December 2020, images taken in Deb's Garden2021 has come, and the COVID pandemic rages. My family, so far, has remained well. Although I know people who have had the disease, I don't personally know anyone who has died. Some of my friends cannot say the same. Alabama has not shut down as much as some other states—businesses and schools remain open at present—but most people are cautious. Social distancing and masks are standard everywhere. In October, I toured Gibbs Gardens in northern Georgia with a friend who lives near there and then traveled on to Tennessee to visit another friend. Other than that, I have rarely ventured out. When I do, I follow the rules. I keep masks and hand sanitizer in my car. I am glad COVID vaccines have been approved, and I plan to take one as soon as it becomes available to me.
Barred owls have lived in our garden for many years.I have taken a break from blogging to complete a book I started a while back. And now it's done! This is a tale about some interesting creatures, both common and odd characters, that enriched my life through the years. It is humorous, but a bit of a tear-jerker as well. It should appeal to a broad market of pet owners, family and nature lovers, but I am realizing that completing a book may be the easy part of the job. Finding an agent and publisher looks daunting for someone who has never been inside that business. I have been encouraged by a manuscript reader who has himself received many writing awards, so I am sending out queries. I am ever optimistic, and we will see what happens. Ideas for future books, including one about my garden experiences, are tumbling around inside my brain.
I haven't forgotten Deb's Garden! 
This is a recent photo of a section of the perennial/pollinator garden. Plants are dying back, and everything is buried under a sea of leaves.We had plenty of rain in 2020, and most plants have done well. The perennial/pollinator garden is two years old now and has begun to fill in. I have added a variety of plants to this newest garden, including some gorgeous day lilies hybridized by my friend in Georgia. I also planted some more native azaleas inside the woodland garden. I now have about two dozen whose colorful, sweet blooms will enliven the space from spring into summer.
Beauty exists in the garden even as plants are going dormant and leaves are dying.
These Snowflake hydrangea leaves recently were still clinging to the shrub as they were backlit by low winter sun.
It is winter now and many plants are sleeping, but in subtropical Alabama the engines of the earth beneath the surface are hard at work. Multitudes of microbes are busy digesting mulch and other organic matter in the soil, transforming these into nutrients that will be available for plants when they wake up in the spring.
Earthworms aerate the soil as they prepare for hibernation. They dig tunnels for themselves and create burrows deep in the soil. Their bodies secrete a protective slime that helps them slip through the soil and keeps them warm. This worm slime is high in nitrogen and improves the fertility of the soil. It also is an excellent binding agent and improves soil texture.
Plant roots are busy, stretching out and becoming stronger so that they can supply plants with soil nutrients when the plant wakes up. Rhizomes are creeping, and bulbs are quietly growing and spreading their root systems. In my part of the world winter is a great time to plant dormant trees and shrubs because their root systems have time to establish themselves in the soil before the stress of hot summer arrives.
As the new year begins, our lawn is still mostly green, but the Zoysia grass soon will fade to beige.Thanks to all of you who have expressed concern and wondered what has happened to me! Like those plant roots, I am still alive and stretching myself. Best wishes to you all, and hoping for a very happy 2021!
Deb