Clearing a space for myself

I spent all of last summer nursing a broken leg and damaged ankle, and my garden went untended. I did no weeding, no mulching, no cutting back of overeager perennials or overhanging tree branches.

This year, for reasons including sketchy weather and a dance recital, I didn't start gardening until about ten days ago. That's when I finally took a good look at the state of things.

Everything was overgrown. Perennials wrestled one another for territory and threatened to swallow the lawn furniture. Weeds looked especially proud of themselves for having taken over the entire strip behind the garage--a challenge I'm ignoring for now. The stepping-stone paths I had carefully created were invisible under on-rushing greenery. And the giant horse chestnut tree (which may instead be a buckeye but experts can't agree), which is too large for a small urban lot in the first place, formed a low-hanging canopy all the way around the back yard. It gave me a choking sense of claustrophobia.

Last weekend I spent three days cutting back, clearing weeds, spreading the eight bags of mulch still in the garage from two years ago. On Sunday I got out a ladder and spend several hours cutting overhead branches. In the post I wrote that evening, I mentioned that thanks to dancing I had a lot more stamina, a statement I based on the fact that I had perhaps never spent so many hours working in the yard.

Monday morning I couldn't move. My neck and shoulders were so stiff and sore, and so resistant to the usual pain meds, that I began to wonder whether I had some kind of dread disease.

Then I remembered that I have fibromyalgia, a chronic condition that can kick in when I eat too much sugar or become too sedentary or, ironically, overexert. It's a tricky balance, staying active but not too active. Fibro kicked in last summer after I sat around favoring the broken leg, for example. But this flareup was stronger. My upper body felt as though it had seized up, and it stayed that way for much of the week. My sleep was disrupted, which only makes things worse. Eventually gentle exercise and massages from Peter helped enough for the meds to do their job.

So now I'm back in the garden, being a bit more cautious and aware. I always enjoy the work of gardening, but I have to remember to stop periodically and look around, admiring the progress I've made while allowing my body to regroup. It feels good to know that I'm in charge of this space again. There is room for me and mine to walk the paths, sit on the benches, smell the roses.

The last peonies greet the first purple coneflower.

Yesterday I took a few photos to share. A cleared and mulched pathway, a few planters now populated with petunias and calibrachoa, and a cleared and mulched seating area where last week we sat outdoors with guests. Small victories, but satisfying.

Life is good.

Lovely distractions

Let's face it, since I retired I'm really not into goal-setting, scheduling, achieving, etc. Especially during the summer, which is my vacation from childcare for the grandkids. But Monday, they come back to begin a new season, and I am not ready.

I've had two months to finish painting my office. I still have two doors to do after the dreaded painting fiasco, and they're not going to get done by Monday. I have boxes of papers and knickknacks that I brought home from my workplace last December. And other boxes of papers and knickknacks that have been packed up since the painting project and need sorting. I do NOT want to just throw all this stuff back where it was; I want to sort and toss and recycle.

But I keep being distracted. One, I get drawn to the computer to read blogs. And two, there's this garden just outside my window. It calls to me in many ways.

It seems to be a banner year for phlox, and I have four different varieties all blooming their heads off. They are sending out a powerful scent, almost overwhelming. It makes me want to, I dunno, dance or daydream or gaze out at the flowers. Anything but paperwork.

Second, for the last couple of weeks I've been visited by butterflies, especially monarchs and tiger swallowtails and the little white ones whose name I never remember. With the window open I often hear their wings flap before I even see them. Then I am compelled to watch, and to pick up a camera and see whether I can capture some photos that top the ones I've already taken.

There also seems to be increased bird activity all around us. Goldfinches have been coming to the black-eyed susans that have volunteered themselves from the back yard into this pink-and-purple spot outside my window. Other finches follow, and I hear cardinals and other birds just out of sight. I'm forever pressing my face against the screen and craning my neck trying to spot the source of a tsk or a call. But they elude me, and my camera. Just as well. I have paperwork to do.

Proof of spring

I keep waiting for the warm sun they promised this weekend, but instead we have cold, clouds, and periodic rain. Just to prove that we do have spring blossoms (everything blooming two weeks later than last year), here are a few pictures.

