Mood:
energeticTopic: "Rechargin' da Shire"(11)
Over the past four days Frodo endured temperatures in excess of 95 (F) at every turn. He wheelbarrowed (note the word creation feature of the hobbit) one ton of pea gravel and more than 10 cubic yards of red mulch from his driveway into the nooks and crannies of the gardens of the Shire.This is the third time that he has undergone this mammoth task and he has drawn curiosity seekers from far and wide who felt adequate to observe, but incapable of assistance. It mattered not, the hobbit failed to be deterred.
Frodo has learned many lessons from his past adventures into the arboreal. His new plants sit in well-drained pots mobile to adjustments for sun and shade. Native growth is all about but nothing dominates the entire landscape. Bodies of water, including the "Mr. Turtle Pool," are clean and provide no pediatric benefit to hatching mosquitoes. Songbirds are more numerous than at any time in the past, and the squirrels are having an increased level of difficulty in their continuing efforts to strip every bird feeder created by man or hobbit.
There are fewer butterflies than is traditionally so. The milkweed that attracts Admirals and Swallowtails is not present. Frittalaria are massive in number and the passion fruit flower among the azaleas and the nameless plants with berries and vines as their support. Frodo ignores the protestations of Sam who seems to stumble inside just as a flotilla of caterpillar converts rise to meet the morning sun.
The refurbished gardens are truly magnificent. Frodo is joined in his gazebo by his canine assembly who endlessly enjoy the rustlings in the underbrush. The breeze carries sweet challenges to their olfactories and they lie against the sturdy legs of the seated hobbit. Every morning adds something new. Frodo's hard work is a reward.
