Too distracted to garden much

My thoughts lately have been consumed not by gardening, but with the election. I'm fine to ignore my garden right now. It's autumn and plant growth has slowed to an enjoyable pace. The election, though, is peaking with only two weeks left before perhaps the most important vote in our lifetime. There can be no Garden Bliss when one is in Election Hell.
















To soothe myself, I read my Mark Morford, my CNN... I watch my SNL, my Daily Show... I bite my fingernails... while my bulb auger sits in the garage untouched.

I count the Obama yard signs on the morning drive to my son's school. I curse their absence every time a thief sweeps through in the night, leaving the inexplicable McCain/Palin signs untouched.

And this is California, where Obama is in like Flynn. Still, I fret. Like Obama said, "Don't get cocky". When someone steals your yard signs, buy more. When someone sprays hateful graffiti all over your fence, repaint as soon as possible.


Like these guys did.

What prompted me to grab my slightly dusty camera this morning was the un-ignorable light shining on a few unexpected orchid cactus blooms and buds. In late October! While walking the yard, I discovered my little Annie dog in one of my half-barrels, triumphantly digging up an acorn planted by a squirrel she hopes to finally catch one day. To Eukanuba-fed Annie, pure sport; To the squirrel, an investment lost to a fatcat chihuahua.

We all have our dreams and desires... sometimes clashing and sometimes meshing. At least I know I'm not alone. Here's someone who has a worse case of Restless Voter Syndrome (RVS) than I do.