FINAL UpdateGather close and I shall convey to you a tale of misery and woe! For you see, I murdered my children, Frank and Dot. Yes, I admit it fully to you all. I bare my soul to you so that my terrible deed is revealed under the full light of day. But I did this not due to neglect or wanton callousness, or even surprisingly stupidity. I did so from a place of mercy. I did so because the dreaded downy mildew found my children nestled away in their tent inside the closet and stole in unseen, spores wafted on gentle currents of air, quickly ravaging my sweet, innocent babies.
You see, once a sage contracts downy mildew the best one can hope for is to fight an eternal battle of treatment via fungicides. But you cannot slay the this fearsome beast without disposing of all infected plants. So I made my terrible decision, saying goodbye to my children. But as Ned Stark once said, "The man who passes the sentence should swing the sword", and so I did. Well, so in this case it was a fine pair of Fiskars but I digress.
All jokes aside, this wasn't a complete surprise. Two months before planting my salvia seeds, I lost two basil plants I had been growing outdoors, to downy mildew. I disposed of the plants, the soil, and even the pots, but I knew there was a chance still that more spores would waft in from the neighbor's garden or some other area, just as they had when my basils were first infected. This is one reason I only planted a portion of my seeds - just in case downy mildew reared its ugly head.
I could have fought the fungicide battle, but given my current living situation and near-future plans, it made little sense. I have for the past year been living with family while assisting two family members with life-threatening medical conditions. However, my work here, for better and for worse, is nearing its end. I plan to move to another state soon and have no intention of taking downy mildew with me when I go. Since you cannot cure a plant of downy mildew, and any clones you take will also bear its spores, it just made sense to cut my losses, clean everything up, and wait for better circumstances, taking no plants with me when I go. I am currently job-hunting so hopefully within a few months I will be able to relocate and begin a new chapter in my life. I am very much ready for that. And man, oh man, am I ever ready to begin growing a proper garden full of plant allies, fresh herbs, and a few veggies. I intend to make my house look like a jungle. The thought brings a smile to my face, something I could do with more often.
I apologize for not replying sooner with an update. The last few months have been terribly challenging. I have weathered hurricanes, car problems, gobs of family drama, a couple of major appliance failures, some rather extensive home repairs, and I lost a good friend. Last week one of my stepchildren (now in her 20's) attempted suicide. Yes, she is okay and I am grateful for that as well. Yesterday I even had to euthanize my dog, but he had a good, long life and I am grateful to have shared it with him. He was a wonderful pal even when he was a pain in my ass. The hits just keep on coming. I have felt and still feel a bit beleaguered at times, and when that occurs I tend to withdraw to myself and hunker down as it were. I long for a day when I have some solitude, privacy, and peace again. Where I can have a space for quiet meditation and some gardening. I look forward to such simple things. Perhaps I needed to appreciate them a little more. I can assure you that I certainly do now.
I have been almost depressingly sober of late, not that I feel a great need to intoxicate myself. I stay busy caring for family members, running a household, and trying to maintain a gym habit. However, a manageable psychedelic trip sure would be nice and helpful right about now. Alas, it appears that will need to wait until I get a job and relocate, for I am VERY poor for now and my old friends/connections here are mostly strung out on meth or pills nowadays. Sadly I'd rather be sober than to subject myself to that sort of sketchy situation. Not to be overly harsh or judgemental. To each their own. We were once a tight-knit bunch and man did we have some good times, but the last time I attempted to visit one of my old friends, I had to keep driving past their house since drug task force officers had moments before rolled up on their house and kicked in the door. That's just not my scene, man. Apparently it happens on a regular basis to my old buddies. Makes reminiscing bittersweet for sure.
Anyway, I am still here and will try to be a bit more active on the Nexus again. I am grateful for this community and thought of you folks often while I was ducked down in my foxhole. I guess I am back to living vicariously via your posts, your trip reports, and your wonderful garden pictures...for now. Time to dream of better days and hope they come soon.
Nothing is no thing at all.