Gardens

My mom called last night and told me that Daddy had to be taken to the hospital. They thought it was gall bladder problems, but it wasn't. Nevertheless, he has to remain in the hospital until at least tomorrow while they give him some very high powered antibiotics to cure a bad infection so they don't have to operate.

I spoke to him on the phone this evening as I ate my supper on the deck. We discussed gardens. I told him how I worked for many more hours today to weed and mulch our veggies. The day was hot, even though I started early. Today I wore a long sleeve shirt over my tank top and was drenched in sweat before too long. I think the temperatures reached the high 80's in our valley. It was in the mid to high 90's in town when I ran errands late this afternoon.

Daddy's green beans are almost done. Ours are about to make. His okra is just starting to produce. Ours are babies. He wants to try planting some Silver Queen corn. I told him I would send him some of our extra seeds, but I thought it would be way too late and hot for it to make in his part of Texas. We both figured it wouldn't hurt to try and experiment. He suggested that if it never made corn, at least it would make compost.

Daddy told me about the hospital food he had been given. Terribly overprocessed. Why in the world have our hospital nutritionists not gotten the fact that sick people need real nutrition to get better? You can't tell me that a bunch of white pasta and processed pork products and mushy vegetables can help a body heal. I wish we were closer so we could take him some soup made out of real food. He needs some pretty bland and soft foods right now, but at least they could be real bland and soft foods, instead of chemically treated, dehydrated, rehydrated garbage.

My dad is strong and healthy and should overcome this little bump in the road in no time. Then he will be back home and cooking up his own chicken soup made with his good tomatoes and peppers and onions. I have no doubt the kids and I are right where we are supposed to be, and so does Daddy. But I feel sad to not be able to go and give him a hug and a big bowl of homemade food right now.