Thursday, December 3, 2020

Reap What You Sow

 Hello again!

Another gray day here in the desert.  Although winter time is our rainy season, we never know exactly how much we will get from one year to the next.  This year definitely seems like it is going to be a wet one.

In addition to feeding cats on my daily walks, I also wind up picking up garbage.  I can't stand to see litter all over the place so when I find an empty plastic bag laying around, I'll pick it up, fill it up and then find the nearest trash can.  A little each day lets me feel that I'm at least doing my part to leave a space better than I found it.  Wet trash sure is a mess to clean up, though.
The kitty in the picture is Stella.  She lives by the park and found me sometime around June so I've been feeding her ever since.  She's obviously found a dry place to hide because I never find her wet after the storms.  Every time I think I should grab her and get her spade, I realize she's pregnant again.

Thought I'd share with you my journey of joy with planting seeds from a store-bought cantaloupe in June.
Sprouting happened pretty quickly and the vine surprisingly grew and flowered a lot over the summer.  But it wasn't until the weather started to cool off and the bees returned that the magic really began.
This is my first time growing cantaloupe and I'm doing it in a big pot on my balcony, so it's pretty exciting to see the process.
There's three at different stages of ripening now.  I sure hope they like all the rain they're getting.  Even if for some reason we never get to eat them, just watching the whole growing process has been a joyful thing to witness.

Happy Thursday!

10 comments:

Linda said...

That's a very cool cantaloupe! A wonderful process to watch for sure.
Do you wear gloves when picking up the garbage? I'm running or otherwise walking so fast that it is a run when I'm outside so picking up garbage isn't my thing and thankfully here we don't have much garbage blowing around, but occasionally when I do see a cup or something, I think about picking it up (I used to and throw it in the trash along the path), but not since Covid. I won't touch anything along my walk as long as the virus is around, makes me too nervous.

kathyinozarks said...

that's so awesome you got fruit from the seeds allot of times those are hybrid fruits or veggies and don't grow well.
love that you feed the kitties-we are very grey here as well-colder and lots of fog this week

Dee said...

Stella is such a pretty girl.

Can't wait to see if your cantaloupes get to edible size. The photos are beautiful!

Melanie said...

Hopefully the rain is bringing you relief from the heat?

Poor Stella that she keeps having babies. I'm sure it breaks your heart to see so many homeless kitties. I know it would mine. Thank you for feeding them. My cousin and his wife currently live in Istanbul and there are a lot of homeless cats there, too. But the cool thing is that the community, as a whole, takes care of the cats. Everyone pays attention to them and feeds them. I don't know about the spaying and neutering part; I haven't asked.

Your cantaloupe looks like it's doing well. I've never tried growing it either!

Wanda said...

More treasures. Your posts always make me smile. Like the cat....and your shoes.

Angie said...

Tammy - I remember with a wry smile that one of my early posts on which you commented was about trash on the highway. Well, the world is still a polluted place ... but we can make a difference one bag at a time! Your story of growing cantaloupes from a store-bought melon is a miracle - normally they are so over-engineered that they can't bear their own fruit! Hope springs eternal!

Teresa Kasner said...

Wow.. I think your cantaloupe growing story is amazing! I do hope they ripen and you can eat them. You should try growing some zucchini on your deck. Talk about bang for your buck. That kitty is healthy looking, must be more than you that is feeding her. Stay safe. ((hugs)), Teresa :-)

Betsy said...

I think it's wonderful both that you care for those sweet cats and that you persistently pick up the trash. Like another reader said, I do hope you have gloves on.
The cantaloupe story is wonderful. Those were some great seeds and the melons look like they're going to be delicious. I love how each of them look so different.
I'm really enjoying your daily posts Tammy. You are a blessing to me my friend.
Blessings and hugs,
Betsy

linda said...

Seeing trash makes me so angry too Tammy it's so nice of you to pick it up but as the others have said make sure you're wearing gloves. I would be excited to watch the cantaloupe grow too I hope it grows big enough to eat.

Mariette VandenMunckhof-Vedder said...

Dearest Tammy,
Poor Stella and what a fate they face time and time again...
Yes, if people only would neuter and spay their pets!
Are they not super smart for managing to find a shelter from the elements?!
The trash is annoying here as well, people are behaving worse every year it looks like and others always have to collect their rubbish.
That cantaloup is perfectly progressing and nature can surprise us on a daily basis as we look for its miracles.
We better do in an otherwise confused and dim world.
Hugs,
Mariette

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