Gardening Guy

This is how our back garden looked a couple of weeks ago after TBG did his first seasonal clean up.  The bulbs came up nicely this spring and didn't suffer too much from the frost/snow that ended up coming through this past month.  I've lived here for over 25 years and am still taken aback when it snows in May!  We now have considerably more growth and TBG has split many Hostas and Black-Eyed Susans to share with neighbors.

My basil, oregano an parsley have started to come back on their own.  Maybe I won't have to buy any!  I'm not great at starting from seeds.  Once it warms up more, the dill will probably start as well.  I will be getting more rocks at the lake this summer, as I love using them as "mulch" for my herbs.  Larger rocks really cut down on weeds, help hold in moisture, but also generate heat, which seems to help with not only growth, but survival from one year to the next. Plus I think they look cool!

The growth between the slate looks good at first, but boy does it get out of hand.  Weeding it is a waste of time, so TBG has just been mowing it down.  We had an agreement for Jimmy Jam to weed wack every other week, but he gets busy and I think just forgets.

Our yard isn't big but I still consider us lucky to have this space. When I think of the people in major metropolitan areas confined to super small apartments and restricted living areas, I can't imagine what the stay at home situation is like.  Not only do I have my micro-yard, I get out to the river and fields whenever I want. I'll even be heading up to our camp on the lake soon.  Our life is simple, but environmentally, very expansive.  We have access to nature and also our own private space.

I would feel remiss if I kept silent, I think, on the upheaval and rioting going on our our country.  What happens to people of color and minorities in my country is appalling.  Yet another killing of a person of color is intolerable.  My heart aches for the Floyd, Taylor, and Arbery families -- just to name a few.

Quiet people need to speak up for those who are less fortunate.  I have friends and family in law enforcement and it pains me that the officers who killed George Floyd have put them in danger.  None of the law enforcement professionals in my world are at all violent or confrontational.  It's the opposite -- they are more apt to not want trouble than many civilians I know.  Then again, my sister is a public defender and she tells me of the atrocities her clients suffer.  So there are many in that population that aren't as tolerant.  It makes my blood boil when people think PDs are scum because they represent criminals.  What I don't think people realize, is that PDs are the last and most important defenders of our constitutional rights.  And when we let bad law determine punishment of the poor and disadvantaged, we are setting precedence in case law that enables those same oppressive practices to apply to all citizens.  When we tolerate bad law enforcement, sentencing, and prison sentencing for the poor/minority/disadvantaged population, we are setting the stage for it to happen to us.  Justice can be paid for if you are wealthy enough to afford an attorney (fees starting around $300 per hour).

I feel so lucky to have the economic and social advantage of being a white middle class woman.  That's a huge reason why I have my pretty little house and sanctuary of a back yard.  I don't need to protest against any injustice, voice my sense of powerless through protest, looting or other angry methods -- because I have nothing to be angry about for myself.  But I believe I would be a worse person if I didn't speak up about the situation that causes anger and injustice for those who are now showing their intolerance for the injustices of the world they live in. Angry white people can bring guns into houses of government with no fear or expectation of arrest.  People of color can't struggle to breath without being killed.

I am spending a lot of time relaxing, getting out with my dog, etc.  But I am also spending time keeping track of the civil unrest going on beyond my privileged world.  It's too important to ignore.