Waiting

These final weeks before planting the summer squash and peppers seem to drag on forever to me. I just can’t wait for the garden boxes to be exploding with green and I find myself walking outside with a stash of seed packets to stick a couple beans in the ground just to see if they will sprout. They don’t, the ground is too cold. Then I go over to the hot box and take a look at my sprouts and decide to put a couple of the tomatoes in the ground. They fall over in the dirt.

Now is the time for waiting. The strip of lettuce is speckled with tiny green leaves, the daffodils are slowly yellowing as they prepare to open. The tulips throw a wide hug towards the sky before dropping their petals. The birds are beginning to fight for places to nest in the trees around the feeder, as they rocket upwards in squawking winged acrobatics.

The boys don’t know the difference. The Baby is too busy getting lost in the tall winter rye grass, and the Man-child is too busy gassing up the car or watering the strawberry patch. I know I must take everything in season.

As I wait, I revel in the cool breeze that will be a fain memory as the sweltering heat of summer creeps on us. I enjoy the lush grass on bare toes that will soon wither and dry just as my tomatoes are putting out blossoms. And of course, I stick a couple more beans in the ground.