Therapeutic yard work

 After being away for a week, it was wonderful to come home to spring weather, new blooms and blossoms, and a whole weekend ahead of me to do yard work and errands. The temperatures were perfect today so off to Lowe's to buy lumber and soil, then back home to build a 4 by 4 garden bed, clean up a few neglected areas, and mow down some ambitious weeds in the lawn. 

I also popped by my school to lay down some soil and mulch in the gardens there, and get in the right head space to welcome kids back on Monday for the first time since last March. 

My partner and his 11 year old son got some powertools out of the shed and got to work on the wood, measuring and cutting, drilling and sanding. I pulled out the lawn mower and made the necessary passes on the growing part of the lawn, then dove into a jungle of a space near the shed, where we have been battling bamboo for a few years. We also started composting back there a couple of years ago, but winter-time doesn't lend itself to a lot of action in the compost bin, so it needed some TLC in the form of shoveling and turning the contents and adding in some fresh soil. 

What satisfying work! Soon the boys had the frame of the new garden bed finished, we placed it in its new spot, and I stapled in some liner. We dumped five bags of various soil in there, smoothed it all out and voila! Phase one of gardening 2021 complete! 

As I was kneeling on the ground, dumping soil, pulling weeds, and dreaming about what is going to grow, I felt so alive and connected. It felt good to move my body and do physical work, to have filthy hands and layers of dirt beneath my fingernails. 

After a long hot shower and some heavy duty fingernail scrubbing, I'm planning out what to plant at home, and finalizing plans for what we will plant at school. I'm an eager novice, and am so excited to learn more this spring. 

I'm feeling so grateful for the time and space to garden, and look forward to the many hours I will get to spend tending it. 


Comments

  1. I love this season! I can hear the similar joy in your writing - "I'm an eager novice," such great words. Today was perfect for working in the yard! I can't wait to hear more about your teaching in-person. Wishing you the best of starts! - or is it "returns"?

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  2. Sounds so super productive and ready for lots of growth all around!

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