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Tuesday, September 1, 2009

Requiem for a Garden....


My beloved husband is many things....
handsome, intelligent, strong, a good provider.

But alas, a gardener he is not. At least not yet.
This entry serves as an ode to what might have been~
to tomatoes not yet tasted, to onions which will never make me weep.

This, my friends, is a requiem to my husbands dearly departed Summer garden.


Sad, is it not?
Oh, the countless hours he spent working
the unforgiving Texas Hill Country soil...and in 100 degree weather, no less.
I never knew how adept my science teacher hubby was
at swinging a pick-axe as he pulverized rock after limestone rock
just inches beneath the surface. Now mind you, we're not talking
about pebbles here~many of these rocks are more accurately described as mini-boulders!

And so he began.
After weeks of tilling the stubborn Texas soil, he was ready to plant.
Hooray!
Visions of succulent salads brimming with home-grown onions
and tomatoes and squash began filling my head.

Pertinent information: My husband is not a Hill Country native,
nor is he a native Texan. I try not to hold this against him.
But he sure is cute, dontcha think?


Me and Handsome Hubby on wedding day, July 2007

But I digress.

We have a 4 foot perimeter fence around our 4 acre property,
and I think he genuinely believed that this would be sufficient
to keep the deer out. Shhhh, I can hear you native Texans chuckling already.  ;-)

I warned him that the perimeter fence would not suffice,
that he would also likely need at least an 8 foot fence
to keep the hungry critters out. No, he said, let me just try this
and this and this first. I bit my tongue hard and swore
that in the very near future, I would mightily resist the overpowering urge
to utter those four little words known and loved by husbands worldwide....

I told you so.

And so he began. All was well for a while,
but he wasn't prepared at all for THIS. (cue ominous music)



Meet the ever-hungry Texas whitetail deer.
I personally find them beautiful and a joy to watch. My husband, not so much.

After all they did do this to his labor of love...


That would be trampled upon chicken wire.
Perhaps it's better suited to keep chickens out than deer.
Hey, what do I know, I'm a city gal....
Handsome Hubby and I are like Green Acres personified.

He believed that our two beautiful Siberian Huskies
would act as steadfast sentries, ably and efficiently shoo-ing away our white-tailed trespassers.


Uhhh, yeah, right.
This is what they can be found doing any given Texas afternoon, 
deer or no deer. Oh, and kindly ignore the half-painted deck. 
Dutiful Husband is in the process of finishing it, 
but his darn day job as a physics teacher keeps getting in the way.

Feeling wistful over salads we shall never share,
I went on a mission of mercy yesterday afternoon and managed to unearth one lone survivor.....


Not much to look at, but a survivor nonetheless!

Handsome Husband has now wisely seen the error of his ways,
and has wisely has chosen to wait and re-plant next Spring
after erecting an 8 foot fence. Smart man, that husband of mine, I do think I'll keep him!


Here's hoping that your gardens bloom and grow in your little corner of the world!

~Anne

15 comments:

Debra@CommonGround said...

Well, we really do need to give your husband an "A for effort". Deer are pretty pesky here in Missouri, too. They roam the neighborhood in gangs. Gotta love 'em! Except when they have my hydrangea bush for breakfast!
Debra

Anne Lorys said...

Ouch, hydrangeas are my fave flower! I might have to seriously consider whipping out the venison stew recipe if they chowed down on my hydrangeas! Bless his heart, he really did try. "A for effort" for sure!

~ Anne

gail@myrepurposedlife said...

Anne... thanks for the very kind words about my work!
I love reading about your life. I like the way you write. I feel like I'm sitting at your kitchen table listening to your stories.
gail

Mindy said...

What a sweet post! Indeed, keep the handsome hubby. I love seeing deer up close to my house. Of course, I throw corn out for them so they will come! Maybe the high fence will be a good idea if you want home grown salads! ~Mindy

Junk Exchange said...

Anne - thank you for being and sweet and saying what you did on my blog - you make me blush - lol! i love your writing style and this story of the garden is wonderful - my grandparents moved to kingsland in the 60s when all that area was still young and considered 'way out west' - they immediately purchased old cattle/horse troughs filled them with good soil and had some of the most beautiful gardens you have ever seen - troy

Hill Country House Girl said...

Thanks so much for your visit! What in the world brought you all to Harper and where will your shop be? I do not have a shop but set up at the Comfort, Boerne, and Fredericksburg antique shows - have you been to any of them? So happy to know about you and I am adding you to my daily reads list!

Kathy @ Sweet Up-North Mornings... said...

Keep the Hubs, and the photo of "The 3 year old Princess" and the sweet blog, Just found you and love it here, will be back often to really get to know you, Love to "Follow", xoxo~Kathy~ @ Sweet Up-North Mornings...Stop over anytime, love to visit!

Rita said...

To be sure, deer or no deer, it's been a rough gardening year here in central Texas! Very few things grew well this summer so tell your husband we are ALL looking forward to a better harvest next year.
I saw your post at Carolyn Westbrook Home about visiting the Round Top area shows. One more item to carry: foil wrapped "Wet Ones" for washing up after handling dusty merchandise and after trips to the port-a-potties!

Anne Lorys said...

Gail, it would be a pleasure to have you at my kitchen table!
~Anne

Anne Lorys said...

I do plan on keeping the handsome hubby, Mindy! So he didn't bring in a harvest this year...after all, they do have pretty nice vegetables at H.E.B., right? ;-)

~Anne

Anne Lorys said...

Only speaking the truth, Troy! :-)
Would love to see pics of your grandparents gardens.
Have a great Wednesday,
~Anne

Anne Lorys said...

Welcome, Hill Country House Girl!
I actually grew up in Kerrville...when I got married 2 years ago, my husband wanted a place with a little breathing room, hence our moving to Harper. My shop will be starting in the antique mall in Kerrville more than likely, then I have my eye on Comfort.
By the way, I went back a bit and looked at pics of your lovely house...just wonderful!
~Anne

Anne Lorys said...

Thanks for finding me Kathy! Looking forward to getting to know you, too!
~Anne

Anne Lorys said...

Hi Rita!
Good tip about the wet ones, thank you! I'm so glad you said hello! Will you be at Warrenton/Round Top later this month?
~Anne

vintage sue said...

Your dogs are like my dog. Ever-vigilant, huh?


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