Again. 24 hours, and I'm refreshed, recharged, hopeful, happy, planning . . . yesterday was so dreary and dark, and there seemed to be no reserves left for me. I was exhausted, irritable and plain ole grumpy, and today, that's gone. Thank you, God, for the graces that come with sunshine and (finally) a good day of school. A day minus whining, complaining and lack of napping is miraculous and restorative. I recommend it highly.
Today I started thinking about gardening again. I haven't been thinking of cultivating, planning and the possibilities there since last spring, and none of those plans took shape. This year will be different. Since my knitting isn't keeping me busy enough, I'll add some interest in the yard. Plus, I love sunshine and fresh air, and there hasn't been enough of that lately (ahem. October, maybe?).
This new surge of enthusiasm came with a catalog in yesterday's mail for this gardening supply store. They're amazing. I think I want at least one of everything they have. I'm especially pleased that they've come up with raised-bed sized cucumber trellises. Every year I've been propping them up however I could jigger it, and never well. Those trellises were only the beginning.
When I saw the raspberry beds, it was like a sign from God. I've been thinking of berries since we bought this place, but I didn't think we had enough room. Hey: if I could grow them in a 3' x 6' bed, I can use the spot right alongside the deck. Then there'd be fresh berries for snacking, scones, pies, cobblers, crisps . . . who wouldn't be excited about that? When they reproduce, I can just transplant them around the whole deck. I hate the hostas that are there now anyway.
And why not some blackberries in that spot beside the back gate? It gets plenty of sun, and it's enough room if I remove the border bricks. After all, I was thinking of expanding my front yard bed, and I could use the bricks from the back to make that bed bigger--it's all coming together in my mind.
What I would really like is a strawberry bed. If I get the one I want (we did just do our taxes, after all), it would probably run $200 to get it up and running. If I do a trial in a small deck railing planter, maybe for $50 I could do it.
Even if I only try the raspberries this year--there is a new baby arriving in prime gardening season--the thought of the possibilities has lifted my spirits. Fruits, flowers, digging in the dirt, teaching the kids. It's wonderful to be a person. That and the sunshine. Something about that blinding intensity--like love from above.
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