Entry 04

The Lime Tree and the Dove

After many years of success with sprouting seeds from local limes and planting the trees and watching them thrive and harvesting fruit and sprouting seeds and planting the trees I got sidetracked. Something a little exotic they said.

Most likely it is my garden on Ajax. The soil is poor and the drainage is unbelievable. Two days without rain and the ground is dry as deep as I can dig into it. It consists of a little dirt on top of gravel on top of porous volcanic ledge. The upshot is the exotic lime needs daily watering in all but the wettest weather and still it is nearly failing to survive. A year plus after planting it has never threatened to prosper.

I have cut the tops out of two plastic gallon water bottles to put in the shower to catch the cold water that would have gone down the drain while we wait for warm water to shower in. Luxury wastefulness, I know. We put that collected spill water on the lime. Most days it is enough to keep the youngest shoots and leaves alive. Not everyday.

In this driest time of year I also keep water out for the birds in another sawed off plastic gallon jug. Yesterday I was out with the hose giving the tree water and noticed the bird bowl was empty. As I was filling it a normally shy and never before seen by me Quail-Dove walked right up to my feet as I was filling the bowl. She or he stayed with me until I went for my camera.

I don’t know why I feel so sensitive to vulnerability right now. I do feel so. That bird by the lime tree in my dry garden is a visitor I hardly know and will never forget.