Water...

Ah, water. Today I have been thinking about water. The garden is so hot and dry and is wilting and in desperate need of water. Life-giving water. Since it is not going to rain any time soon, I need to get out there and water the plants myself. This first picture is of a black rubber stock tub, just like the one in which I have my bog garden. I never did anything with it, yet it has created its own habitat. Rain water filled it. The frogs laid eggs so now there are tadpoles. Of course, there are mosquito larvae. I'm not sure what the green stuff is. Algae? What makes it show up in a barren tub of water? And there are little diving beetles, too. How did they get there? And who knows what else inhabits this water.



When I was in high school and college, I worked on the landscape crew for a very well maintained private college campus. It was a joy to be surrounded by such beauty. And, it being Southern California, keeping everything well watered was very important. Whether is was watering pots by hand or checking to make sure the sprinkler systems were working well or anything in between, the grounds couldn't be kept up without water. Julie has created a simple water garden in a basic low container. But such pretty simplicity.



I remember being so thirsty sometimes after working outside, whether on the college campus or in my own garden later, and getting big drinks of water from the garden hose. A simple pleasure. I don't do that any more for several reasons, but I like the memory of that wonderful water. In Kirstin's frog pond, water lettuce and water hyacinth float on the reflection of the trees.

Have a beautiful day!