The compost-fed garden. (Photo courtesy Doug Wright)
Life is full of backwards and forwards, ups and downs, elation, depression, and so forth. But once in a while one gets the feeling that we are attracting into our lives things that even out the very happy things. I know and teach as a clergyman that God’s power is in every one of us and we best be careful what we dwell upon for it will be dragged into our lives by us!
I never know what to expect here at the Monastery. This week, out of the blue, here comes to our door: Doug, these two boys have no place to sleep tonight and they are hungry, can you please help us out?
Hungry young men? The Bertha (Mamma) in me kicks in and I hit the stove while Robin makes the boys feel welcome and shows them around. Can I feed them on short notice? You bet your sweet pantry I can. Out come several quarts of stored spaghetti sauce made with my tomatoes, onions, garlic, and green peppers. Put the big kettle on with hot water, salt, and oil and plunge the spaghetti into the boiling water. Doesn’t take long at all.
Many sighs and lip-smackings later, the cook feels appreciated.
Several strange things happened this week though. First, we heard a car come down the drive and the door slam as someone got out. We waited and looked for someone to appear and again heard the door slam as they left. A few moments later, Robin went out and then called to me: “Did you leave this hose running?”
I went out and someone had deliberately unscrewed my hose and left the water running down the drive, draining our well!
The very next day I went to drive the car and it wouldn’t start. Robin came and investigated and found a wire with a fuse ripped loose with no way to tell from whence it came. Now that’s not paranoia, folks, that is statement of fact.
Robin thinks it is someone telling us “We can grab your pot plants anytime we want to.” Myself, I have spent some time rearranging our alarm systems. Yes, we have several, including our Patchy Dog, who sleeps in the open window next to the garden. He can hear a deer fart in Jefferson!
I am not clear concerning the ethics of avowed monastics committed to a life of poverty (no personal possessions) using the local food bank. Pride aside, I need help feeding folks sometimes and I guess I will break down and go to the food bank! Any thoughts on the subject?
Day in and day out, I have been deep-digging and weeding all the gardens and side gardens. The soil is very dry and compacted, so I have been loosening it up and spending lots of time watering and watering.
This watering paid off as my damp soil grabbed all the water that fell in the rain instead of letting it run off to the river. Mulching does work folks.
(Doug Wright lives over Head Tide Hill in Whitefield. He welcomes feedback at douglas.wright22@yahoo.com.)
