In the middle of August

I'm afraid I've given up. If my garden has anything living in it it isn't because of me. We're on a voluntary water conservation too. There are signs for it all over the neighborhood. There are signs like this all over the city.

I stopped watering a couple of months ago, before the signs, when I realized I couldn't keep up with the heat without having to pay a high water bill. I couldn't afford to keep my garden alive. If and when it rains here, it is once or twice every few weeks. Not enough to fill rain barrels enough to water on a constant basis. Successful gardeners in my area must be constantly fighting the heat and finding ways to help their plants conserve water.

It's so hot and dreadful I can barely keep my kids hydrated. Most of the summer break my kids have watched tv and read their books, because it's too hot to do anything in the house (AC doesn't work well) and way too hot to play outside unless it is done very early in the morning or late in the evening.

We took a stroll around the botanical gardens the other day at about 10 am and all 3 of my children and myself were drenched in sweat. We weren't running... we were just walking. Despite the heat, it was nice taking in the fresh air.

From the house, to the vehicle, to work, to the vehicle and then back home, to vehicle to someone else's house (family) or building (library) back to the vehicle and so on. Our moments outside are brief and still we sweat. The heat is oppressing. It has imprisoned us. Sure, yesterday's rain helped bring down the heat some, but today it is back to "normal".

The heat has lasted for months and as I watched my garden die my inspiration to keep this blog alive dwindled. Why? Because every time I come home or step out the front door I see my yard, the dead grass, the dead plants and the rock hard soil. Then I  look around and see, my very green rosemary bushes, my twisting jasmine, my rose bushes (one with a blooming red rose)  healthy looking flowering bushes, green bulb leaves and a few other green plants. I am amazed at what has survived.

In the fall I plan to put a fig in the ground in front of my front window. Figs provide a lot of wide shade and though they don't get very tall, they can. ear. I'm told fig trees are messy, but my mom has a fig tree and there has never been a mess around it that I've seen. Then again between all of us and the birds the figs don't have a chance to hit the ground.

I can't wait until fall.