First I take it all in, and then I get curious to wander around. Last Spring we tore up the moss that covered all our flat yard space and planted grass seed. It rains so much in Seattle that I don't feel bad having a lawn (growing up in California with droughts, lawns are a unnecessary sucking of water resources). The grass is nice and fresh green color and smells sweet. First I peek at our garden boxes.
In the fall I covered the boxes with leaves and mulched them into the dirt. I am curious if anything is growing back. I always find it peaceful seeing the garden boxes resting, full of potential for the summer planting. I like the symbolism in that image. I like thinking that I am resting and rejuvenating all winter long as well (fewer leaves were required in my winterization). I look close and I see little glimmers of growth peeking out of the dirt and leaves.
Can you see the little shoots coming back! Pictured from the left to right is flat leaf parsley, thyme, and chives. I love being in the fresh air, seeing the sun peeking out behind the clouds. As it is 11am on a weekday while I'm outside, there is no one else really around. My neighbor's kids are at school and my neighbor's themselves are at work, so I feel like the world around me is all mine.
And finally as I walk around the corner, I notice our Camelia tree is budding. There is so much beauty present in the few hundred square feet of our backyard it reminds you how much beauty there is in the world in general. Sometimes you have to look closer and then it becomes clear. I am grateful to be able to be able to immerse myself in all this fresh air and plant life. I love being able to plant flowers and veggies and see their progress over the years and seasons. These are reflections of what I think is beautiful!
What up Sunny Sup~!? haha.
ReplyDeleteSeems like a relaxing place. Good for BBQs? I bet. Perhaps perfect for weekend game days, or a morning cup of coffee when Seattle isn't being so Seattle. I wish my yard looked like yours. I have an apple tree with bugs plaguing it, and I have to do something about it, like cut it down or spray it down with some sort of pesticide. Anywho, thanks for the relaxing read. It put me in a much needed Zen-state of mind for the night.
SSUP--
ReplyDeleteI used to landscape/landscape design and I feel like everyone's little piece of earth, even if it's a pot on a deck, can be their sanctuary if they'd like it to be. I love your planting boxes, I always dream of the potential stirring around in the dirt of them. So much can come from them! Sounds like you had an enjoyable time, and so hard for me to remember that there's a little bit of calm and wonder right outside my door. Two daphnes are blooming right now and I didn't even realize until I was running to my car and stopped in my tracks from their powerful scent. Such a lift in the wintertime!! I hear a bird chirping outside even as I type this… thanks for sharing!
I bet your backyard smells lovely in the summer time. To this day, the smell of someone chopping parsley catapults me back to my grandmother's garden. The thought of my grandmother's garden and all the tasty bits to be found there: sweet blackberries, tart loganberries, juicy red strawberries, crisp transparent apples, plump tomatoes, and enough herbs to make any chef jealous. So parsley and I are friends because it has the ability to move me to another dimension of time and space. I hope that as your garden grows and your backyard evolves it will lead you to have equally wonderful memories.
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