Isn't it obvious that in spring you grow, expand, imagine something better, and in fall and winter, you contract and recede and resist change? I made the decision to move to Steffi's House (maybe permanently) back in the fall. Sure, I had to wait until the current resident moved out, but otherwise I was set. Determined. I booked movers then! But I did nothing else to prepare for it. I mean, why do anything at all in the winter for a move that'll take place at the beginning of summer.
Along comes spring. I'd pass by Steffi's House, and the tiny plot of land looked so... not like something I would like to care for. I added a fence for a dog run. Fine, that ate up one fourth of the land. A playground for a pup. And the rest? Just grass and some incredibly boring bushes out front? No, I cannot let that be.
Being of limited means, I could not launch any big scale transformation. Landscape people are notoriously pricey. Besides, I don't want landscaping types. I just want good land where I can plant stuff myself.
I compromised and hired someone to rip up most of the garbage out front, replant a couple of the items that weren't garbage in some spaces out back, pick up the stupid fabric that's there, oh, and the painted chips (ugh), and throw down some decent soil. All this on the elevated space over boulders that currently is pathetic and would look much improved with flowers. I let her pick plantings for half of it, and I gave myself the lovely job of planting the other half. And still, it gnawed at me -- why keep that strip of lawn at the base of these two soon to be created flower beds? Can't I put flowers there as well? By myself? My daughter had hired some college kids to dig holes and plant trees. I could ask them to remove some sod, no? When I told my landscape person my plan, she offered to do the job for me at almost college kid rates. This morning, we met up at Steffi's yard so that I could explain to her what I had in mind. (It's simple: rip out the entire front lawn and put some dirt there instead for planting.)
I already mentioned here, on Ocean, that I purchased some plants for my evolving project, but the truth is, I also want to move some stuff over from the farmette. Many of the lilies, for example, suffer from overgrowth. They should have been divided a long time ago. (When they get too dense, the number of blooms goes down. Same with daffodils, but I'm not going to touch those.) And so the plan for today is to go to the farmette, weed some, cut a few more irises, and maybe dig up another lily.
After breakfast, of course. I do believe this is the last of the cold mornings. No, really: this time I am almost positive!
Millie plays. She did not build that tower of Towers. She's not that handy.
...And then she naps in her crate while I meet up with my landscaper to talk dirt, and after -- I go to work in the farmette flower fields. But by lunch time, I am with my sweet girl again. We have a date with Ed at Tati's!
Back at Sallly's House I do some gardening! Well, of the kind where you move plant pots around, spill some dirt all over the steps to the porch, check on the moisture of the soil around all the flowers that are just waiting to go into their permanent homes. Many plants makes for a complicated routine.
I'm sure some of you may be thinking that this whole idea of reducing my farmette work load was just nonsense. What exactly have I reduced? I still do some work there, especially when Millie is not with me. I cannot ignore all those flowers that I planted over the years. Not entirely anyway. And I have added another project at Steffi's House. Have I jumped into something that is overambitious?
No I have not. I don't feel compelled to maintain all eleven farmette flower fields. I haven't bothered at all with the road facing one, or the one by the sheep shed, or the one to the west of the porch. All three have frustrated me in the past because I could never get a handle on them. The weeds always won by the beginning of August. This year, I'm trying to shrug more and work less. But oh, when I see how well the clematis is doing, how many buds there are on the dozen peonies scattered everywhere, oh, it just tugs at my heart...
... and I gently pick up the vines of the clematis, and pull out some of the creeping charlie, and tell myself that the bare minimum can't be too big of a job, can it?
Tomorrow I'll take a break from garden talk. And garden work. I feel like dirt is spilling out of every corner of my car, the porch, my computer even, as I look at plants, think plants, and, as you can see -- write about plants. Occasionally, you have to take a pause. Tomorrow, I'll take a pause.
with so much love...
