Desperation Gardening

31 May 2013 Leave a comment

by lifefullyinhabited in Uncategorized Tags: , , , , ,

It’s desperation time. What with the rain, rain and more rain and then cold and then frost and then hot and humid, and more rain, I had trouble getting out to plant some vegetable seeds.

I ran outside this afternoon and dragged a garden tool, not sure which one, through the dirt and ripped open some seed packets. Whimsically threw seeds in a trench and covered them so quickly because, guess what, it started to rain, again.

I’m embarrassed to even call myself a gardener doing this. I hope nobody saw me.

I’m not sure if anything will grow that I planted. And now I’m aware that I forgot to buy cucumber seeds. Oh well.

If every farmer waited for the optimal time and weather to plant, we humans probably wouldn’t ever have any food to eat.
So, with hope and desperation, I join the ranks of professional and amateur growers, and we just toss in seeds and let the proccess begin.

This garden isn’t going to look pretty with nice neat rows and stakes and string and cute little seed markers. Oh no way.
This isn’t a “Pinterest” garden. This is reality.

And I am thankful we have farmer’s markets and grocery stores to fill in the gaps. I am not self-sustaining. Not yet.

Blessings and happy growing

Wrestling With the Garden Hose

19 Apr 2012 Leave a comment

by lifefullyinhabited in Uncategorized Tags: , , ,

This is a new workout!  Great for upper arms, lower legs, and everything in-between.  Requires strength, flexibility, humiliation, and endurance. 

It’s called:  Wrestling with the Garden Hose. 

Note:  this excercise is not for the timid.  You have to be willing to stand in the front yard for all your neighbors and passing cars to see. 

You have to determine ahead of time that YOU WILL WIN, no matter what the hose throws at you.

It began with an old hose reel, a relatively new hose, and everything was leaking.  And there was no sprayer.  After careful inspection, I figured I could make do with the hose, but needed a new hose reel and a sprayer attachment.  Maybe some new washers.

So a trip to Target and a new-fangled all plastic, durable hose reel was purchased.

I braved the front yard.  I made sure I was wearing a shirt long enough to cover my backside and any undergarments that might be exposed while bending over.  Remember, this is the front yard.

I began to unwind the hose from the old hose reel.  This sounds incredibly easy.  But, the hose had other ideas.  It became the spawn of satan and began coiling and twisting and wrapping itself around my feet, like it had a mind and a will all its own.

I was not going to let the garden hose win. 

I won’t traumatize you with the gorey details.  I have bruises.  That’s all I can say right now.

There were no instructions with the new hose reel.  I was left to my own deductive reasoning to figure how the contraption all went together.

I did get wet, when after connecting everything and turning the water on . . . well I’ll leave that to your imagination.

I was not going to let the garden hose win.  I retightened all connections.  I wrestled that d***m hose onto the reel.  It kicked, it squirmed, it fought back with a vengenance.

It looks really pretty now.  Tamed, conquered by the human female. 

I can barely move my arms today. 

But it was so worth it.  I won.

 

Small but Significant

30 Mar 2012 Leave a comment

by lifefullyinhabited in Uncategorized Tags: , , , , ,

“I strive for a sense of optimism, a feeling that as small as I am, what I am doing still matters in the scheme of things.”

p. 41, Finding Water  Julia Cameron

As I start my Friday and head into the weekend I find myself reflecting on the past few weeks.  It seems like a flurry of activity.  Rain today makes decisions for me.  I must work indoors today.  That is okay with me, as there is plenty to do.

I plan to be aware again this weekend of the many beautiful things in my world and fill up another “basket of beauties”. 

The grass is so vibrantly green it nearly glows!  That is one beauty for my basket. 

Have you noticed the forsythias and flowering crab apples trees around town?  They are way ahead of schedule, just as eager for spring as we are.

