GARDEN THOUGHTS
November 2nd, 2024
Tucson, Arizona
The wind has basically stopped, and the garden looks happy from the window of my study. Sunflowers look to be somewhere in the neighborhood of 16-20 inches. Will take a ruler out with me later when I go to check on them. . .Cleared out some leaves no longer serving the sunflowers, and prepped a bit for further expansion. Noticed some new sprouts coming out of the ground and took their shells off for them. I’ll take that as a good sign that the recent dip in temperatures hasn’t had a detrimental impact on the soil/root structure.
*On a personal note, a little self-check light has been on for some time now. I certainly feel a change coming on, a shift from what has been allowed, accepted, tolerated, ignored, and compartmentalized for too long. I have been active in the military/veteran community for almost twenty years now. Shit, over twenty years now. Woof. I’ve grown disillusioned with this community by and large. I don’t recognize what it is any longer, nor do I know how to communicate with the generations of troops which have come up over the years. I do believe it is time to find a new line of work, passion, purpose, goal. Gardening brings me joy. I feel alive, productive, energetic, creative and curious when I am among the rocks, dirt, plants, lizards, and birds. We all have an unspoken agreement to do our part in the garden, and it is noticed when someone is absent.
Creating nooks, safe spaces, hibernation zones, and ways to make the most out of the rain water when it comes is the most fulfilling part of my week.I enjoy the interactions with people I meet in the garden. Whether it be in my garden, the community garden, or some random new one I stumble across; the vibe generally feels the same. We bring up our favorite plants, ask about new ones we see, start talking about food, recipes, invariably drum circles somehow, and then medical herbs… basically.
In contrast, I increasingly regret committing to various projects within the veteran community. It certainly feels like scrubbing the shit out of the back of a dump truck. For the most part. Between the pimping out of mental health by various “researchers” and corporations (veterans too), the special victims olympics on display, and constant branding and rebranding of “service” organizations and political parties who only ever seem to serve themselves, or people who look/smell like them, there’s not much room for actual work.
Suffice it to say, it feels like I am at the tail end of my hitch with this community, and I am very much looking forward to the next chapter. Maybe becoming a florist, who works on cars, smokes pot, and writes stuff from time to time. Who knows. As you were.
