happy people

Ed asks -- want to go to Natalie's to pick up watermelon seedlings today? 

Oh do I ever! Going to Natalie's is a dream. All those flowers in her greenhouse! Different family members come and go -- all friendly, good-natured people. And on the way there or back you pass Kopke's. I could use just a few more annuals. Some of the tubs are a little slim in their offerings.

But first, the usual. And I have to say -- this day is absolutely top of the peak beautiful. Reaching low 70sF (so low 20sC), not a cloud in the sky, no cold wind either. Just stunning, what with the crab apple and lilac both in full bloom.

(last daffodils)

(first iris)

Breakfast? So heavenly out there on the porch that we make do with granola. We dont need special treats to boost our spirits!

And then we're off.

Ed loves growing watermelons and melons too. I suppose there is something very satisfying about having so much juicy sweetness after a long bike ride or after a workout with the pitchfork. Last year we had such a bumper crop that the fridge was on overload the whole end of summer. I couldn't wait for melon season to be over. But, the guy has very strong fruit preferences and if it makes him happy, so be it. We will grow melons!

A walk through Natalie's always tempts me. I pick up a plant. Okay, two plants. And a half dozen more at Kopke's. Tiny things, costing almost nothing. 

What I love about these greenhouses is not only the plant life within, but also the steady stream of very happy people. Gardening people. You do not buy plants if you're in a sour mood. You just don't. Or, is it that gardeners skew toward good naturedness in general? Does gardening incline them toward contentedness? I've seen no studies on this and that's a shame. Sure, there is such a thing as The Reluctant Gardener, who does it because she must, rather than because she loves working the soil to create something sensual and alluring. But I am almost certain that most people who are driven to planting a garden do better in the course of the day as a result of their passion for growing something.

We come back, I plant my little guys and do some weeding and extra path mowing. It's early May. Things look so good in early May!

And then it's time to do a Friday pick up of the kids.

And, after a bit of time at the farmhouse, to take them to their lessons. I return home late, but not that late. Early enough to still spend an hour outside. Planting, weeding, chipping, until dusk sets in.

On the evening drive home, I had listened to an interview with Katie Ledecky, the athlete who won more Olympic golds than any other swimmer. (She is receiving the Presidential Medal of Freedom.) Asked what she would eventually do once her competitive life was behind her, she responded that she didn't know, but it would have to include swimming, because the pool is her happy place. Those two words -- happy place -- felt so right for her pool and they feel so right for my flower fields. To work within them is to indeed enter a happy place. A very happy place.

with love...