The magnolia trees are in bud and ready to pop open any minute. 

petunias on the porch saying Good Morning

Time to Dig Up Weeds

23 Mar 2012 Leave a comment

by lifefullyinhabited in Uncategorized Tags: , , , , ,

I am thinking about digging up weeds today.  After a beautiful rain like we had last night and this morning, the ground will be nice and soft.  The weeds will come up like melted butter.  If you’ve ever dug up weeds, especially dandelions and thistles, you know that getting the roots out is crucial.

If you don’t get the root, the weed will just grow right back.  I like to use a little gardening tool I call my dandelion digger.  When you stab it into the ground right next to the root of the dandelion and then lean the tool into the root, it snaps off with a very satisfying crunch.  It’s an addicting activity.  And then you viciously pull that bugger right out of the ground and say, die, die!  Pulling dandelions is also a great activity for burning off anger issues!

There are some correlations here between pulling up weeds in the garden and pulling up “weeds” in my life.  “Weeds”  like unhealthy behaviors, bad attitudes, negative thinking, etc.  I could just try to deal with the issues in a superficial way, like just put on a happy face mask and pretend nothing is wrong.  I’m fine, really.  That is much like just taking dandelion leaves or flowers and leaving the root in the ground.  The root grows in deeper and stronger and pretty soon the leaves and pretty yellow flowers are back for another season.

If I want change in my life that is lasting, if I really want to be rid of bad behaviors for good, I’ve got to get down to the root.  I have to do a little digging to discover why I sabotage myself.  When I get the root of the matter, I can expose it to the Light and the Son.  Like a dandelion plant dug up by the root, if I leave it out on the driveway to bake in the light and the hot sun, it will shrivel and die.  So, too, my bad habit, dug up by the root, exposed to the Light of God’s word and the Son, it will shrivel and die.

Then there will be room to plant desireable plants:  lush flowers, yummy vegetables, sweet fruits.

Happy digging today!

Blessings, Vicki

Two Piles of Mulch

22 Mar 2012 3 Comments

by lifefullyinhabited in Uncategorized Tags: , , ,

Well the big pile of mulch arrived yesterday.  At first we just stared at it.  Then we walked around it to take it all in.  It smelled.  It smelled of rot, cedar, and manure.  I’m surprised the neighbors stayed indoors (written with sarcasm).  It didn’t look THAT big.  We could take on this pile of mulch.  It didn’t hurt that our strong, strapping twenty-something son showed up to change the oil in his car and felt sorry for us.  He went home and brought over another wheelbarrow and helped for almost two hours.

Two hours later, after “one shovelful at a time”, the pile looked about the same size!  I was starting to feel overwhelmed.

It’s all a matter of perspective.  If I choose to look at the areas where we applied the mulch, it looks beautiful.  Almost like professional landscaping.  Almost.  If I choose to look at the big pile of mulch still left, I feel defeated.  When I choose to dwell on how stiff and sore I feel this morning after shoveling, pushing the wheelbarrow, and raking, I think “I’m way too old for this”.

I have another “big pile of mulch” I’m dealing with in my life right now.  It’s fifty pounds of overweight.  I’m trying to get rid of it “one shovelful at a time.”  I’ve been attacking this pile for a month.  So far, seven pounds are gone.  Its one day at a time, one moment at a time, one meal at a time, one pound at a time.  Its one prayer at a time.  A big pile remains.

So, I have to keep a good perspective.  It’s easy to be overwhelmed with the pounds still to lose.  A lot of hard work and sweating will be involved.  When I choose to look at what seven pounds lost has done for me, its a beautiful thing.  Clothes are too big, I have more energy, I’m eating healthier, I feel better.

Here’s to the start of another great day of shoveling big piles of mulch “one shovelful at a time”.  I think getting rid of one pile will help me get rid of the other.  Lots of hard work and sweating is involved.  Anyone want to come and help?

Happy Sweating,

Vicki

P.S.  Remember:  sweat is just FAT crying!