Gardening (or the realization that mother nature has attitude)

For the past decade or so, I’ve not had the chance to garden. And I’m one of those people who (perhaps due to a terrible memory) claim to love to garden. When Michael and I were looking for our home it was Autumn and the raucous wild nature of the South was ebbing away. We were very enthusiastic about wanting a yard. And when we stumbled upon the home we live in a big reason why we chose it was because it has a secret garden up hill from the backyard and lots and lots of green. Green, woodsy goodness, right?

And now it is full on Spring in Atlanta. Those of you that are familiar will know what that means— pollen, sure. But also a daily discovery of something new blooming. Azaleas are in full force. Dogwoods, redbuds,  pear, and all of it changes the ride to work daily. It’s gorgeous. A gardener’s delight.

And then there is the yard. That lovely thing we wanted so badly. A lot of it is our impractical procrastination of things. We didn’t have a lawn mower before the rains started. Now we do. And it is still quietly locked up in the barn waiting for the rain to stop. Our yard is over a half a foot tall of weeds that are really thriving in the mists and fog and rain of the past week. I’m beginning to wonder when the county is going to fine us for having an unkempt front yard.

And the secret garden? Even after removing several dead trees and about a ton of unwanted privet— it’s still very secret and is going to be a complete beast to control. Seriously, there are ivy vines out there thicker than my wrists. We can swing on them like Tarzan.

So real gardening may not happen for a while. Sure, when the weather allows we may slightly tame some of the tendrils and tidy the wild. But the wait is real and the rains keep coming.

July Magic

Hi! This is July and usually, I hate to say, I’m sort of in the Summer doldrums by now. My lovely humid hometown makes it easy to leave you feeling dirty and gritty in July and August. But not this year. And what a magical thing that has turned out to be! I say that because, as an Atlanta native, this is the first year that I’ve decided to run the Peachtree Road Race. It is the world’s largest 10K (or at least billed to be) and is a major event every year. Typically, I’ve equated running the Peachtree with being as dumb as a lump on a log — because who runs in 98+ degree with 80+ humidity and NO RAIN? Well, about 60,000 do, that’s who. And this year, I was one of the idiots.

Except I wasn’t. The weather was its mildest ever for the race. They had the fewest numbers of heat related incidents. It was remarkable. Mother nature smiled on me and I was able to finish the race in spite of the past few months of aging body problems (you know, feet, back, the like). Sure, it was a run and walk event for me, but I did it and am super happy that I participated in an Atlanta institution. Even happier that I didn’t have to be walked to Piedmont Hospital during the event.

And for more magic, today I did something that I completely wouldn’t have expected to do (well, my 12 year old self would have). I woke up at 5 a.m. and went to a yin yoga class that started at 6. It was in a hot yoga room which I was not expecting. So two of my resistances were dismissed in one morning. Getting out of my comfort zone (and comfortable bed) was definitely worth it this morning. I feel like electricity and lightening bugs. It’s a great way to start the day and I may be a believer.

Send out good vibes to the universe. I know a lot of people that could use the extra lightness right now.