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| My next project is re-doing the rock garden, already a work in progress. |
I awoke this morning with the realization I am on the threshold of the rest of my life. That could be one minute or twenty years. Whatever it is, I'm beating my own drum and leading my own parade.
Ranch..... finished. Yesterday I turned in my key, signed over the deed to new owners and I will never, never, never visit that land again. I've moved many times in my life and I never revisit or look back.
I always need a project..... ask my family. Next project..... bring back the rock garden and all the forgotten gardens on this 2 1/2 lot yard. This old house has stood vacant for 8 years and working in the yard is like the story of the "Secret Garden," I never know what I'll uncover. Already, I've added many new trees, scads of perennials from neighborhood cuttings and new nursery plants.
Here's to a splendiferous summer. How is your summer project going?
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In case anyone is curious about the header plant...... it is a Sea Holly. It has thistle-like blue flowers and foliage. Plant where you want it because it resents being transplanted. The bloom will retain it's vivid color when dried if picked when bloom is fully open.
Thanks Karen. Wish I could take that title but Susan S. Weed already has it. Have you ever read her book, "Healing Wise?" All about herbs and great recipes and ideas. She also has videos on YT.
ReplyDeleteFrom someone who can tend to get lost in sentiment, I love that you're not looking back. What a way to live. :) Congratulations on the move. I, like you, always need a project. Living in an apartment keeps me from a beautiful rock garden like yours, so instead I work very hard to keep my kitchen succulents alive. They're hard to kill, so if that says anything about me...
ReplyDeleteRose
ReplyDeleteI'm with you. The only house plants I have are succulents... a lot of aloes, also my medicine. I don't care for that constant watering and succulents thrive on neglect. Projects are a life-line. Doesn't have to be a rock garden or a ranch or choreography..... can be anything that brings happy fulfillment and I know that is also true for you.
How exciting to embark upon a new threshold!! I look forward to reading about your journey :-)
ReplyDeleteKeith
ReplyDeleteYes, a journey, exactly what it feels like. My bag is packed. My grandmother always said, "Pack a lot of clean underwear." Ha
That is why you alway look fit, trim and young. You keep yourself busy. Love your idea of a rock garden.
ReplyDeleteMuch love to you!!
Terry
DeleteAhhh Gee, Not so true about trim/young but you're sweet to say it. You've been extremely busy too. What's up? Love to you, too.
Ooh...now that surprises me. I would have thought that you'd go back and revisit. Really surprises me... You've got a major chore ahead of you...good luck!!!
ReplyDeleteturquoisemoon
DeleteI wonder why you think I want to go back. I always put so much of myself into the yard in gardens, etc and I don't want to see if people cut down a tree or shrub. My real estate lady just told me she had lived in a place for 15 years and had babied the trees and planted exotic gardens. She sold the house and the new lady had cut down every tree, shrub and not a plant left. That would destroy me because the trees and plants are alive and it's MURDER.I'd rather not see it.
Glad it is finally done
ReplyDeleteThat has to be a big weight off your shoulders under your sun
Now you can go about your day
Fixing up the garden at your new/old bay
My summer projects are to move out of our hole
And just keep on with the rhyming goal
Pat
DeleteI hope you find another place
Where sunshine in your rooms will grace
With nice big windows and a ledge
A place for cats to watch the hedge
Where Cassie and Orlin see birds of song
It will keep them amused all day long
Hi Manzanita .. sounds a wonderful project for summer - it's just so lovely working outside ... savouring nature ..
ReplyDeleteEnjoy the design and fruition stage .. such fun to see everything .. and I love rock gardens and sea holly! Cheers Hilary
Hilary
DeleteIt's great not to have to worry about going to the ranch. Today I prepared the bird yard with bird baths, hanging feeders and socks, placed benches and I'm ready for the song birds.
Thanks Hilary.... I do enjoy. I thought you would be familiar with sea holly.
You sure know a lot about plants. Such a fun and rewarding thing to do!
ReplyDeleteCongrats on the sale of your property and moving on. It's always so fun to see what other adventures life has in store for us!
I sure wish I could just move on to my next desired life phase. Sometimes things just take time, I guess. I do like seeing what you're up to with your new endevours though. :)
Jasmine
DeleteYes, sometimes time seems to stand still when we are eager for it to move forward. I think you want to move to Texas, is that right? Texas is a big big big state and I'm sure there a place for you and hubby.
I'm happy to be back in town because I love all my neighbors. The house is old (very old) and a dump but it's just a dump with four walls and windows and it's light and bright so it's OK. I love the yard and that makes up for the house.
May you get on with your next life phase very soon.
Best of luck on this new direction in life and take lots of pictures of your new project.
ReplyDeleteI'm interested to see how it comes along :)
Mark
DeleteThanks. So far, I have 4 gardens going and the weeding along keeps me jumping. Today I weeded the iris garden that was overgrown with tall weeds. Now they can breath. Ha
A rock garden sounds great and you gave me an idea. I have so many rocks around here.....
ReplyDeleteInger
DeleteYes, if you have natural rocks, by all means, rock gardens are so much fun to construct and take care of.
Like you, I have never looked back but eagerly looked forward to the challenges and blank slate of a new place. What you create there will be all yours.
