As this blog has developed, I'm realizing it's turned out to be a little bit of lots of different things: book, film and even reviews, thoughts on current events, travel tips and reflections. It's kind of a gardening blog, kind of a movie and art blog, kind of a just whatever blog.
Today there was more gardening, which, as it turns out, is like almost anything else you start to get into - you had no idea there was so much to it. It's endless. You can spend all your free time (and money) in and on your garden. It becomes like one more room that requires maintenance and decoration. New plants are so much fun, especially new herbs because they bring a new smell, too. I like a new smell.
What am I growing now? Chives, sage, rosemary, thyme, lemon thyme, lemon verbena, lemon balm, parsley, tarragon (which isn't doing well - apparently, it's hard to grow), tri-color sage, yellow yarrow, pink yarrow, borage, two kinds of lavender, four kinds of mint, summer savory, cilantro, anise hyssop, bloody dock, St. John's Wort, chamomile, bronze fennel and I think that's it. All of it planted by me at some point. The borage is re-planting itself.
I decided to try out ornamental grass, even though at first, I was like, what the hell is this? Ornamental grass! But I took a closer look, and it some of them were actually kind of cool-looking. I've got a wispy prairie-looking thing, and a bluish-green spiky mop in a dusky Southwestern pot. Looks surprisingly good.
I also had an encounter with one of the backyard moles. This afternoon, there was an enormous, clean tunnel opening right where I'd pulled up the dead old parsley this morning. I saw a movement out of the corner of my eye, and when I looked closer, his little furry head popped out, his tiny nose twitching. He popped in and out a few times, each time boldly wiggling a little further out - until I yelled "Hey!" and he disappeared and filled in the hole. One time we saw them actually tug a plant entirely underground; it just disappeared, whoop! Just like in a cartoon. They are awfully persistent. I really understand the whole Bill Murray thing from Caddyshack now - they can be infuriating.
It's funny - gardening is also like other arts and crafts in that it gives you a new eye for the things around you. When I was learning to play the violin, I started to notice and appreciate classical music and violin especially with a new awareness. Now I drive or walk around the city, and I notice what's growing. There's some borage. There's a strain of lavender I don't know. Mint. Blackberries are everywhere. Giant rosemary bushes, like fences, some places in our neighborhood. I see medians that look somewhat attractive and I think, who's maintaining that? How did they get it to look like that? I bought some succulents and now I see them everywhere - just because I notice them now. Of course, they were always there.
In fact, that might be my favorite thing about gardening so far: it makes me feel closer to nature everywhere *else* and not just my backyard. Of course, I can't wait to eat our first berries and steam our first kale and grill our first squash. Maybe we'll have a backyard bounty barbecue. Here's to hoping the next three months aren't all fog.
Today there was more gardening, which, as it turns out, is like almost anything else you start to get into - you had no idea there was so much to it. It's endless. You can spend all your free time (and money) in and on your garden. It becomes like one more room that requires maintenance and decoration. New plants are so much fun, especially new herbs because they bring a new smell, too. I like a new smell.
What am I growing now? Chives, sage, rosemary, thyme, lemon thyme, lemon verbena, lemon balm, parsley, tarragon (which isn't doing well - apparently, it's hard to grow), tri-color sage, yellow yarrow, pink yarrow, borage, two kinds of lavender, four kinds of mint, summer savory, cilantro, anise hyssop, bloody dock, St. John's Wort, chamomile, bronze fennel and I think that's it. All of it planted by me at some point. The borage is re-planting itself.
I decided to try out ornamental grass, even though at first, I was like, what the hell is this? Ornamental grass! But I took a closer look, and it some of them were actually kind of cool-looking. I've got a wispy prairie-looking thing, and a bluish-green spiky mop in a dusky Southwestern pot. Looks surprisingly good.
I also had an encounter with one of the backyard moles. This afternoon, there was an enormous, clean tunnel opening right where I'd pulled up the dead old parsley this morning. I saw a movement out of the corner of my eye, and when I looked closer, his little furry head popped out, his tiny nose twitching. He popped in and out a few times, each time boldly wiggling a little further out - until I yelled "Hey!" and he disappeared and filled in the hole. One time we saw them actually tug a plant entirely underground; it just disappeared, whoop! Just like in a cartoon. They are awfully persistent. I really understand the whole Bill Murray thing from Caddyshack now - they can be infuriating.
It's funny - gardening is also like other arts and crafts in that it gives you a new eye for the things around you. When I was learning to play the violin, I started to notice and appreciate classical music and violin especially with a new awareness. Now I drive or walk around the city, and I notice what's growing. There's some borage. There's a strain of lavender I don't know. Mint. Blackberries are everywhere. Giant rosemary bushes, like fences, some places in our neighborhood. I see medians that look somewhat attractive and I think, who's maintaining that? How did they get it to look like that? I bought some succulents and now I see them everywhere - just because I notice them now. Of course, they were always there.
In fact, that might be my favorite thing about gardening so far: it makes me feel closer to nature everywhere *else* and not just my backyard. Of course, I can't wait to eat our first berries and steam our first kale and grill our first squash. Maybe we'll have a backyard bounty barbecue. Here's to hoping the next three months aren't all fog.
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