It seems that we are going to be tested right and proper before we can see Aanandi garden restored.
On Saturday I was alone at Aanandi. As soon as I reached, I rushed to the back garden to have a look at the fallen mango tree. It was so sad to look at it. It was infected by termites through and through and finally fell. The leaves had wilted and the huge tree is lying diagonally across the drumstick patch. While falling, it took with itself part of the drumstick tree, the entire closed hibiscus and a little zaadu plant. Every couple of days there seems to be a new challenge. I’m not at all tired, but it forces us to review and reset our timeline and that exasperates me a little. I watered the plants a bit, looked around a bit and left. Also we have gotten the contact number of some new chap to take away the rubble. I tried calling him several times for as long as I was at Aanandi, but he was unavailable.
On Sunday Amruta and I reached early but the keys were with Smita. So we just took a round in the garden and then started to water the plants. I had a specific agenda…to water the plants, to call the rubble-chap and get and estimate and fix up the day he will work in the garden, to remove the bananas, some limes if ready and a jackfruit if ready. While we were at the pomegranate plant watering it (which, by the way has about 25-30 pomegranates now), we saw a mongoose in the garden ! It was wandering about quite languidly and went past us at a very close distance. We were thrilled to see it at such close quarters. It was quite chubby, furry with a thick furry tail. The coat was shiny and dotted brown…and the eyes ! The eyes were like glass beads, with lights being shone through them. As it passed us it looked straight at us, or so I’d like to believe :) They say it’s a good omen to see a mongoose. It is also supposed to be good for a garden to have a mongoose present…I mean ecologically.
Just a little later Smita arrived. Then we took the chopper and two other sharp implements and decided to chop off as many branches of the fallen tree as possible, so that when the workers came to take it away, it would be easier for them. The task was tougher than it seemed :) After just half an hour of chopping, my hands and arms were quite heavy and aching a lot. So we stopped that. Then we found two wooden stools that we kept one on top of the other under the banana plant (tree?). Then Smita climbed up and with the chopper she removed the bananas. We were so thrilled…it’s a small bunch, but had about thirty bananas. Then we marched to the lime tree and saw that some limes were ready to be removed. So the stool was put to use once again and we got eight limes. There were two jackfruits at about six feet from the ground. On Saturday I noticed that one was missing. I’m guessing TU (tenant-uncle) removed it and took it. I only hope he didn’t remove it before it ripened. More importantly I hope he doesn’t remove the remaining one before it ripens and lets us have this one !
We also discussed that we have got to get the clean-up job done before the month ends, in any case, since after that we have to prepare the ground and plant before the first rain ! On Sunday too we tried calling the rubble-chap but he was unavailable ! Now Pradeep or Smita will go some time mid-week to his shop nearby and take him there are get an estimate and set a date. Also, in this week Smita and I will initiate procedure for getting the Ashok trees cut.
On Sunday I had gone to Aai’s place and she said to me, “I had gone to Aanandi in the last week and took a round in the garden. I can’t see what motivates you to go and work there…it is in such bad shape ! I was so frustrated to see it.” I replied, “Aai, three things. Firstly, we have done quite a bit of work and arrived at this stage. If you find this frustrating, imagine where we started from ! Secondly, we don’t see what you saw the other day. We see the picture that we have in our minds…about how Aanandi garden is going to be once we are through with it. That is how we can keep working there; And thirdly, we do have our low points, but almost immediately we get up and get going…because we tell ourselves, we have work to do and can’t afford to lose time over such thoughts :)”
In our theatre group we say, if there is an electricity failure in the rehearsal hall one day before the show (most crucial day), the show’s going to be great :) So, bring on the challenges…we’re ready…the garden’s going to turn out great ! :)
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