Garden Update.

We just about lost the cucumbers. That's the loss I feel most acutely. Before the freeze there were 4 clusters of three plants each, with fuzzy green leaves getting bigger every day. Now there are about 6 plants total and the leaves are mostly gone. But they're coming back, starting over.

The soybeans are fine. Though one of them still looks a little yellow, they're not as prone to insect damage and mildew as the other plants. There are three peanut plants, and a bird or something keeps pulling them apart, so I put little chicken wire cages around them.

Apparently, the bell pepper plants are very tasty for some kind of insect. The center leaves and buds were almost entirely eaten away. But they're recovering -- lots of new growth which the bugs have not discovered yet. One of the poblano plants has two tiny fruit getting bigger every day. And the Thai chile is full of little green peppers. The jalapeños look healthy, though there are no buds or fruit on them yet.

The watermelons vines are growing fast. And the tomato plants are getting very big. They've had a lot of blossoms but no fruit yet.

The basil didn't survive the freeze, but the cilantro and parsley are huge. They're about to bolt, so I've been telling the neighbors to please help themselves. The chives and sage are also healthy. And the lemon grass is making itself at home, sending up lots of big leaves.

All the flowers are thriving. Some of the sunflowers are 4 feet tall already, and the zinnias have lots of buds soon to bloom.

The green beans and sweet peas and growing fast. I love watching the bean vines grow -- about a foot a day it seems -- and, when they get to the top of the poles, keep reaching farther and farther out into the air for something to cling to. I'm sorry but that looks like yearning to me. It doesn't seem one bit less volitional than the snail slowly oozing across a leaf.