The Gardener's Virtues

Something ate the entire head of my sunflowers.  Not just the petals--the whole flower bloom.  I don't think a deer could enter my garden with its fence.  Besides the sunflowers are in the last row, so the deer wouldn't be able to stretch over the fence.

     We have a groundhog living under my neighbor's shed.  But she's too fat to fit through the fence.  The rabbits are too fat, too.  Maybe a skinny rabbit.  Do squirrels eat sunflowers?  The squirrels around here are nasty.  They used to verbally abuse my late cat.  The squirrels recently made a hole in the porch screen to get at some food that was left on the table.

    Anway, I was surprised tonight when I was watering the garden that more sunflowers are growing on the plant.  How's that for encouraging hope?  When you think of it, just gardening is an act of faith.  

    Faith, hope and love are the gardener's virtues.  One would have to love gardening to keep at it.  So I guess the greatest virtue is love, after all.