I've been missing in action for awhile. Between preparing a talk on native plants for the Refuge and another on deer resistant gardening for the garden club I needed to catch up inside the house and haven't spent much time in the garden.

I vowed that on Sunday I wouldn't do anything but water between loads of laundry and I held true. Now understand that I water in small sections and have to move the hose quite often. So...every time I went out to move said hose I had to stop and look over my "prairie patch".

The seedings are starting to show, I have one lone Indian blanket and some of the artemesia twigs (seller calls them roots!) have started to take. Here and there I'd spot a sand bur I'd missed or some KR blustem (trash grass) that had crept in. Of course I had to stop and take care of the interloper immediately.

In the end I didn't get much done either inside or outside but the prairie patch is my new baby and I'd missed it. And, in the end, the sense of nurturing and calm I got from pulling a weed here and there made me realize that I'd been suffering "garden withdrawal" and the only cure is to get back out there.