Sunday, March 8, 2009

"It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year!"








That song has been running through my mind all day. You're probably thinking I've really gone over the edge after all my depressing crap. Now I'm singing a Christmas song! Well, no one has ever accused me of being sane, yet! But... today was my first day of spring gardening! That is something to celebrate! I put on my overall shorts and a tank top. I loaded my pockets with weeder, trowel, cell phone, and clippers. I loaded my hands with a garbage can, large iced tea and gardening gloves. Oh... and don't forget the cigarettes. What joy! What fun! At last, I spent two hours out in the sun, doing what I love to do... gardening! It was glorious!
Didn't accomplish a lot since these first few days of gardening also entail chatting with the neighbors who are also out in this great weather! We haven't seen much of each other through the winter so there's a lot of catching up to do. We have to find out how the winter has gone, and what we're all planning to put in our gardens this year! The neighbor across the street bought a tiller today. They're putting in a large vegetable garden. I'm still debating if I will have time for a vegetable garden now that I'm a single mom. Our plot for the vegetables isn't very good so I spend a great deal of time tending to bugs, dryness, and heat stress. All of this of course doesn't produce much harvest. Still... there is nothing like a fresh cantaloupe or tomato straight out of the garden! I am thinking about corn this year. I have a friend who pollinated her own corn so she was able to put in just a few plants and yet had a good harvest. My favorite vegetable of all time is corn on the cob, fresh from the garden! Mmmmm! I could eat that every day!

I have time to contemplate the vegetables while I check, trim and tend the perennial beds all around my yard. I spent most of my time today trimming back the dead stalks from the winter die back. This is therapeutic. I kept thinking about pruning the negative attitudes from this winter away. There's something incredibly grounding about playing in dirt and nurturing plants. It clears my mind. It refreshes my soul. Everything was terribly dry, just like my soul. The sprinkler is going continually this evening. I hope everything perks up by tomorrow morning. I continue to search for things that will refresh my soul. I wish it were as easy as turning on a sprinkler. Still, I can't wait to see the blooms breaking out all over the garden! Soon the irises, larkspur, and roses will dance happily across my yard! There are a few bulbs that have flowered, but the big show comes in a few weeks. Maybe the flowers will help break my doom and gloom mood. The usually do.
Went to a local garden shop a couple of weeks ago. They had a "seasonal help wanted" sign out front. I seriously considered applying just for therapeutic reasons. It would feel good to do physical labor working with plants and talking with people about them... Something real. Something that doesn't emotionally and spiritually drain me. Something creative. Of course I don't possibly have time to work another job. Tending my own yard will be more than I can handle this year. Too bad I can't earn a living by gardening. I could do that for a year and feel much better! Oh well. This truly is "The Most Wonderful Time of the Year!" for me! At least when I am home and in my garden!

2 comments:

nikki said...

I hate hate to garden. (yeah. I am one of the girls who doesn't like to have dirty hands. I am not normally prissy but when it comes to dirty hands and feet, I can't handle it!)
So I admire people who do like to garden.
I am glad you are finding something to spend time on that makes you happy! :)

chocolatea said...

Getting dirty is the best part of gardening for me! I don't like to wear gloves because I love the feel of the dirt! It's... "grounding." (Pun intended)