this post is good. Frogs, toads, turtles, snakes, all are fine with me. But I have never, ever seen a turtle lay eggs except on TV in a nature program. Did you somehow mark where she left the eggs, so no one will accidentally harm them? I would think the other gardeners would be distraught if they sunk a spade into the spot because they didn't know it was the maternity ward.
You are right about nothing being normal this year. Everything in my California garden is about where things usually are closer to the middle of July. The part that isn't good is we're still stuck at home because we are old people. My spirit wants me out on the street, standing with the good people who are rising up for change, but I have to content myself with supporting the cause in other ways. The words you've written bring me joy, because I know how many will read them and nod their heads and say, "That's how I feel, too."
Perhaps normal isn't what we want. Maybe something better is in store for us.
Emie
You've said the most honest, profound thing I've heard in the past 3 months... "Things definitely aren’t normal this year". Glad your garden is getting on it's way... here's hoping for a fabulous growing season!
Chris Wilkey
I agree, best post for a while. Am in England and woke up this morning to this post and thoroughly enjoyed it. You have a lovely sense of humour and a good way with words.....I look forward to your emails arriving in my inbox. I also enjoy reading the comments and the person with the bobcats, snakes and roadrunners made me realise what a diverse bunch of readers from different regions we all are reading your blogs. Thanks very much and keep it up please. Concur with all being treated equally. Take care. Chris
Tina Lauer
Thank you, Karen. Well said.
Marilyn Meagher
The more things change the more they stay the same
Coral
Love your articles and the daily chuckle you give me. I appreciate your closing comments. We all need to acknowledge the need for change and use whatever platform we have in order to say it out loud. Thank you for the thoughtfulness of your comments.
Lynneo
Just today, on a walk with my dogs, we ran across a painted turtle which had just laid eggs. I could see them in the hole. Not quite the same as seeing the birthing process, but this is the first time I've seen turtle eggs not on t.v. Amazing!
TucsonPatty
Karen, you never cease to amaze me with your insights into just about anything you come across! (Who knew toads/frogs got so badly constipated you could see right off, with just a glance, really.) to have a turtle lay eggs right in front of you - I am incredibly jealous. I’ve always wanted to see that down at some beach - Mexico or Florida.
You will have so much harvesting - enjoy the wildlife as much as you can. We only have javelinas, bobcats, coyotes, roadrunners, hawks and owls. Well, those and an over abundance of pack rats, and not enough king snakes to take care of them and the rattlesnakes. Well, we do have an abundance - you just have to know what and when to look for it, and when to protect yourself from it! Can’t wait to see this years glass corn!
Christine O.
Your best post yet. ❤️