In every growing season, there is a day that stands out as being intense. I never intend it to be that, but somehow it happens that I work very very hard, excessively so, for many hours, at tasks that require strength -- beyond what my years would dictate for me. This is what happened today.
Again, I did not start out thinking that I'd be toiling away most of my free hours. Indeed, I got up early, admired the incredibly beautiful landscape...
... and then went off for an early appointment with my physical therapist (in the matter of my un-replaced knee). He congratulated me on doing my knee exercises (well, I sort of did them; more importantly, I hiked a hell of a lot back in Europe), proclaimed the knee to be as strong as it's ever going to be and sent me on my way.
I came back to breakfast with Ed. Still in the kitchen, but with flowers that are so "of the season" that I just want to smile every time I look up at them (daffodils from the yard, lilies of the valley also from the yard, and tulips from a local farmer).
We ate black walnut bread made by a guy that comes each week to the Thursday market, slathered with our home made strawberry jam. Things were looking good!
Ed had loaded the wagon (pulled by the tractor mower) with compost and I knew that if I am going to do anything about the front roadside flower field it has to be done today. (Tomorrow, there will be a lot of activity in that part of the farmette lands -- more on that later, but importantly, my access to those flowers will be restricted.)
The goal was to finish weeding that field and to heap on the compost, because as I've noted many times, the soil there is particularly noxious: full of road debris (think: winter salt) and too full of dense roots from the front yard maples.
The soil is drying out, the weeds are awful. When was the last time I did this anyway? Surely not last year or the year before?? Truly back breaking work.
I more or less finished -- at least as much as I can handle for now -- and I did also load on the compost, shoveling it around most every plant that grows there.
I am sure this will have been my heaviest working day. One, just one like this per year please!
Not much time left after that: just enough to drink a ton of water and open a couple of granola bars before going out to pick up the kids.
Things are a little unusual today because Snowdrop is performing this evening and Sunday in her next Shakespeare production -- this one a compilation of eleven scenes from a number of his plays. (I'll see her on Sunday.) This means I drop her off promptly there, catch my daughter for a few minutes, leave Sparrow with her, then return to go off with Ed to Natalie's Greenhouse -- he needs a few more watermelon seedlings and I'm going along for the ride and, too, to pick up just a couple of wee plants for the cleared edges of the roadside field.
By the time we get home it is late and I am spent. Totally spent. Couch time! With a smile.
and love...
