Bear with me for a moment while I talk gardening...
I know it's quite different than the sexy men and erotic content I often post, but I like my interests being chaotic and wildly varied.
But then, is it truly any less creative than words on the page?
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About five years ago, I was considering selling my house and getting something a little larger. I knew we'd need to spruce the place up before putting it on the market, so I figured I'd plant some nice things out front to give it some curb appeal.
It was hell. Nothing wanted to grow because the soil was bad and the sun beat down on it all day long. (There are days our front doorknob is so hot it nearly burns your hand.) Plants were dying left and right, I couldn't keep them watered enough, and it pissed me the hell off.
It felt like a challenge, one I refused to fail at.
So I researched heat-loving plants. I sought out the advice of master gardeners at local nurseries. I searched the internet for advice, and through a little trial and error, I finally had a nice little front garden.
By then, the gardening bug had bit.
I turned my attention onto the back yard. I decided I wanted to plant some veggies and have a few baskets out there. I bought a nice wicker set of furniture so I could enjoy the outdoors. I built a raised bed all by myself (well, with my kidult's groaning help at times)
And while my hands are in the dirt, my back aching, I feel amazing.
When I harvest a crop for the first time, there's a pride in the fact that I nurtured something and brought it to life. When it sits on my plate, it tastes all the sweeter because I grew it. When one of my neighbors comes into my backyard and says they just want to sit there all day and look at everything, there's a sense of pride that they recognize the beauty of what I'm trying to create.
And it is another form of creating. Oscar de la Renta said, "Gardening is how I relax. It's another form of creating and playing with color." I agree with him wholeheartedly. It's therapy, relaxing in the longevity of it. No, you don't get to see your creation completed in a day, a week, or even a month. You build on it, add more pieces, and years later, it might not truly be complete.
I'd always thought of gardening being something for old women and men, a hobby to waste time for the retired. My grandfather and grandfather in law were avid gardeners before they passed.
I sometimes joke about being a premature old lady, with my big sunhat, on my knees in the dirt.
But it's more than a hobby. More than something to waste time. It's therapy. It's a sense of accomplishment. It's happiness in overalls and dirty hands.
Maybe those older folks just know something most everyone else don't. I'm glad I figured it out before I retired, is all I know.
My backyard is tiny. Really tiny. But I make the most of it. I spend time out here every single day, whether it's digging in the dirt, or letting my pups sniff around while I sip some tea with my feet propped up. We'll be out there this weekend, grilling up some hamburgers and enjoying some sangria. I hope you enjoy your holiday weekend!
Oh? And me selling my house? That was the plan, but after remodeling the inside to make it more sellable and all the work I've done to the outside, I almost don't want to leave.
But I have an aging mother who I'd like to move in with me in the next decade or so.
I figure there will be another backyard for me to transform, and maybe this one will be a hair bigger so I can really make a gorgeous mess!
