New Beginnings

The Jewish New Year is always in the fall, which seems appropriate for a desert-dwelling people. My husband has observed that in the Phoenix area, we ought to have our own version of Groundhog Day in late summer. If Prairie Dog Pete comes out of his burrow and survives long enough to cast a shadow, we'll have six more weeks of summer...or something like that. In any event, today is semi-overcast and the temperature was down in the 80s this morning, so I have hope that cooler days are ahead!

Our "Arizona Backyard Eden" looks more like "Arizona Backyard Hades" right now, with leaves on rosebushes and fruit trees scorched. Most vegetables and flowers have long since given up trying to survive, although a lone Japanese eggplant looks pretty healthy, and basil is thriving. There are a few spots of color from portulaca and vinca on our north patio. We've been working on the never-ending task of clearing out Bermuda grass from the raised beds in preparation for fall planting, which begins in September and continues into early October. For anyone who's interested, here's a link to a PDF of the planting calendar we use.

My attempts to start tomato plants from seed several weeks ago were unsuccessful. I couldn't find the peat-pot refills for the Jiffy indoor greenhouse system I prefer for starting seeds indoors, so I tried starting them, along with peppers and cilantro, in regular potting soil outdoors. Although the seeds sprouted in their sheltered location on the north patio, I missed a day hand-watering them, and that was the end of that. So we bought tomato transplants, put them in the beds closest to the north patio, and put portable shade structures over them. We also have yellow squash coming up in the same area, and I planted bush beans a few days ago in the second-shadiest area of the yard. I finally found one peat-pot refill at Lowe's, so we now have broccoli and cauliflower seeds sprouting indoors. They should be ready to transplant by mid-September, and by then we should be able to plant sugar snap peas along with various kinds of lettuces.

The anticipated end of the long, hot, and dry summer is upon us, beauty will return to our backyard garden, and it will soon be enjoyable to spend time outdoors again. The change of seasons reminds me that although I may experience (and should expect) periods of discontent and spiritual dryness in my life, these are not the permanent state of my inner landscape.

"There is no journey gone so far we cannot stop and change directions,
No doom is written in the stars. It's in our hands.
We cannot know what will occur
Just make the journey worth the taking
And pray we're wiser than we were
In the beginning"