I have a visitor.

Today when I arrived I found corn nuts on my desk.  Oh yeah, I’ve got a desk in my garden now.  Which I know may seem strange for some people, and I know it doesn’t quite fit in the space, but I’m able to write here now; I suppose I could have a buffet here as well, or put up one very short person on a very, very firm bed.

Yes, corn nuts on my desk.  And holes in my bonsai tree soil.  A squirrel has decided to use them as a larder for his stash…or her stash…and I guess I can get used to it.  See, the birds have also decided to make a meal of what few peas I have.  That I don’t mind.  I’ve actually become quite accustomed to having the birds around.  The pond is bringing droves of sparrows, at least 12 that I can count, song birds, robins, grackles, morning doves, a couple of large and small wood peckers, and a sea gull that’s circling.  I think it might be eyeballing the gourami that I put into the pond.  A tropical fish in a garden pond.  Bright red among the green to go with the bright red cast-iron Japanese lantern that was my fathers’.  Just a couple of weeks and the pond is showing signs of life.

The plants are in bloom and I’m noticing that there are definite paths in the grass, which mean there are definite places where I’m walking more than others, which means I’m creating outlines for new flower beds next year.  I’m realizing that there will be much less grass in this yard and I’m ok with that, although David is a bit miffed that the fire pit has been replaced with a water pit.  I’m sure he’ll get over it.

Nothing is beating the taste of baby carrots tugged with little effort from the fertile soil, or that wonderfully sexy taste of new potatoes covered in melted butter and boiled with the first harvest of tender, earthy green beans.   The second batch of radishes is just about ready, and the two that I left in the ground for seed are becoming very large.  They’ve out grown the beets which are close to being ready to pull out.  The onions are fattening, and the second rows I’ve put in are sprouting again which means we should have green onions for a labour day barbecue.

I’ve been thinking about the fence, that is, a fence with a gate to block off the view of the garden from the street level.  I’ve also been thinking about what exactly to do with the front yard.  Right now it’s a neglected green space.

I’m also shocked to see that it’s not rabbits eating the beet greens.  As I write this, the sparrows have landed and are chomping through the beet tops.  And the swish chard.  And one just flew at my head warp speed and swerved at the last minute.  I had a mental image just now of myself, flat on my back, with a sparrow sticking out of my forehead.

High summer in the city in the garden.  You can’t beat it, especially accompanied with a glass of iced tea mixed from water out of the garden hose.