Emerging

I've had a rough time of things this spring. I have troubles with anxiety and depression, and though for the most part I keep it under control, this late winter and spring have been really difficult.

I'm so glad the warm weather is here. Mother's Day is the day after tomorrow and that is my traditional "gardening kick-off" each year, although this year I had some bulbs come up, since I actually got my butt in gear last fall to get some tulips, crocuses and grape hyacinths planted! The tulips are beautiful orange, and the grape hyacinths are, of course, purple. They look absolutely gorgeous! The tulips have just come into bloom and the others have just started poking their little purple bunches out. The crocuses were white and yellow and I have to admit, they were a bit of a disappointment. They were really tiny. I hope they do a bit better next year, being more "established" than this year.

I have several hundred kilgrams of dirt and shit in the back of my car. Literally. Six 30 litre bags of black earth, 3 20kg bags of sheep manure and 2 30 litre bags of organic compost. I am building a raised vegetable bed for the back yard. Well, more accurately, Brandon is building it and I will maintain it. It's going to have latticework up the back so that I have (a) some privacy from the neighbours, and (b) a place to grow sugar snap peas! I have six tomato plants which will be ready to be hardened off and transplanted within a week or two. I have a bunch of beautiful little lavender plants started; fox glove plants; and one of my favourites, larkspur. They're so tall and showy; and prettier than delphinium.

I never could have imagined, when I was younger, that I would enjoy gardening so much as an adult! My parents always had a HUGE vegetable garden and I would have to weed the long rows of onions, carrots, tomatoes, etc. and I hated doing it. Now that the gardens are mine, even weeding is enjoyable. I just love to putter around. Granted, my gardens are probably 1% the size of what my parents have, but I'm still a newbie. With a tiny yard, no less. I am making use of what little space I have. I love the work involved in helping beauty flourish.

Life has the potential to be so drab, if we let it. Spring, summer and fall colours do so much to brighten our lives, and knowing that it happened at my hands, makes my enjoyment increase almost immeasurably.