the drought here hit home today when we drove up into one of our favorite vineyards for a sunset aperitif. the grapes on most of the vines, only a week away from harvest, were little sweet peas, or chick peas, when they should have been marbles by now, or even, well, grapes. but the real devastation occurred as we pulled up to steve’s secret stash. there is a shallow hillside next to an obscure gravel road, that is usually carpeted with sage colored wild thyme. most years we make our pilgrimage and steve carefully digs up one of the plants in order to add it to the potted herb garden he keeps on our terrace. this year, however, it was as if a favorite forest had been leveled by a wildfire. the entire hillside was ghostly with dried, brittle thyme branches. not a single sage colored triangular leaf in sight. he ceremonially dug one of them up anyway, and i took a picture of it, before he placed it in a pan of water, and began monitoring it like an invalid. we will see whether his nursing reveals the plant to be dead, or merely sleeping through this year, in hopes of more rain in 2017.
wild thyme
laurens, languedoc, france
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This made me feel sad. We are putting our Dear Cat, Willie, to sleep today for his final rest. Reading your words made me think deeper about death. All living things must come to an end. I am hoping that your Wild Thyme finds it’s way back to life. xo
Mary Ann, I am so sorry to hear about Willie. We had two cat who live to be 19, and 20 years old. They died seven years ago and we still talk about hem regularly. so I share your sorrow. But usually when we bring them up now it is to tell a funny story and we all laugh. So, trust that your grief will one day turn into joyful gratitude. With sympathy, Mary Jo
Thank you for your kind and heartfelt words, Mary Jo. Our Vet thought we should try a steroid for a week and see what happens. How incredible that your cats lived to be 19 and 20. That was a gift. xo