Perhaps my problem stems from the fact that I've never had a green thumb and I do not feel any spiritual experience when I am on my hands and knees in the dirt sweating. In fact, I'm not sure I can be a Christian and garden at the same time! At the very least I may be in danger of losing my salvation as a result of the bad words coming to mind as I think about how hot, dirty and sore I am getting. My friend, Eva, feels closest to God when she is in her garden. I envy her because I can't even keep a potted plant alive. The people who love me give me cut flowers instead of plants because they know that both live about the same length of time in my care!
My husband is the gardener at our house and I support him wholeheartedly. I absolutely love to walk up and down the neat rows of his garden, looking upon its abundance; the result of many hours of hard work and effort. I inhale deeply and enjoy one of my favorite scents in the whole wide world; the smell of tomato plants. It's a good thing that I am able to feel inspired by this wonderful fragrance because the outlaw squirrels at my house are notorious for carrying off our tomatoes before we can harvest them! These pesky varmints watch from their treetop high-rises and bark insults our way as my husband makes a futile attempt to construct a barrier that will keep them away from our precious tomatoes.
We are convinced that our squirrels have ESP. As soon as we decide to go pluck some of this luscious fruit from the vine they seem to read our thoughts and they take this as their cue to abscond with our treasured tomatoes immediately. Defying all laws of physics they nab a ripe one with their sharp little fangs even though it is obviously three times their size and weight; then up a tree they go! It is never their intention to eat these tomatoes. It is simply their evil task on earth to move the tomatoes. They get halfway up a tree and then let the tomato fall. Some of the more nefarious thieves wait for us to appear to discover their crime and then they drop a beautiful tomato bomb in a mocking gesture of triumph. This is war! We can see the squirrels doing their little victory dance high above our heads in their nest as if they know they are beyond our reach. So much for a feast prepared from the healthy bounty of Ghandi's garden tonight. Instead, it looks like squirrel stew is on the menu, compliments of Smith and Wesson!
