One of the best things about summer when you’re a teacher is being able to spend more time on things that get short shrift during the school year. For example, the garden. It had become a full-on jungle over the past month. Rogue vines had grown up the honeysuckle and chokeberry (more like choked berry – hah), grass had sprung up between the patio rocks, and other plants had well overstepped their boundaries.
After my rowing and strength workouts (educating myself on menopause has lit a fire to battle a possible onset of osteoporosis in the next ten years or so – more on that another time), I stepped out into the backyard after dousing myself in mosquito repellant. After watering every inch of the garden, pulling Creeping Jenny out of the pond (she crept right on over the rocks and and into the water), sweeping up dead leaves and branches, and filling the green compost can to overflowing, I stepped back and breathed a sigh of relief. My beautiful garden: you were there the whole time. You just needed a little love and sweat.
My Corner of the Village 