My garden, for the moment.

I live in a “temporary” apartment.   I had a lovely house in MD and will have another (soon, I hope) in IL.  In the meantime, a lot of my stuff is in storage.  I’ve learned some things about “stuff” in the time I’ve had to live in limbo.  The most important thing is, I can actually live without quite a bit of my stuff.  When I get it all back, it’ll be sort of like Christmas; many things will feel new again – “Hey, I forgot I owned one of these!”. 

There are a few exceptions, a few things I miss keenly and can’t wait to have back in my immediate position again.  My piano is first on that list.  A number of treasured books – I had to make choices, but had I known I’d be in this apartment for this long there are a few more I’d have brought with me.  And one thing that isn’t in storage but I will start over – a yard full of garden beds.  I grow flowers and vegetables; I have ever since I had my own little spot in my grandmother’s garden all those years ago.  I miss the excitement of planning, the problem solving (“Hmmm, there’s less sun here than I thought there would be” or “What kind of bugs are THOSE?”), the gentle competition with critters (all in good fun except the year the groundhog leveled my vegetable garden), the sheer pleasure of walking the yard each morning to see what’s happening, what’s changed, what’s blooming.  I love to watch the colors as they develop (or don’t) the way I imagined.  I love eating from the garden in summer; especially  the incomparable taste of cherry tomatoes still warm from the sun.  I enjoy most gardening chores, even weeding.  And I feel a garden keeps me in touch with the weather and the seasons.  I watch the days lengthen and shorten with much more interest when it affects my small harvests.  I am far less inclined to be annoyed by periodic bouts of rain.  I am, in short, in better sync with my world when the garden is part of my life. 

For now, this little deck off the back of my apartment is all the garden I have.  One tomato, one hot pepper, some herbs, and the flowers and houseplants.  They don’t take much work beyond watering – except that I learned the hard way I must pollinate my own veggies; the bees don’t find this place.  I’ll only get a few peppers and a handful or two of tomatoes even with that.  Single plants find it hard to be productive. 

It does make for a nice little spot to be outside in good weather, despite the view beyond of the parking lot and the constant jet-engine-like buzz/roar of the gas station’s air conditioner a half block away (if I play some nice music through the window, I can ignore that).  The absolutely glorious weather of the past week has made this a pleasant place to sip coffee in the morning and read or do needlework until the light fades in the evening. 

I work at enjoying this and at feeling sure I will have my yard again in the fullness of time.