The Sky is Falling

Well, about ten Potager Cottage blog posts have come and gone from my brain over the past month. And now, I've no clue where to begin.

The weather has finally decided to cool, in a Noah's Ark/"Pharaoh, let my people go," kinda way. Anyone who isn't rowing through their living room or ringing out their mattress is grateful for our recent deluge. We've been told (by them) that it will only take another 20 or so more catastrophic rainstorms for California to be drought-free. So, that's encouraging.(?)

I love the rain. I love the clouds, fog, drizzle, cold, excuses for warm sweaters, heaters, fires, hot cocoa, and cozy blankets. And, living in Droughtifornia, it has been a great relief to not have to worry about watering my garden. Of course, I haven't been able to do much at all. I just sit by my front window, helplessly succumbing to the insidious blades of unwanted grass and mounding clumps of clover as they mock all of my countless summer hours of weeding. Sigh. At least it's green out there.

The Potager

Who Needs Weeds When You've Got Grass

Today I did a lot of this...

For months I've been coddling this elfin thyme ground cover in an attempt to grow a drought-tolerant, lawn alternative. Growing grass in the midst of a drought and mandated water rationing is such a challenge that many Californians (myself included) have opted to abandon the dream of the all-American front lawn.

Here's the thing...
For decades men have slaved tirelessly to produce elegantly manicured lawns. Hardware stores have devoted entire rows of flesh-melting, DNA-perverting chemicals to the pursuit. However, when grass is no longer the desired goal, it tends to grow relentlessly.