Yesterday I walked to the end of my driveway and saw the first new buds on my mauve lilacs.
Seeing them come back to life made me happy.
I walked back to the house with renewed purpose to look through my collection of seeds. I had made some half-hearted attempts last week, but the cold and the newly fallen snow had thwarted my efforts. Now I was quite sure I’d be starting to plant them soon. First in little newspaper cups rolled up and folded by hand, and later outside, once the sun could be relied upon to warm them consistently for a few hours each day.
Many of you fellow gardeners are also expectantly waiting for that magic period, I’m sure: the eight to twelve weeks before the last frost. Although it happens quite late in Vermont (we’ve been known to have frost on the ground at the end of May), we get sort of clearance from Nature to be optimistic about being outdoors in the sun. That’s all I require to put down my collage scissors and pick up my hori-hori. I’m game.
So I feel it is timely to let you know that I’ll be spending most of my time tinkering with pots and soil rather than attending to my iPhone screen.
That does not mean that all creative pursuits will be coming to a halt. Quite the contrary. My garden is an incessant source of inspiration, but sometimes it doesn’t translate into a collage. For instance, I like to take photographs of my garden and the critters that inhabit it, and chances are that I will be inflicting upon you some of those images here and there. I am not a professional photographer, but what I lack in technique I make up for in enthusiasm. I hope you enjoy them.
Wherever you are, it is my wish that you can find a patch of ground or even just a pot to start nurturing some seeds. It is a very worthwhile activity. It’s good for the soul as much as it is calming and encouraging for the mind. I highly recommended it, if like me, you are prone to bouts of anxiety and depression. Plants have a way of rewarding you for the smallest effort and, in turn, that propels you to do better. And we all can and need to do better these days.
Enjoy the sunshine wherever you are. Tend lovingly to your garden and it will take good care of you in return.
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