This morning, after I ran the mom-taxi to school, I went to the gym. During my
Now I'm all stuffed up thanks to the pollen and my hands are shaky thanks to the leaf blower, but damn my yard looks great.
I didn't discover a love for flowers until about 5 years ago. We had bought a house in Oxford and it had a dismal flower bed that had been completely neglected. After much planning, I decided it needed to be dug up and expanded. 1 truckload of dirt and many blisters and sore muscles later, I had my new garden.
And a new hobby. Here are some pics from my old house:
It was a lot of work and I've learned much since then. Like how to create a low maintenance flower bed. (wish I would've learned that 5 years ago...) I don't want "no maintenance" though. Gardening is so therapeutic. It's hard work, but it's rewarding in ways that I never understood until I pulled my first weed. There is joy in watching your seeds grow. I love clipping flowers from my garden and placing them throughout the house. Sipping my coffee while the humming birds and butterflies enjoy the fruits of my labor.
But 20 years ago, if you'd have asked me about gardening, I would've laughed and said, "Um yeah. Right." I hated it. Mom always made me mow and weed as part of my chores. They sucked.
Of course, they weren't my yard or my garden--and I think that makes all the difference. Which makes me wonder, 20 years from now, will I be doing something like rebuilding cars or cleaning my house? *shudder* I hope not.
What about you? Do you do anything now that was never on your radar in the past? Do you wonder about what you'll be doing in 10 or 20 years from now?
Wow, good topic! I tend to have a black thumb with gardening, so it's off my radar right now, but I won't discount it in the future.
ReplyDeleteI never thought I'd be into photography, but it's really stuck with me over the last couple of years...that's definitely a surprise!
I never realized I'd be so into studying Japanese culture, either. I think as I grow into new areas, I like to absorb everything I can about it.
I have four black thumbs. In fact, plants see me and just die to save time.
ReplyDeleteI have to say though, it's pretty much a mutual dislike. I'm allergic to so many grasses and pollens the thought of voluntarily playing makes me shudder.
Your garden is lovely though. And I'm jealous!
I'm a sad gadener. The one thing a always plant every year are impatients. I plant tons of them and love the color. Eveny thing else fails me or I fail it. So sad I am.
ReplyDeleteI love my flower beds too! Casey has her own as well. I used to love to pick things out of our garden growing up. But planting and weeding sucked. Our backyard used to be someones paradise of plants and such. It was so neglected. I spent 4 hours yesterday just pulling weeds out around this great Juniper back there. I can't wait to put stuff around it. Oh, the front beds (and ME) get a treat of having someone else do them this year. Happens thursday, can't wait to see it!
ReplyDeleteI love gardening! I'm getting ready to plant a plumeria that I brought back from Hawaii.
ReplyDeleteAm I doing anything I didn't think I'd be doing? Writing full time is way up there on the list.
I have zero interest in anything in the kitchen or the yard. I didn't used to be like that, I think I just burned out. But now my husband is into it, so he cooks and gardens and I....what do I do again?
ReplyDeleteI love to garden, but since we rent, it's a waste of time. =o(
ReplyDeleteIf someone had told me ten years ago I'd be a stay-at-home mom, writing novels and crocheting for fun, I would've laughed them out of my general area. I was all about the job, I was never one for the domestic arts, and writing was just a pretty dream. *shrug* Life happens. ;o)