Today as I cleaned closets and sorted through the collection of "stuff" that seems to accumulate in a home, I took a moment to stop and ponder the coming spring.
Sitting above my dryer,
on a shelf,
at this very moment,
in a small tote,
are a collection of seed packets.
As a gardener, my favorite seasons are spring and summer. I can barely wait each year for the winter's cold to end. I've been known, in my impatience, to "cheat" a little and plant before the recommended dates for my area.
Most years I even "get away with it" by making tents over itty bitty seedlings on extremely cold evenings.
I'm almost positive that I end up with flowers a week or two earlier than other gardeners who start flowers from seed! (O.k... maybe I don't, but it makes me feel better to believe it!)
Hands down my favorite annuals are zinnias. With their bright colors, many variations and long growing season, they brighten up my garden until a hard frost hits.
Some years the trick or treaters comment on how pretty they still look!
This year, I will be moving and honestly I am most concerned about my garden. I will be moving hundreds of pavers and many many perennials with me. Milk jugs will be lining my carport in anticipation of transporting precious cargo. I do not relish the day the gardens are taken apart. As I tend to move at least one garden's location every year, I do know what I am "in for". It will be back breaking work.
And yet, I have been collecting coneflowers for years, leaving them behind is not an option. One of my favorite plants is a native prairie flower that I faithfully tended one hot summer. The seedling was the size of a nickel all that summer and I carefully watered it with a spoon each morning and night. There isn't a chance those plants aren't coming with me!
My garden tends toward the whimsical instead of orderly. Often I have giant sunflowers towering amongst my typical garden fare. The whole affect makes me smile and has given my family some interesting experiences. We've seen humming birds land, squirrels hang upside down and countless butterflies! Late last summer we even witnessed tiny caterpillars hatch and grow! (Check back in my archive on July 26, 2008 to read all about it!)
So, today I paused for a moment to consider my seeds. Tiny packages that will, with care and work, turn into breathtakingly lovely plants.
And... Who knows?... there is a flower contest held each year at the townhouses my family will be moving to...
In this time when so much of the world is cold, it is so easy to feel "gray" ourselves.
I wish for you,
I hope for you,
This day and always,
That you have a beautiful tomorrow.
Like my seeds that are small and brown,
sometimes the future does not look either easy or bright.
However,
I am certain that just around your corner,
spring will come.
Joy is waiting to find you.
Look for the tiny happy "treats" that seem to sneak up on us!
The cheerful address labels that seem to arrive in our mailboxes with regularity,
a silly sample of some terrible cereal
or even a call from a survey taker (Of course you have an opinion about that new flavor of potato crisp!).
Have a little fun!
Let there be sunshine in your heart.
Wait with me, spring is coming!
2 comments:
Because you are moving, you must be thinking about your new yard as a blank canvas. A new sheet of paper just waiting for the artists brush to bring it alive with colour. It may be a lot of work to move some of the cherished plants and pavers, but having them take root in your new garden while you and your family are taking root in your new house, will speed up the feeling of "home"!
What a good way to think about it. When I get the list of open townhomes I have to see which ones have the best sun exposure. I am really concerned because so many of my favorites need full sun and the community has so many mature trees. I need a unit that has sun at least on the side if not in front. Thanks...
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