Ch.3, Pt.5: Wild grasses and flowering plants grew…
Wild grasses and flowering plants grew waist high, but a path had been cut through them. Butterflies and even bees worked around the blooms, yet Katherine felt unafraid. Clara led the way single file. They walked in silence, and Katherine had to keep her eyes fixed on the uneven ground because of rocks and hummocks. A few mosquitoes sang around her ears and flew close to her face, but they didn’t land. The path wound gently around trees and bushes. Clara turned her head to speak over her shoulder. “Are you always this thorough with all your radio guests?”
“Not at all. Usually I just go by the information they send us. But I wanted to see your farm for myself.”
“Are you interested in gardening?”
“Very much. But my interest is all in theory.”
“Do you have any houseplants?” When Katherine said she had a few, Clara continued, “Then you have a garden. I believe that it’s important for people to be connected to growing plants no matter how they live. We’re all gardeners. Or can be, with some encouragement.”
“But it’s not the same as working the actual soil of the land. I’d really like to do that.” Katherine surprised herself. She hadn’t realized that until the words came out of her mouth. Then she knew them to be true.
“Do you have any room for a garden?”
“I do, actually. I just bought a house in the country. So perhaps one day, I’ll start a garden.”
“Soon.” Clara stopped and looked directly at Katherine. “If you want to do something, it’s good to get started right away. When you’re young you think you have all the time in the world. When you’re old you know how little there is.”
She turned and pointed to a small pond in a dip just below the rise they were standing on. A persistent fly buzzed her head repeatedly, but she remained still, and after landing on and exploring her hat, it suddenly disappeared. A couple of weathered Muskoka chairs looked out onto the pond. In the heat the green water looked inviting. Katherine couldn’t see the bottom, just the reflection of two tall trees. Tall plants rimmed the pond, interrupted by large flat mossy rocks, and mown grass formed a wide path all around. Close to the wooden chairs was a small wooden dock looking like a dance floor at the water’s edge.
“The old swimming hole,” said Clara.
“Do you swim?”
“Only when no one’s looking.”
Katherine chuckled. “I know the feeling. But I’d make an exception for this. It’s beautiful. And nothing creepy in the water? No bloodsuckers, crayfish?”
“Haven’t been attacked yet, in 30 years. But the first time it happens will be the last time I swim there.”
In the silence Katherine heard the clear burbling of water flowing gently over rocks. She felt herself rapidly relaxing.
“Now if you want to see my favourite garden, we’ll have to go a little further.”
Reluctant to leave the poind, Katherine slowly followed Clara on a path that led into a dense growth of trees. After a few minutes they came to a bit of a clearing ringed by tall plants and saplings. To one side stood a gray weathered bench, and Clara settled herself comfortably on it.
“I like this best at the moment because I’m learning a lot from it. This is woodland. In the spring it’s carpeted with tiger lilies, bloodroot, coltsfoot, spring beauties, and violets. Some trilliums over there. When they fade these strong grasses and ferns grow. In the fall it changes again, and gets covered with leaves, and things die back but are heavy with seeds. I can sit here and do nothing, and watch what’s happening on its own. It’s magical to me. God’s still the best gardener, despite our best efforts. The only thing is that I can’t stay here long in late spring and summer because of the damn bugs! But it’s a great contrast with the cultivated gardens around the house. I guess I love it for that.”
Katherine sat beside her in silence a moment, listening to the warm drone of insects and the melodies of unknown birds. In fact, what seemed to be silence actually wasn’t. As they listened, natural sounds began to grow louder until the air seemed to be filled with a high wall of sound that should have been deafening, but wasn’t at all unpleasant. “Amazing, what you can see and hear but not really notice, until you take time for it.”
“Exactly. That’s what I try to do here. Really pay attention.”
Katherine remembered her new instructions from Blaine and sighed regretfully. “I suppose that gardening is best suited to mature people, older people.”
Clara shook her head. “That’s not what I’m finding. I’d say that most of our visitors on the weekends are younger people. And of course, I have a large crew of student helpers from the landscaping program of the community college. I think there’s a real trend of growing interest in gardening among younger people.”
“Really?” Katherine sounded excited and relieved. “That’s something I’d really like to talk to you about on the show. That will be really interesting.”
Clara looked pleased. “Good.”
“I’ll have my assistant call you and set up a time then.” Katherine sat quietly, relaxing and smelling the earthy fragrances of the woods. It was heavenly being here.
Clara turned to Katherine and fanned the mosquitoes floating around her ears. “Shall we move on?” Katherine nodded, and the two of them headed off through the woods.
“By the way,” said Clara, “my dog’s just had puppies. Would you like to see them?”
CHAPTER 4: Part 1: Was she doing the right thing? » »