Done In By the Heat

The scholars kept asking if the garden was open.  My car's thermometer registered in the low 90's.  I wasn't planning to garden; I had neither a hat nor water.  But the little boys already had hold of my hands and their destination was clear.  

I was hooked.  

There's not much to do when the temperatures are so high.  Mr. Guy, our landscape manager, weed whacked the giant cluster of weeds beneath the hose bib, which spread out to the near garden bed.  He swept up a lot of that which he cut, but there was still a lot to do.  

These two set to work without being told, proudly displaying their collections of hay and dead plants before depositing them in the giant white garbage bag which is, for the time being, living in the middle of the garden.

Tasked with clearing out the beds, the scholars discovered a tree, albeit a very small tree.  After some discussion about the merits of a tree growing in the garden bed, extrication was begun.  

Though they toiled diligently, the big boys learned a lesson about the resilience of native plants.  They find a comfy spot and hold on for dear life.  And hold on this one did.

The whistle blew and recess was over for them before they'd made much progress.  This little one sat all by herself for a very long time, using her fingers, a variety of trowels, and a hand rake, all to no avail.

Classmates came to help.

Getting closer and closer became more and more frustrating, but there was laughing, not cursing, and I was reminded why I love my school garden so much.

His hands wrapped tightly around the bottom of the very prickly seedling (another lesson on the advantages of prickers to baby plants) and pulled with all his might.

It was at this point that I realized I was sitting on the bench, wondering if I had the energy to walk into the shade.  The garden's closed, I announced, and we all headed for the shade of what our still stuck in the garden tree would be if we didn't try to kill it.

We agreed that it was too hot for words, thanked one another for the help and the fun and the garden, and then I went inside and the nurse gave me ice water and an ice pack for my pulse points and some more water and quiet conversation.

Grandmas shouldn't be out in the heat without a head covering and water and access to lots of shade.  Yes, to answer TBG's question when the wrung out version of his wife flopped into the house, I did learn my lesson.