To Till the Earth

This past weekend Larry and I worked hard to start our yard clean up. I only have 1/10 of an acre or so, a city lot, but it is filled with many gardens and lots of plants and shrubs that have to be raked, and trimmed or pruned. I have two herb and veggie gardens, fenced in to keep out the deer, that needed major work. I weeded and turned over the smaller one, and planted my bed of violas and pansies, along with putting in my peas and spinach.

Larry had a major problem with the larger garden, as he has planted peppermint and spearmint in it, and in a short few years, it had taken over 1/3 of the garden. He did clean a major amount of it up, and we rid the rest of the garden from the carcasses of last year's tomato plants and the various varieties of pernicious weeds that love to live in my garden such as spurge, purslaine, and one other that I cannot find in my weed book. BUT it is ready to turn over, and I will be putting in my mesclun and various lettuces in the next week.

This year is the year of getting things done. I did get my taxes done AHEAD of time, and I swear that the tomatoes will be in well before June. Hopefully my friend's son will come over and start to chop down my shrubs in the front of my house. The yews have grown too big over the past 50+ years, and they dwarf my modest home.

It felt great to be doing some gardening, the sun on my body, my muscles waking up from a long winter's nap. My legs always get sore in the beginning, from all the crouching that I have to do. The pitchfork work usually does not bother me, just makes me stronger and firmer. I bet if I did this every day I would have some muscles.

Later Megan invited us over for our first barbeque, complete with a fire pit and fire, roasting marshmallows, and throwing hot cocoa into the flames. (bet you've never done THAT!) I saw my first mosquitos (that did not take long!) and my hair smells of fire and wood.

Here is a photo of Megan, Alanna and I. Megan goes for one last PET scan tuesday to determine if indeed all the cancer cells are gone. She told me she was stage II, and when they found the other tumor they bumped her up to Stage IV, but since the cancer cells vanished so fast, they are reconsidering whether or not it is indeed Stage IV. Let's hope that it was there all along, and she is indeed only stage II.
Her hair is still falling out, and once the chemo and radiation is done, the doctors are going to try and get her blood back in order, treat her ulcers and all the other problems she has.

It was a weekend of work, but it is a pleasure and so grounding to have my hands in the dirt and to start my organic garden, and best of all to visit, laugh, and play with my family.

Off to take a hot bath and prepare my psyche for work tomorrow. I know I will sleep well tonight!

Love the earth and treat it with respect, cause if we destroy it, where will be go?
Patti