It has been a turbulent year. Since President Trump was elected, it has been a constant battle against the relentless storm that is the Trump Administration. The constant assaults on our land and water.
Being bombarded with bill after bill repealing or dismantling our hard fought for environmental protections.
My one respite from that storm was getting out in the morning light and seeing our beloved moringas finally flourishing. By the end of August the largest one was blooming and bearing fruit. The long awaited pods were 8 inches long and nearly ready to be cooked into a yummy Filipino stew.
But then the storm (remnants of Hurricane Rosa) hit our little food forest.
One night we came home to this.
With heavy hearts, we tried to salvage what we could of the pods and leaves.
Sadly, the pods were still too thin to eat or save for seeds.
I did manage to save most of the leaves...
That was little consolation.
That was little consolation.
But our moringas had lessons to teach.
Our fallen moringa came back, as moringas do
Reminding me to hang loose...
While the lazy, unpruned moringa droops and strains from its own weight
threatening to tip over if a carpenter bee lands on a misplaced flower.
The moringa that was savaged by the storm
is stronger and fuller for its struggle.
Pruned back by the micro burst
the edible leaves are now greener than ever and in easy reach
as they were meant to be.
The forces of nature accomplished what we couldn't.
Watching our durable moringa grow strong gives me hope.
A sign that our country could be strengthened
by our struggle with the storm.
By the way, it's been months since we watered that moringa! The last watering was the last winter rain! Is it because Moringa are drought tolerant or because the catchment basin with wood chip mulch helps hold the moisture longer?!
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