Lemony Webbles

it's a spring thing

We got a lot of gardening done this weekend, thanks to a new batch of play sand in the sandbox. It's white beach sand and doesn't get the kids dirty like regular sand. So with the girls at their own private beach, Billy and I can tackle our many outside projects. We spent a year just observing what came up in the garden so we wouldn't end up digging up perennials. It was very hard to wait that long, but I'm glad we did because now we can plan wisely and use what we have. I'm mostly moving plants around to give them more room, digging out little junk trees, and weeding while Billy does the grunt work of cleaning out the garbage dump area of the yard, hurling hunks of concrete into a pile to be recycled, and untangling big old vines from the wreckage of the old garage foundation. It's very satisfying and even theraputic to finally dig in and change things after looking at our mess of a yard for so long. It's also really pleasant to look back on a weekend and feel like I really accomplished something. ooo...that reminds me of a great quote I just read from Robert Rodale, organic gardening pioneer. He said, "Gardens are great places to teach the important lessons of life. Ability to observe leads to understanding. Work can be enjoyable. Persistent effort can make a barren place productive. Optimism pays off." I'm so there.

This weekend also reminded me of why I love this house. It's real identity is a little summer cottage, and when it get to be itself, it shines. During the winter, it tries to be something it's not- a snug warm cabin. Of course, it never works to try to be something you're not, but when warm weather comes back, it remembers its good qualities and sits a little taller. It's a great place to take a break from outdoor adventures- gardening, playing in the park and woods and swimming across the street in 'our extended yard'. So here comes the good part of the year for it and for me. Hooray!