In The Garden

I love pulling weeds just as it's starting to rain.  The brisk breeze and refreshing drizzle is invigorating.  There isn't often time to get much done before it hits hard, but I try.  This week, the dying basil had to come out.  I have no idea what was ailing the plants because I have absolutely no clue what I'm doing out there.  Posting photos of the few miracles that occur in my garden might lead someone to think I have a lovely garden.  This, for example, is one of the blooms on the chive plant that I believe would survive a nuclear bomb (thus I will be planting more).

But then there's the truth of the matter.  It's a good thing that my herb garden is in the back yard where there are fewer witnesses.  This is what the raised bed garden that I had built last year looks like today.  That's one huge Italian flat leaf parsley plant, just beyond the spot where I pulled out the basil.  Just beyond that are a couple of newer herbs - tarragon and rosemary - and the anemic pepper plants barely visible at the far end.  I laugh every time I go outside and look at them.  In any event, I enjoy digging in the dirt and making believe that I can garden.  The other herb garden has a crazy mass of oregano and thyme.  For the garden challenged, plant those if you want to feel successful outdoors.

On the art front, I've been messing around and re-working one of my figurative pieces.  I can't say it looks much better, but I'm trying to just play, see what happens, and enjoy the solitude in the studio.  My creative juices are a bit muddled and syrupy instead of free-flowing.  I'll go poke some dirt for a while, then head to the studio and goof off.  Maybe I never finish this one and just experiment with wires, fibers and whatever else I can lay my hands on.  We'll see what comes of the effort today.

Rain, rain, rain

The weather forecast calls for a solid week of rain which started yesterday. They mean business! As the clouds were just beginning to roll in, I thought that the wicked weather would be the most fabulous argument for spending guilt-free time in the studio. Before my excuse arrived full force, I put on a tank top (it was actually pretty cold - what was I thinking?) and zipped outside to plant the herbs I bought weeks ago that have been clinging to life in my kitchen. I dug, planted, looked up at the clouds, and realized I wouldn't see the sun for a while. I love the rain, so this is OK with me. But I figured I'd enjoy some outdoor time as long as Mother Nature permitted.

As the wind picked up, I grabbed my kitchen herb scissors and started trimming the out-of-control tomato plant that is still producing in January, along with the overgrown and sprawling Heliotrope plant. These plants, along with a couple of irises, are all in the same planting well, more evidence that I have absolutely no business in a garden. I chuckled to myself, knowing full well that I'll never be compared to Martha Stewart. Stopping every few minutes to watch the clouds roll in, it occurred to me that very few adults do the same. I love going in the back yard and sitting as quietly as I can, trying to pick out all of the wild bird songs. I love watching the hawk sail overhead, hunting and calling out (which I always thought of as being a bad hunting technique). Sometimes I can catch sight of a pair of squirrels chasing each other around the avacado tree, one appearing to be much more in a playing mood than the other that turns as scolds the "chaser" every few rounds. I see the lizards on the wall doing push ups, and watch the bees zoom from little flower to flower, trying not to do my usual flight with my arms flapping and yelling, "buzzer!" I love this quiet time and feel that everyone would do well to enjoy the little stuff that goes on whether or not we're paying attention.

Now I'm geared up to get to work and enjoy indoors. While the rain taps on the window, I will enjoy sitting in the studio with music playing or a fabulous old movie (maybe "A Date with Judy" starring a very young Elizabeth Taylor), brainstorming for my current art project. I'll take breaks to help my son study for finals this week, and enjoy the fact that life is really, really good right now.