Allotment Garden of Kauswagan, Cagayan de Oro City (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
I’ve been very distracted today. Dad has been in the hospital about eight days now, and he is really ready to come home. Extreme restlessness is a good sign he is feeling much better, and to the doctors’ credit, they recognize he will undoubtedly do better completing his full recovery with his personal creature comforts. The delay is simply cautionary and he will be released very shortly. Although I am not in a worried state, I’m still not quite sure where to place my not-at-my-workplace attention. The office has defined goals, so my concentration holds fairly well. But when at home I am completely unfocused. I can’t seem to dig in to any unfinished projects; I sense I will be interrupted. And as much as I love to read, my mind is wandering.
The one thing that I do with relish; however, is get my hands dirty! This time of year I could putter in the garden almost non-stop. My time at home is limited, so there isn’t as much clear productivity as I might like, but even a few minutes pulling one small patch of weeds or repotting a plant to give it more wriggle room–even a few good moments make a difference in overall garden aesthetics. It’s personal therapy, even if no one else notices.
Despite the lack of much time, I’m a perennial optimist, and I have been on a seed planting buzz. I think I’ve been significantly influenced by many of my “blogging buddies” with small farms and allotments. Celi at The Kitchens Garden and Claire at Promenade Plantings always inspire me with their beautiful organic gardening. They have also encouraged me to be more resourceful with my seed planting techniques. You can read about their newspaper and tp roll seed starting methods here and here.
When I am under stress of any kind I gravitate to activities offering simple repetitive motion! My brain rests a bit while I’m doing something with my hands. Since I have more seeds than I have seed-starting receptacles, and it’s a bit too late to accumulate all those cardboard tp tubes Claire got around to using, AND I also didn’t plan ahead to purchase one of those handy-dandy wooden devices that Celi uses to make her paper pots, I wasn’t sure of my next step. But then I went to my favorite source–and youtube to the rescue…again!
So now I’m all set and ready to go! I have plenty of newspaper, more seeds than I can actually use (I suspect I’ll be sharing), an in-between-other-things repetitive motion/mindless activity, and multiple teachable moments for my granddaughters. Perfect!
And then I have one more quick and easy distraction that will certainly rejuvenate and restore energy. Kevin, at Nitty Gritty Dirt Man, demonstrated a simple propagation method for hydrangeas–one of my favorite garden showpieces. You can follow Kevin’s method here, and I am eager to get started. In our area they are not very expensive plants, but that’s hardly the point. I enjoy watching things grow, and although I can be quite impatient with many things, I seem to have respect for growing seasons and everything taking its own time. Waiting for germination and a plant to develop slows a pacing and overly active mind. Translation– I breathelighter! Even simple garden pleasures are good for my well-being.
And my parents are avid gardeners as well. I am sure once they get home, following a brief recuperative period, they, too, will be eager to resume their gardening activity!
Everybody needs beauty as well as bread, places to play in and pray in, where nature may heal and give strength to body and soul… John Muir
It’s a wonderful time of year to go outdoors and get your hands dirty. I hope you will…and if you haven’t previously shared how you enjoy springtime gardening, I’d love to hear!
… Debra
breathelighter 