Farewell to my garden.

I am facing a very difficult task. We are moving to Florida in 8 days. I will have to say farewell to my garden. It's harder to leave the garden than it is our house...where we've lived for the past 11 years.

I am really going to miss sitting on the front porch with my coffee every morning, watching "the traffic". I will miss watching the male robin who is obsessed with bathing. He just stands in the bathing dish, letting the cool water flow around his legs. An occassional splash and flutter, just to keep up pretenses, I suppose. I will miss the doves, the sweet little chipping and song sparrows, and the eternally squabbling house sparrows, the vivacious Carolina Wrens, and of course the cardinals and the catbirds. A feisty mockingbird has been patrolling the berry bush as well.
My heart sorta aches at the idea of getting in our van, and pulling away, leaving all this behind.

What worries me so much is the fact that no-one has purchased our home yet. Our house can take care of itself, more or less, but not the garden. It needs to be tended, and often. I have had to "hire" a young man from our church's youth group to tend our yard once a week until there's a buyer. The thistles must be kept at bay, the bindweed and nightshade kept out of the bushes, garlic mustard ripped out, the grass must be trimmed back to keep it from overtaking the beds, and the pond must be kept cleaned and filled, and the pump/fountain going. The birdbaths must be kept scrubbed and filled, and the feeders. And of course the grass needs mowing.

That's alot of work. I know to most people these concerns are minor worrying. But here's how I see it: It's nesting season. Robins use the mud caused by the splashing of the fountain for their nests. The neighborhood birds ALL drink and bathe in the "stream". Food is free, plentiful, and easy to find in my garden... perfect for the hurried and harried bird parents with a nestful of hungry mouths to feed. My garden has become a necessity for so many creatures. If it's not tended.... the wildlife will suffer. THAT is what concerns me.

I can only pray that all will be well, and that "J" will take good care of it...for their sake!