This Morning Watering the Shrubs

  . Yesterday I went back to the woods. Everything that I planted in years past is suffering from no rain. For several years we would haul the hose or sprinkling cans of water back there to water. This year we had to stop taking care of the woods...except for tidying up the border a bit and keeping the edge mowed. When I was seeing everything brown and crisp I thought to myself that I'm so glad that I'm not keeping it up this year, because it would just kill me to see things in such a state. As I walked back to the house, I thought...if those things are suffering, what's going on with our shrubbery and plantings around the house that have had no rain? I decided that while Joe was gone today, I would water everything up close to the house and the blue rug junipers out by the drive. I got an early start...before the heat started up. It's cooler than other days, but still hot when you are working. I pulled the hose through the new garden to the west side of the house. That's the side of the house where Audra lives.The herb garden had been neglected. It never fails...when I have something really difficult to do in gardening, my little helper comes running. It's like  ESP with her.She just senses when I need help. She bends down and attaches hoses and turns faucets, hauls my chair, runs to get tools from the garage and all without my asking. She can see ahead...when I will need something. While the hose was lying in the middle of the junipers we sat on the porch and talked about her summer plans. Next week she will compete in the Fun Run at the Petunia Festival in Dixon. She and her brother were working out this morning, before she came over....getting ready for that event. He'll do the 5K. I asked if she would like an ice cream cone. "Sure," she said opening the door for me. I had cones dipped in chocolate and plain ones. Guess which one she wanted? I  had a big tub of chocolate vanilla ice cream mixed and she wanted a little of each. We took our cones out to the porch and really enjoyed them. When we were done, she said...."I have a vision...a vision of ice cold water." "Do you want a drink, Audra?" She did...so we went back in and got a drink for each of us. We went out and rearranged the hose and then I brought out some dominoes. We played a couple games according to the rules....then a couple according to Audra's rules. The rest of the time was spent by building with them. We filled the sprinkling cans and moved the hose again. This time attaching the sprinkler. We both got wet. After a couple of hours of work, she had to go home. Before she left I said to her...."You don't know just how much you help me, Audra."  She said, " I think I do"...Little kids can be so much help...if you just make it fun and sometimes they need someone to just listen to them and I have all the time in the world.

Balisha


PS...I take lots of pictures of her. She never thinks anything about that, because I told her that I keep a journal and that I want to remember everything that I do in the yard. She's seen my blog and thinks it's cool to document everything.