Last Spring we had an uncommonly wet year. This Spring we've had precious little measurable precipitation. The mercury already climbed to an afternoon high of 92 degrees recently, while one morning later we woke up to a brisk 29 degrees.
It struck me - the weather this year with it's wild temperature swings and lack of reliable moisture is essentially menopausal. A climatic reenactment of some of the indignities visited upon the females of the species when we reach a "certain age".
That's OK. I will hand water my not quite established plantlings. I will keep the temperature tender veggies in pots for a few weeks longer and move them in and out of the sunshine until the evening lows stay reliably above 40 degrees.
Gardening, like surviving menopause, is a whole lot about accepting and accommodating the local conditions. You can't always hope to defeat certain lasting changes, but you do what you can to get past mere survival towards actually enjoying whatever you've got going. There are always hidden advantages in every situation for those with the patience to consider the potential there.
Fertility and beauty, as it turns out, are similarly in the eye and mind of the beholder.
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