Take Me out to the Ball Game, Songs in the Garden

While cleaning up the carrot bed today, I found myself humming a tune not usually associated with gardening. Take Me Out to the Ballgame.

Three of my five grandsons visited yesterday and discovered the carrot patch. After a few tops came off leaving the carrot still in the ground, I showed them how to coax the carrot from the ground with the top still intact. It’s always more fun I think to eat a carrot with a feathery plume. But after little hands and feet had spent some time in the carrots, I needed to clean up and water.

Usually while working in the carrots, I hum Shoo-Fly-Shoo. This is because one of my favorite gardeners, John Seymour, warns insistently about carrot fly in the carrots. Consequently, I always mind-sing Flies in the Buttermilk, Shoo-Fly-Shoo while working in the carrots. But not today. Today it was Take me out, Take me out, Take me out to the ballgame. I finished weeding and cleaning up and set the water.

Then I heard the song again, but not in my mind. I spotted the small brown bird (a new sparrow type or wren) in the tree. Sure enough, there was the tune. Take me out to the ballgame. A cute little trill was added as an accent at the end.

I guess I should say thank you to this little bird and go in and check the Portland Beavers game schedule. It’s Triple A All Star Night at the stadium. First time it has been played in Portland in decades and a good night for a game.