in the most amazing places, as evident in my mop.  Oh sure, left wet, propped up against the chimney bricks in the back yard is a fabulous breeding ground for all types of organisms such as bacteria and mold; yet, I stumbled across something nothing short of a miracle not long ago.  As I was going in the back door from my morning feeding of the birds and squirrels,the wonder of life had sprung into being from seemingly nowhere.  It was right at eye level – a newborn watermelon plant!  Its little leaves stretched out like an invitation for a hug.

          It was a double take moment for sure.  Of course, I didn’t know it was a watermelon at first. The fact that the roots were wrapped around one of the cotton mop strands like a newborn’s hand around its mother’s finger  struck me with a  true sense of awe.  As far as this little baby plant knew, the mop was its mom – its link to life.  It made me feel joy at its sheer will to survive while I was also sad knowing its ultimate fate.  Yes, I could have very gently removed the little plant and placed it into a little pot of soil, but I had to be realistic about it.  I couldn’t grow a watermelon in an actual garden with fertilizer, so the odds of it getting past that little pot of dirt were slim to sliver.

          Conditions were somehow ideal for the little watermelon and I visited him every morning for a week, except the day it rained.  I had twinges of guilt now and then about not putting his little roots in some nice, rich soil, knowing how those little limbs would feel, cuddled in some warm, wet dirt…  but I had my heart broken before in a situation similar to this with a rouge group of pumpkin seeds.  One Halloween, I bought a pumpkin that I never had a chance to carve, so it sat on the front porch for a while.  When it started to get mushy, I moved it over to a mulchy section in my teenie front yard and, well, forgot about it.  Spring cleaning brought me back to the deteriorated pumpkin place with rubber gloves and two plastic bags.

          Lo and behold, four or five pumpkin plants sprouted in the mulch, producing some of the healthiest, thickest vines imaginable! Those plants thrived for weeks, crawling out of the mulch, down the sidewalk one way and over to a patch of grass another.  It was quite a fun conversation starter.  Eventually, the blooms started coming in – I was so excited!  Could these mother-nature nurtured, mulch pumpkin vines actually produce fruit?  I had grown herbs, tomatoes, and cucumbers out there, perhaps one little pumpkin might have a chance!  What a wonderful gift!

          The concrete wasn’t kind to the vine during July, creating carnage of the poor plants. I was back with some gloves and plastic bags. Two of the vines were at least ten feet long – impressive!  So, even though I didn’t get even a smidgen of fruit from those vines, I did have a bonding moment with mother nature which is always good for the soul.  Life happens!  Make it positive!