After a season of wet, fungus-rich weather, my past week in Kauai has been nothing short of a blessing. Morning walks on the beach, beautiful sunrises and -sets, rain only in the evening for brief, short periods. Paradise. But after a while I feel restless. Like something important is missing. As we were walking one morning, my wife put her finger on it.
“You miss your garden, don’t you?”
At first I thought she was crazy. After all I’m in paradise with mangos and papayas falling off the trees, hibiscus in bloom, and palm trees swaying in the wind. But after seeing the local gardener raking up some leaves I realized she was right. I missed my weeds. And my fungi. And the slugs.
Taking a vacation in the middle of the summer for a gardener is like a politician taking time off in the middle of October right before an election. It is the busiest of seasons and ill-advised. But gardens cannot be put ahead of familial needs so we make compromises and go away. And we fantasize.
So rather than get our fingers dirty we imagine what it would be like. We are like Chauncey Gardiner, in Jerzy Kosinski’s book “Being There,” who “likes to watch” when we cannot get our hands dirty. As we drive north near Hanalei and see the taro fields in the distance I imagine what it must be like to work the fields for the nine months it takes to grow this tuberous crop. Or in the south passing by the fields of Kauai Coffee with ripening beans. Or in a small backyard garden filled with tomatoes and squash with banana trees in the front lawn.
Ironically Kauai’s best crop seems to be chickens and roosters, which know not any difference between dawn and any other hour as they crow whenever they feel like it. Like any invasive species, they have created a strong foothold creating entrepreneurial opportunities for some.
Just when I am beginning to feel as if I am going through severe gardening withdrawal, I see a slug cross my path on the way to the pool. Wow! I can’t wait to get home.
