Weeds again

Weeding is one of the activities where it is easy to let your mind wander - and still be safe. For some reason it is also a time when I hear my Dad's voice in my head. I don't remember my Dad being a great gardener, and I have no idea where he learned his wisdom on all things green. Somehow I don't think it was at his mother's knee. One of my tasks in this great yard work adventure was pulling weeds. Why I don't know other than it kept me busy and out of my Mom's hair. However, pulling weeds had some very specific requirements. The first time I dead headed a dandelion and put it in my bucket I learned that NO, No, no, you did not pull off the heads and call that weeding. You pull it out WITH the root. The green part with the little roots showing. A later lesson was about BAD DIRT. I seem to have progressed from pulling out the weeds, green leaves and roots, to digging them out. Again, there in my little bucket was a dandelion, green leaves, roots and a small amount of dirt clinging to the roots, since like a good little girl, I shook off the still useful dirt and put it back in the hole. Hmm, NO, No, no, you do not put the BAD DIRT riddled with weed stuff back in the hole, it will just grow another weed. I think this lesson must apply to life somehow. I am sure my many years of Catholic school education reinforced the importance of ridding your life of all manner of bad habits, bad friends and bad influences.

Back to my garden. Some weeds, I pull out roots and dirt and banish them to either the compost heap or the dump. Some I nudge and hack off their heads when I have clean hands, no desire to get down on my knees and am going mainly for appearances. I do admit that on the days when I am determined to get all of their little roots and seeds and whatever else it is slightly satisfying to see a pile of weeds no longer taking up space. It is however exhausting. And just like bad habits the minute I turn around they are back.

I think I will find a tall glass, some ice and make a Tequila Sunrise with that very nice tequila I tracked down. I think it will give me perspective.

Costa Rica

It seems I only remember to update my blog post vacations. I really spend lots of time at home, but the vacations are the most fun. Far more fun than writing about weeding or thoughts on ironing. Bruce won a trip to Costa Rica as a President's Club reward for 2011. It was a wonderful week at a very nice resort on the Pacific coast. The people could not have been nicer, the company planned fun things to do, and the weather cooperated. There was a sunset cruise one night, the water was a little too rough for snorkeling, but the swimmers jumped in to cool off. One of those times I wished I could make myself get into water without lines I can see in the bottom. Mid-trip I managed to come down with the bug Bruce had been battling since Easter, so one night I hung out in the room nursing a cough and headache, but drugs are wonderful so I got to do most things.

Now we are back to the everyday. Work, work, weeding, laundry, grocery shopping. It took a few days to recover from the bug, so I am still not finished hacking the garden back into shape. I now measure progress a foot at a time. Six feet to go on the back side, another 20 feet or so on the back, and then another 12 - 15 feet along the front, before tackling the edge of the woods. I had better start making better progress before Meagan and Ashby get here. I am trying to carve out a few days for a quick trip north to see my Mom and the grandbabies, and of course their parental units. This is an unusual June work wise. There are a couple projects wrapping up and two starting. The corporate world doesn't seem to honor the old rule in community work -- all work stops June 10 and doesn't start again until after Labor Day. I guess I got spoiled being able to count on June, July and August as slow months for writing reports and playing.

This is an open invitation to sibs and kids, come visit! The beds are made sheets are clean, the air conditioning works, the pool is open (and there are nice big lines on the bottom) and it is still delightful to sit on the back porch in the evening. Leave the city- come to the Carolinas.