I love this columbine, which has self-seeded around the back yard but is no longer found anywhere near where I originally planted it. While its face is wonderfully cheerful, I love the curved little spurs just as much. 

The azaleas are especially wonderful this year, having withstood children playing, roofers roofing, and tree trimmers trimming all about them.

The lilacs looked a lot like this, though I never got a chance to photograph them. Instead, this and my header are from last year's bouquet.

Meanwhile, the bleeding hearts bloomed enthusiastically behind the ferns, heuchera, and sweet woodruff, but they sustained a lot of damage from all the aforementioned activity this year, so here's a picture from two years ago. I love this part of the garden in spring.

Wednesday's Word: Lily

Garden colors

I won't be posting or commenting much this week, so I'm scheduling a few garden shots. Cheers!

Studies in pink, yellow, and green

A tiger swallowtail flitted around the coneflowers, always just a little beyond the optimal range of my lens.. The light produced strong color, and pushing the digital zoom made some of the blossoms appear almost painted.

Wednesday’s Word: Welcome!

It’s my pleasure to be today’s Blogger of Note on Words of Wisdom, or WOW. Sandy and Pam began this network a few months ago to link folks interested in blogs of substance—serious, funny, randomly mixed, anything that makes you want to join the conversation. I was among the first to sign up, and I’ve told readers about it before, but today’s the day WOW followers are visiting me. (Thanks to Leah at Funny is the New Young for nominating me.)

Please have a seat at my garden table, pour a virtual beverage, and look around a bit. (I’ll be watching from the window on the far right.)

I began blogging last August to record stories and photos of our two grandchildren, who share our lives through what I like to call Wild Rumpus Daycare for Grandkids Only. I didn’t seek followers at first, and I didn’t visit other blogs.

Then one day I wrote something for myself, about myself. It drew no comments, but I liked having it out there. After a lifetime of writing for others—magazine stories, brochures, speeches, ads, even three books—I liked writing my own thoughts in my own voice. I also discovered that I love reading and commenting on other people’s ideas. Who knew this would be so much fun?

ViolaMae, 2

Augie, 3 1/2

Transitions figure into a lot of my writing. For example: the amazing and wonderful growth of children, my learning to appreciate life “in the moment” instead of always looking forward, my easing toward retirement, and my sudden transition, 25 years ago, from single to married. I'm learning things about myself from the writing process, and from the comments others make.

Here are a few sample posts.

Where I am in life: Living well in 2010

A few “claims to fame”: I beat Bob Dylan in a talent contest

How I met my husband (a series): The meeting

About kids: But do they wear pantyhose?

I hope you'll find something to enjoy here, and that you'll choose to join the conversation! And if you haven't been to WOW, be sure to check it out; you'll find lots to like!

High summer in the garden

As I sit typing, the garden just outside my window is teeming with life. The coneflowers and liatris are blooming their heads off, and the butterflies know it. I can see at least a dozen red admirals flitting around, sometimes doubling up on the choicest flowers. I'm happy to say that lots of bees are joining them. And finally today I've seen a monarch and a tiger swallowtail. Didn't get to photograph them because the kids kept me busy, but I'm hoping they'll return. (Augie thought a tiger swallowtail should be more orange, so he decided our visitor was a cougar).

This is my best photo of a red admiral so far this year and one wing is a bit blurred. They move quickly and then close their wings, which are not as colorful on the reverse. Anyway, add in the glorious (and tall) yellow daylilies, and this is my little piece of heaven, whether I'm outdoors or at my desk!

May lilacs

Happy May Day

Snowdrops...and snow mold

First flowers of the season are always the snowdrops. They peek up while there is still snow on the ground. Our recent warm days melted all the snow but left a bumper crop of snow mold (upper right, looks kinda like insect webs).

Birthday Greeting...

Mr. February

Representing the American Legion in a bid to host your next function is Mr. February. This calendar was produced by the York, Maine, Chamber of Commerce as a fundraiser for local nonprofits. I won it in a giveaway from Eva at Wrestling With Retirement.

Garden photos

I keep meaning to print and frame some of my photos for a "winter garden," but this blog gives me a place to post them in the meantime....

Phlox

Bellflowers and roses

Red Admiral butterfly