Saturday, July 08, 2006

Gardening during renovation

Many a time it's kept me sane when the interior of the house was a wreck (literally).

At times I've felt maybe we should have waited on the yard and concentrated on one area- the interior of the house. But then, it keeps things more interesting to move around a bit and the yard has proved a great comfort and salve for my weary self more times than I can count.

It seems there's a big difference between getting grout underneath your finger nails and dirt from the yard. The dirt from the yard feels more right somehow.

Yard work pays back in spades. Planting bulbs in fall leaves me with a sense of anticipation and something to look forward to come Spring. How will these "paints" play out on my canvas? Watching plants mature and become established for a few years, seeing a robin or morning dove take a bath at our bird bath, or watching my dogs lie in their dirt pile in the sun- all these things remind me of life's simple pleasures.

Oh, there have been times when the renovation has affected the yard, but it's always recovered with a bit of TLC. Even after the recent roof debacle, the grass is greening up again with daily watering by hand.

And because I worked on my yard simultabeously with our house, we've been able to use the yard as a respite.

Gazing out on a "mini" green pasture so to speak.


All is well.

2 comments:

Ben Biddle said...

A garden is a special retreat, no matter the size, especially in the city. Enjoy!

Aunt Jo said...

I agree 100%.

Anytime I feel I'm going crazy because of the house stuff, I just go outside and dig in the dirt and putz in the flowers. I'm sure it's kept me from putting a hammer through the wall more than once.

Your yard is lovely and looks so peaceful.