This week, the big news around town is that everyone got a little present in their mailbox from the assessor’s office. Yes, property tax assessments arrived and all of a sudden, it turns out many of us are living in palaces. Who knew? That cheap shack in the middle of the woods somewhere has turned into a “country estate” with a tax valuation to match. With gas prices at almost $3/gallon, and endless rain, the overall mood in Bonner County appears to be well, cranky.
Although these things obviously don’t make me happy, I’m not particularly cranky myself. We just got back from a much needed vacation, our business is doing great, and the wildflowers are blooming. The lupines, for example, are out in force everywhere.
I love this time of year because it seems like it’s full of possibilities. I’m about to start planting my garden, which means I’m dreaming great veggie thoughts. The reality of weeds, slugs, and dead plants hasn’t set in yet.
Garden centers are filled with dreamers like me who buy “just one more” plant that they’ll squish into some corner of the garden. Everything is still small, so it seems like one more little plant won’t make a difference. But that one little plant turns into one big plant with amazing speed.
Although I have a lot of hard work ahead of me getting the garden set up, the results are worth it. I don’t know if it’s the short growing season or just the magic of a lot of rain and sun, but when plants decide to grow here, they really grow.
When it comes to North Idaho gardening, never underestimate the power of plants. Before you know it, August rolls around and amidst the wild leafy chaos, you wonder what happened to that nice, little, orderly garden you planted in the spring.