Do Overs

I love gardening!  I love getting my hands dirty, I love the feel of the sun on my face, I love the smell of the dirt, I love planting seeds and I especially love when the seeds sprout! But, sometimes gardens don't cooperate.  They, for lots of reasons, don't behave the way I would like them too.  I must admit though, a lot of it is gardener error.  I forget to fertilize, or I plant too much, or in the wrong place or forget to harvest on time.  Lots of the time, I wish I could have a do over -- you know, go back to the beginning of spring and start over, instead of waiting until next year.  That's what is so great about fall.  I get a mini-do over.  So, last week, I planted a row of radishes, spinach, lettuce and arugula.  And, within two days, little arugula leaves sprouted and it's just the best feeling ever.  I'm filled with hope again for my garden.  Maybe, just maybe, these four little rows will be just the do over I need to last me until spring!

life and death decisions in the garden

No question - gardens are a lot of work.  There is the constant weeding and you know, that really important ingredient - water. (Not that I ever forget to water....) Even though it's a lot of work, I really enjoy my time in the garden.  I love the sun on my back and the satisfaction from being outside.  However, there is a dark side to gardening.

You know when you plant all of those little seeds into the ground and then the happy time when all of those little seeds start to sprout?  I love that time - I'm constantly thrilled and amazed when those little plants pop through the ground.  Well- then there's the dark part of gardening - thinning.

I have to decide who lives and who dies.  It's just too much pressure for me in the garden. What if I pull the wrong carrot?  What if I choose the carrot that would have been "the one"?  Honestly, wouldn't it be better if everyone could live together without crowding out the others and sucking up all of the nutrients?  I would think with today's technology thinning would be obsolete.  I don't know, maybe I'm just crazy that way.

lilacs

I absolutely love lilacs!  They are so pretty and purple-ly (I'm not sure that is actually a word).  And then, there is the smell.....lilacs have the most beautiful fragrance.  Just a quick walk past a vase of fresh cut lilacs and it's heaven...you know for sure spring has arrived.

Here's the funny part.  Well, it's not really ha-ha funny but kind of.  I don't own a lilac bush.  I used to when we lived in Ohio.  There I could happily skip in the backyard and pick lilacs until their season was over.  For a brief time, I had fresh cut lilacs on a daily basis.  Not now.  In fact, it's been years since fresh lilacs have graced my table.

However, there happens to be this field about a mile away from my home.  For years, I've driven by in the spring and wanted to stop and snip some lilacs.  But, I've been afraid.  Afraid to stop because maybe someone might yell "lilac stealer!"  Then I'd have to run away, dropping my treasured lilacs in a not so graceful way. I'd probably fall some too because I wouldn't be watching where I was going...it would not be a pretty sight.  So, for years, I've only looked with envy at all those lilacs, knowing I could give them a happy home if only for a few short days. (sniff)

And...then....I had had enough.  This was going to be the year I broke through my irrational fear of being a lilac stealer.  I gathered my gardening bucket, gardening snips and my super-duper new Ethel Gloves and drove to the field.  (Oh yeah, I also brought my camera).  I was alone with a zillion lilacs.  I quickly went to work, sniffing (you know, because they smell so good) and snipping until my little bucket was filled with lilacs.

Then, I rushed away just in case someone was thinking of yelling at me. When I got home, I joyfully put my lilacs in some vases and set them around the house.  Ahhhh...it smells so good in here.  

How come I waited so long to do this?  

Spring Cleaning in the Herb Bed

How can it be that it is only April 11 and I already feel behind in the garden?

Well, part of that might be because I didn't get my seeds ordered early like I wanted to.  Maybe.  Or it might be, that I left a lot of things undone in the fall.  It could also be that I am a fantastic procrastinator.  I would say I'm a terrible procrastinator, but the fact is, I'm really very good at it.

However, I'm turning over a new leaf, no pun intended.  I'm going to stop procrastinating. My first order of business - I got busy in the herb bed ( I had to start somewhere).

I have this lovely little herb bed.  Yet, it had these ugly railroad ties framing the bed.  My husband and I have talked about tearing out the ties and putting in a brick frame for what seems like forever.

Now, I'm going to apologize for these pictures.  I'm really just learning how to use my Canon 40d.  I'm trying to do everything in manual and guess who forgot to change the white balance?  Also, I'm trying to learn how to use my Photoshop Elements 8 and blog at the same time.  Keeping with my "no procrastination policy", I'm posting anyhow.

Back to the herb bed.....my husband quickly removed the railroad ties.  We took a trip to the brick store and got to work.

Roughly two hours later, Viola! A nicely edged herb bed!

Not bad!

Overall, a pretty productive day.....now I just have to knock off the other 867,531 things on my to do list!