Little Green Herbs In Pots...

Blooming Hosta

     ...It is July in Ohio and it is so soggy right now, that I feel I should check myself for moss.  Just as the Farmer's Almanac predicted, we have had copious amounts of rain with accompanying thunder and lightning.  I like cooler weather, but everyone else I know is grumbling about how cold it has been.  As I inspect my little herb garden, many of the tender herbs are turning yellow due to water-logging from all the rain. Perhaps constructing a makeshift awning over things would not be amiss.  The upside is that most of my plants are in containers.  That makes it possible to move the herbs to better locations for the conditions.  Like a giddy little kid I planted some mammoth sunflowers for nearly instant gratification in my petite garden.  They are should height with me.  I am pretty short so I guess that doesn't make them all that tall, however,  am still thrilled at their growth progress.  One of the sunflowers has leaned over as if it is ready to do a somersault.  I have propped it up, but I may need to tie it too the railing of the deck .  Who doesn't love a sunflower?

Joyce's Sunflower

The Praying Sunflower

      Though the days have been fairly gray, I am still fairly happy.  There is something special about after the rain when one can step outside and inspect the garden' progress that is satisfying.  I love what I call "gardener's weather".  It is cool, but not cold, and still wet after the rain.  It is early evening and still quite light.  The feeling is like early fall, and yet not fall.  Nearly all my plants need repotting , again.  Since I have no larger pots, it looks as though I will have to begin to scrounge for anything bigger to accommodate these plants.  With the excess of rain came an abundance of slugs that are rivaling monsters from Japanese horror films.  I am glad my plants are in pots.  I can move everything to higher ground.  So far the cats in the neighborhood have not discovered my pots of catnip.  This has been a good year for me to successfully water-root cuttings from my basil plants.  Though I have been using my basil in my cooking I expect to have a bumper crop by fall that will allow, me to both dry some basil for winter cooking and to can some jars of pesto as well.
    As I looked out onto my porch I saw the little starter pots of little green herbs I had moved out of the rain.  The tender plants were already too wet.  They didn't need any more watering.  It was then I realized that seeing little green herbs in pots gave me a great deal of satisfaction. I began to create a mental list of simple things that made me happy.  Little green herbs in pots, sunflowers, dragonfly visits, the neighborhood groundhog who stopped by to stand up and inspect what was growing in my pots, the change of seasons, fall leaves, the sight of  the swans who live a Lake Anna, cardinals in winter, the crisp aroma of the first real fall day, and the clean smell of the first snow.  These are some of the things that bring me joy.  As a photographer, I am a responder to dramatic lighting situations.  The "golden hour" is my favorite time of day.  That is the time about an hour to an hour and a half before sunset when everything is bathed in a golden light.  The shadows are dark and dramatic.  Instantly the mundane begins to take on a magical glow that excites my soul.  That is the time of day with its unique lighting that makes me happy.
      So, have you taken any quiet moments to think about what makes you happy? If life hasn't been all that happy lately, maybe it is  time you allowed yourself to pause and make your own little list.  Give yourself permission to be happy, and then purse those happy moments.  And just remember those little green herbs in pots.  They will make you smile...