Reclamation

In the Spring of 1970, I planted my first flower garden in Huntsville, Alabama.  I planted snapdragons, “old maids”, begonias and petunias.  This was the beginning of my love of gardening and digging in the dirt.

In the next almost fifty years, I have lived in ten other places in four other states and have always had some type of plants or flowers, including a large vegetable garden in New Mexico.  At times when I did not have a yard, I always had house plants and pot plants on the patio.

In the 80’s, I lived in a house in Kennesaw, Georgia and had barrels and hanging baskets, in addition to a large grass yard.  Cobb County instituted watering restrictions and I had already planted my summer annuals.  I somehow became aware of how to capture the water generated from the Air Conditioner running in a high humity climate.  The Georgia summers are so hot and humid, the AC generated at least five gallons a day, which was enough to water my flowers.

We devised a system by using a PVC pipe to extend the AC drain and using the slope of the yard I was able to park the boys Radio Flyer Wagon at the end of the run and there was enough slope for it to drip into a five gallon bucket.  Thus began the “water reclamation project.”  In the evenings, I pulled the wagon around to the planted barrels and baskets and dipped the water out.  Brian would help me pull the wagon (I need to ask him if he remembers) and I was able to keep all of my plants alive during the water restrictions.

I moved from Kennesaw to New Mexico and then on to Colorado.  The summers in New Mexico and Colorado did not yield the high output of moisture from the AC so the reclamation method was put on hold.  I continued to love plants and flowers and anything growing.

The rites of spring, included the cleaning of the yard and planting of summer flowers and potted plants on the patio.  It was a reclamation of the joy of gardening, digging in the dirt and watching things grow.

When Patrick and I moved into our current home, I noticed the “drip” from the AC came out on the side of the house near the gate.  The normally dry hot Phoenix summers started to produce some water dripping out and as monsoon season approached and the humidity increased there was enough moisture to catch in a bucket.  Just a couple of gallons a day, but enough to supplemental water the potted plants and house plants which move to the patio during the summer months.

So some thirty plus years later, the reclamation project is back.  I “reclaim” enough water on a daily basis to save two to four gallons a day and my plants have enough to drink.  I only have a few pot plants now, so every day one of the shrubs or the roses gets an extra drink!

Although it is small, it is doing something positive to conserve natural resources.

This morning I went to yoga class, as we started with meditation and relaxation, I thought about reclamation and how the yoga class that I have been doing for several months is an effort to reclaim some of the flexibility and range of motion I have lost.

And that my friends, made me realize that my focus for this season is reclamation…

I will reclaim my peace

I will reclaim my spirituality

I will reclaim my health

I will reclaim my joy

And I will reclaim buckets of water!

Peace and Love

Linda