Drought

There hasn't been any rain here for almost a week. The garden is a bit less than happy, although Terry (next door guy) and I have been watering daily. He uses a hose, I use the water from the dehumidifier. The container garden is much harder to keep damp than the in-ground stuff. We have a lot of clay under the thin layer of topsoil, so as long as you don't have a too slopey yard it stays damper longer.

I found a baby tomato on the mid-size tomato plant this morning. I hope it does well. I think I may stick another "plant spike" tomato fertilizer spike into each of the pots again tonite. Despite the plants being awfully "leggy" and having not a lot of foliage, they do seem to be making a lot of baby tomatoes, which is a good thing.

I will have a zucchini soon, I think. One of the buds looks like it is about to bust open - getting that split-look along the long axis. Crossing my fingers makes it too hard to type, so I'll cross toes for a bit.

The lady next door has beautiful pepper plants. I can't grow peppers to save my life. I love them, just can't grow 'em. Maybe I can trade her for some zucchini.

Stopped at Costco last nite and did a bit of "grocery shopping" - got a huge package of bratwurst, some steaks, some other stuff... and I used my new green bags that Leandra got me from the market by her. They're nice BIG bags with strong handles, made from some very strong fabric - I don't think it's canvas, but I could be wrong - and they actually are GREEN, with gold logo of her food market on them. I like using them instead of "paper or plastic?" and the checkout person was rather amused. Seems that Costco checkers are rather easily amused. Must be a VERY boring job.

In all, I'm finding that making a few more "green" changes to my lifestyle really isn't cramping my own style any too fiercely. I like the idea of not being as much of a burden on the planet without feeling guilty for my very existance. Goddess has brought me here, there is obviously a place for humanity on the planet, and I'm really rather sick and tired of being expected to feel guilty for every flaw of every person - and for my own continued existance.

The really irritating bit about this "guilt tripping" is that a lot of it comes from those with whom I share an ideology in a lot of other ways. My own personal line gets drawn when someone starts about how "Americans are to blame for..." all the ills of the planet, or "Humans are to blame for..." every CO2 emmission, every use of fresh water, every dropping of dung. We are here. We evolved or were put here. If we are but highly evolved animals, then we have no more responsibility to "save the planet" than any other animal. If we were put here by Deity (however you percieve him/her) then we are the incarnation of Divine Intention and should not feel guilty for being here. Either way, the self-loathing that runs rampant particularly in caucasian Americans is not something that I am going to buy into anytime soon - like this lifetime. I'm here. I eat. I crap. I breathe. I commute. I also raise plants, plant trees and make an effort not to create too much "landfill". Beyond that - keep your guilt-tripping for yourself.

Man, it's no WONDER that I keep saying I'm unelectable... LOL

585 days.