Things That Happened While I Was Away

I was only gone for four days. But when I confronted the chaos that used to be my garden, it seemed that I'd been gone for weeks. Of course there were weeds. But the explosion of tomatoes and eggplants and green beans left me joyous and overwhelmed. Upon my leaving, my lettuces bolted, the arugula had served as a feast for some minute bugs, and the garlic and onions had already been harvested. The peppers had given up, and I'd given away most of the giant cucumbers, which I don't even like but grow anyway.

But the tomatoes! I have about a dozen different organic tomato plant varieties, most of them small, in the cherry/grape category. My favorites are the Black Cherry tomatoes, their soft burgundy color belying their sweetness. But they are in a tight competition with the Sweetie Cherries and the Koralik. The Yellow Cherries and the Bing Cherries are pretty darn tasty, too. My tomato roll call also includes Sprite, Red Pear, Black Plum, and Mountain Princess. I purchase my plants at Wild Yarrow Farm, an organic nursery in Cochecton, NY. I highly recommend it.

I will spend the next several days roasting tomatoes, garlic, and herbs, popping the ziplock bags into the freezer, and anticipating garden sauce all winter long. I'll eat green beans until I can't stand them anymore, and I'll google 100 Ways to Cook Eggplants.

Another thing that happened while I was gone is that two more baby doves were born on one of the corner logs of my home! The last nesting (about a month ago) produced only one squab, but this time there are two baby birds in the nest. The parents are dutifully watching over their progeny, and I am respecting their privacy. But it makes my heart glad that I can share my home with a family of mourning doves.

While I was away, the water did not stop rushing into my basement after each rainfall. My collection of old towels has doubled, thanks to my dear friend Korey, who looks after this situation when I am away. It is hard not to be impatient, waiting for the excavator to catch up on all his weather-delayed jobs, and I will be relieved if and when he can correct this drainage issue for me.

And finally, while I was away, the shit began to hit the fan. Manafort's convictions on eight counts of false tax returns, failure to report foreign assets, and bank fraud, along with Cohen's guilty pleas on eight counts of illegal campaign contributions made this "Trump's Worst Week." So far, anyway.

All of this, in four days! I am trying to find balance in the events, and my mind keeps presenting me with a seesaw, or, as we called it when I was a kid, a teeter totter. On one side of the teeter totter sit two pleasantly chubby entities named Tomato and Dove. They are buoyant with joy, giggling with anticipation, and slightly mischievous in their strategy to unseat their opposites on the other side of the seesaw. And there sit two dark brutes named Havoc and Corruption. They do not smile, but prefer instead to scowl and shift their weight forcefully.

Up and down, up and down. Havoc and Corruption slam their end down hard and find satisfaction in the jolt to their adversaries. Tomato and Dove recover, smile, and shift backward to bring their end down to a smooth landing. They lean back purposely, and Havoc and Corruption are suspended in air for a long time, ranting about how unfair it is. And then, while Havoc and Corruption are distracted by their misery, Tomato and Dove quietly slip off their seats and walk away. And all the king's horses and all the king's men couldn't put Corruption together again. (Havoc? He just sauntered off to some other playground, but he'll be back.)

Okay, I know that was really dumb. But trying to make sense of the week that just happened is a challenge. I think I'll just say goodnight to my mourning doves, pop a few cherry tomatoes, and teeter off to bed. Sweet dreams to you.