I have been playing in the
dirt lately – namely in the front and back yards. Liz and I have decided to
cleanse the two before we start adding. No need to be stuck with someone
else’s vision. Let’s wipe the slate clean then make it ours. Flower beds have
been disassembled. Large stones have been gathered and piled. Many, many leaves
have been bagged up and hauled off. And volunteer saplings have been removed –
with an axe no less.
My yard tool selection could
use some diversity, but in the mean time, I am content with using an axe for
everything. Oh, that tree branch that collapsed under the weight of the winter
precipitation needs removed. Axe. Those grapevines on the arbor need cut away.
Axe. What is that? The whole arbor isn’t your jam. AXE. As long as I don’t have
to start congratulating people with high-fours I’m good-to-go for a bit.
As I hack away at everything,
and the neutral colored blanket of leaves and pine needles is pulled back from
the yard, it is nice to get a glimpse of what spring holds. Small patches of
bright green moss have started to stand out. Previously hidden bulbs have
sprouted all over – in the flower
beds, along the back of the house, in the middle of the yard – and are blooming
yellow and purple. To be honest, I will sometimes come across a bulb, sprout,
or blooming plant and save it from the purge by finding a place for it in
another area.
In the same vein, I thought I'd get the ball rolling by starting some seeds for the gardens. I found a
couple starting kits and seed packets that had made it through the move –
including ones that Liz had left from the Clyde Oak urban farm seed collection – and took the opportunity to try to give them a jump-start. Maybe I’m trying to prompt spring
weather, or maybe craving fresh vegetables, but if nothing else it gives me an
excuse to keep playing in the dirt.
