Together Again
I had a conversation with my garden today for the first time in almost a year. Oh, we'd nod and say hi every once and a while: "Your flowers are beautiful today." "Thanks. How's the pregnancy?" But our relationship was strained. I felt it was too needy. It thought I wasn't putting in enough effort, and it wasn't about to follow my rules about where, how, and what it should grow if I wasn't around. We lived side by side, but not together.
We started talking again on Earth Day. My mother bought a lemon tree while she was visiting, and Gillian, rt_hon_rackman and I planted it. Gillian named it Lemody. I used to think that Earth Day was a kind of non-holiday, but having children has made me focus more on the health of the planet, and Earth Day is a good jumping-off point for educating them about the environment. So we planted a tree and a tomato plant, and talked with Gillian about caring for the earth.
With that act of reconciliation, my garden and I finally got back together. Today I got my hands into the dirt, weeded, pruned, planted, mulched, watered, and ended up hours later sweaty, dirty, tired, and happy. It looks much better now that it's getting the attention it craves. We still have a ways to go before we are both really satisfied, but as always, relationships are works in progress.
We started talking again on Earth Day. My mother bought a lemon tree while she was visiting, and Gillian, rt_hon_rackman and I planted it. Gillian named it Lemody. I used to think that Earth Day was a kind of non-holiday, but having children has made me focus more on the health of the planet, and Earth Day is a good jumping-off point for educating them about the environment. So we planted a tree and a tomato plant, and talked with Gillian about caring for the earth.
With that act of reconciliation, my garden and I finally got back together. Today I got my hands into the dirt, weeded, pruned, planted, mulched, watered, and ended up hours later sweaty, dirty, tired, and happy. It looks much better now that it's getting the attention it craves. We still have a ways to go before we are both really satisfied, but as always, relationships are works in progress.