If asked where I would want to "shelter in place", this would be the place! And Springtime would be the time. We are surrounded by beauty in Springtime - and an enormous (endless) supply of things to DO! Most of these things, after the mask sewing and checking in on family and friends electronically, involve a rake, a shovel, compost and seeds; lots and lots of seeds! Things we would be doing anyway this time of year, but now we have oodles of time to devote to garden and yard chores. (I say "we", but Tim continues to go to work at the hospital daily, of course. So, "we" refers to me and Fred, the dog.)
It doesn't take long, when working outdoors in the gardens, to completely forget all about the very peculiar times we are living in. Birds sing. Fred barks at the Mail Man. Neighbors wave as they pass by walking their dogs. I notice a bunch of tiny dill seedlings emerging, volunteers from last year. A happy surprise! While pruning the Mermaid rose hedge, I find myself awkwardly STUCK, the thorniest thorns, lodged first in my hat and then caught on my blouse and gauntlet glove! After wrangling around some, flipping my hat off to get free, I am loose. Are these roses worth this? I ask myself? Yes...they will be gorgeous in a month, I silently resolve. The morning sun shines brilliantly on Piper's Prairiefire Crabapple tree and the sweet crimson baby leaves of the Japanese maple trees; tulips of red and yellow beneath the trees. I decide to cut a handful of daffodils to place inside the house, so many varieties to choose from! Every fall we purchase a box of 100 mixed "daffodils for naturalizing" from White Flower Farm. Our last box was a mix of unusual varieties! And they really are that! Greenish ones, peachy ones, double and triple trumpet ones! One year we bought the miniature selection - adorable! So after many years of this, we have a really wild bunch of daffs! (These come unlabeled. You just plant them willy-nilly and know that they will be splendid. It's very economical!)
I am thinking of each and every family member and friend in these times of pandemic. These are rugged times that test our resolve and our creativity. We will do what must be done and we will make it through. I marvel at the compassion and resilience we are seeing every day.
Be well, dear ones! Stay strong! And if you can, Stay Home.
If asked where I would want to "shelter in place", this would be the place! And Springtime would be the time. We are surrounded by beauty in Springtime - and an enormous (endless) supply of things to DO! Most of these things, after the mask sewing and checking in on family and friends electronically, involve a rake, a shovel, compost and seeds; lots and lots of seeds! Things we would be doing anyway this time of year, but now we have oodles of time to devote to garden and yard chores. (I say "we", but Tim continues to go to work at the hospital daily, of course. So, "we" refers to me and Fred, the dog.)
It doesn't take long, when working outdoors in the gardens, to completely forget all about the very peculiar times we are living in. Birds sing. Fred barks at the Mail Man. Neighbors wave as they pass by walking their dogs. I notice a bunch of tiny dill seedlings emerging, volunteers from last year. A happy surprise! While pruning the Mermaid rose hedge, I find myself awkwardly STUCK, the thorniest thorns, lodged first in my hat and then caught on my blouse and gauntlet glove! After wrangling around some, flipping my hat off to get free, I am loose. Are these roses worth this? I ask myself? Yes...they will be gorgeous in a month, I silently resolve. The morning sun shines brilliantly on Piper's Prairiefire Crabapple tree and the sweet crimson baby leaves of the Japanese maple trees; tulips of red and yellow beneath the trees. I decide to cut a handful of daffodils to place inside the house, so many varieties to choose from! Every fall we purchase a box of 100 mixed "daffodils for naturalizing" from White Flower Farm. Our last box was a mix of unusual varieties! And they really are that! Greenish ones, peachy ones, double and triple trumpet ones! One year we bought the miniature selection - adorable! So after many years of this, we have a really wild bunch of daffs! (These come unlabeled. You just plant them willy-nilly and know that they will be splendid. It's very economical!)
I am thinking of each and every family member and friend in these times of pandemic. These are rugged times that test our resolve and our creativity. We will do what must be done and we will make it through. I marvel at the compassion and resilience we are seeing every day.
Be well, dear ones! Stay strong! And if you can, Stay Home.
