The Beginnings of a Garden

I feel SO contended right now.

This afternoon, while Rudy took a mongo 3 hour nap, I putzed around in the backyard, preparing my land to produce a lovely garden this growing season.

I mostly worked on reviving the long dormant garden plot that had already been painstakingly arranged to catch the most light, and still look beautiful. I LOVE my yard!! I send thank you's to heaven (where the late owner surely is) most every time I work in the yard. I can tell how much he's put into this land over the years. The fact that instead of just letting his garden plot go to weeds, he carefully covered it with landscaper's tarp and wood chips shows his devotion to his land.

So now, probably at least decade since this land has been actively used, I can come along and enjoy a beautiful start to a garden on soil that is rich, dark, and weed free. As I pulled back the tarp to reveal the soil beneath, I was greeted with all sorts of worm tunnels, a few scurrying spiders, and the most delicious smell of just warmed, still moist spring(ish) soil. Sigh. Sometimes, I just LOVE my life.

To top it all off, my stake is doing a free 6 week gardening course, taught by someone who could totally be teaching in a college setting (seriously-he has his doctorate and everything!) I went to the first class last night and was mesmerized for the full two hours as he talked all about fertilizing, soil content and PH, and touched on watering. I'm pumped to finish this course and get started on my first real experience in caring for a plot of land all my own. Well, I guess I could share with Jason, but I think he'd be just as happy if I did all the work and he just came out to play. We make a great pair-I love outdoor work, he prefers indoor work or putzing around doing home improvement projects. If only one of us LOVED to clean the bathroom...