working the soil

It was supposed to rain today, a relentless kind of rain and so when Ed nudges me at dawn and says -- look at the color in the sky -- I go out to take a quick photo because I'm thinking there won't be another opportunity to shoot the outdoors.





Then of course, I cannot fall back asleep. Too many things to do outside.

The air is humid and I know there surely will be more rain. The skies look uncertain. Droplets of water linger on every growing thing.








our resident groundhog


But it's not raining now. And so I'm back with my flowers -- digging, weeding, looking for signs of winter damage, fitting in newcomers.













Ed and Isis look on


Breakfast is very very late.






The day never slows down, though I do get a break from outdoor work in the afternoon. More showers. Ed and I do a Woodman's run. And then it's back to our grand project -- the extended farmhouse to sheep shed flowerbed. It is a huge job. Ripping out the grass cover alone can break the spirit of even the most stubbornly ambitious gardener (and her assistant).






We persevere. And by the end of the day, the stuff that needs to be ripped out is ripped out and the woodchip cover is nearly in place.






We stumble to the farmhouse. Ed instantly falls asleep on the couch and I plod at a ridiculously slow pace to put dinner on our little table. Nothing complicated. Leftover soup, herring on toast, salad. Though, do you notice the little orange glass to the left? An Aperol Spritz! A reward for a day of hard, very hard work outside.