ReplyDeleteYour rock garden reminds me of my first job when a neighbor lady wanted me to weed her "rock garden." Couldn't see why any one wanted rocks but when I got through, that was all she had. Nary a weed or plant in sight. Boy was she mad.
Patti
DeleteThat made me laugh out loud. You were quite the ambitious weeder. I've hired a few guys like that. Now I try to do my own weeding. Haha
I like the look of your garden already, rocks, trees and greenery, it will be even better when the rock garden is done. Summer here is too far away to be thinking of a summer project, but my current project is going well. Bringing order out of chaos for friends who work long hours and have fallen into the "can't be bothered, I'll leave it till tomorrow/the weekend/next week" trap. One room at a time....
ReplyDeleteRiver
DeleteDo you mean you are organizing your friends houses? That is a very noble thing to do. Help. I need you. Now that I'm done with the ranch, I had to rent a storage unit so I can get rid of the excess from there.
I want to march in your parade!!
ReplyDeleteFishducky
DeleteMarch along with me. We'll share a parade.
Good luck with your rock garden and the newest phase of your life. Any project in the garden is good for getting your own roots down.
ReplyDeleteI just had the gardener dig up and pot an errant fig tree which sprouted between the bricks near my bird feeder. I decided to give it a chance at a life even if it never gives me a fig. I love the look of its leaves and perhaps someone I know may have a perfect spot for it.
Lo
DeleteHow wonderful that you live in a climate where figs grow. I'd love a fig tree. Yum. If I were your neighbor, I'd find the perfect spot for it.
Take care of yourself and get some good sunshine. I'm about to in a few minutes.... gonna mow the grass.
Moving on to a new project keeps us alert
ReplyDeleteJohn
DeleteIt really is a buzz to begin a new project. It's the old.... one door closing, another opening....thing. Exciting too.
Taking a new project in stride is the way to be
ReplyDeleteHoly Ghost
DeleteIn my family, I'm known as the project person. I always need one major one and a couple back-up ones. Ha
8 years empty, I'm sure the neighbors are glad to have you!! Ours was empty before we came in too...there's a lot of trees and we raked up years of neglected leaves (30-some huge bags full if I remember correctly, no joke). That's how we met our neighbors, one by one they trickled over to tell us how glad they were to have someone taking care of the yard.
ReplyDeleteGood luck with your work and congrats on the move! I bet it's exciting, albeit tiring, to have such a clean slate. :)
The Sea Holly is pretty on your banner. I've never seen one.
Rosey
DeleteI've owned this house for many, many years but it just sat empty while I lived in Bozeman. Once I was going to sell it but I used it for my dance studio in Helena. 30 bags..... that was some heavy raking. I tried to hire someone to de-thatch the yard but everyone was too busy and I can't run one of those machines. The thatch is so deep and solid that water isn't reaching the dirt.
I bet your neighbors love having you in the neighborhood.
Dear Manzanita, thanks for the photo of the rock garden on which you're working. Up in Stillwater, Minnesota, where I lived for 38 years, I had two rock gardens and so enjoyed the alpine plants that thrived in them.
ReplyDeleteI wish my attitude reflected yours with regard to moving. In the past, I was the same--never looking back when I left the convent and then moved from Missouri to Ohio to New Hampshire and then to Minnesota. But in the four years since moving back to Missouri, I find myself often thinking longing of Stillwater and wanting to return to Minnesota. I need to emulate you. Well what I really need is a good kick in the seat of my pants! Peace.
Dear Dee
DeleteBend over. LOL
Don't think you can't make another move if that is where your heart is. I thought I was going to live at the ranch and my kids objected so strongly and I then realized I was rather lonely out there, so I moved back to town and sold the ranch that sent the message to my kids I would stay in town. The house is a dump..... old and I had used it for a dance studio. It needs a lot of work inside but I'm not doing it..... My heart is outside working with the soil and I care very little about the inside of the house. Anyway, it still looks like a dance studio. Ha
You've been on the move a bit but that is the way we find where we are comfortable. My son built a cute apartment over his shop for me in Bozeman and wants me to move there.... no snow shoveling but also no projects. I may move there later on but not yet. It's for "really" old age.
Dear Manzanita, thank you for these words of encouragement. Two things happened out of the blue on Tuesday that makes me realize that perhaps I can hold onto my dream of moving. Perhaps, once I've learned the lesson connected with this move back to where I was born, I'll be able to let go and simply trust that all shall be well....as you have. Peace.
DeleteOur whole yard is a rock garden... mostly granite. Oh, not what you meant, huh?
ReplyDeleteYou're right. Projects are important. It doesn't even matter what the project is, as long as it's something that keeps us moving forward, puts a giddyup in our step, a twinkle in our eye, and gives us a reason to get out of bed in the morning. Gotta have purpose.
Love that Sea Holly. Such a vibrant color.
Happy weekend!
Susan
DeleteAre you saying that you live in granite country? What did I just recently read..... it was something about the land or climate where there was granite. I noticed it because the small town I grew up in was all granite. I think they've mined it all out, though. I can't recall what it was though, (oh the joys of getting old) but perhaps it will come to me.
Yes, we need projects as you put so nicely. This winter I think I'll teach some more dance as I feel quite limber. I can't sit and do nothing.
Manzie: You are still my idol. You thought I was kidding! Best to you.
ReplyDeleteJJ
DeleteYou just want to teach dance when you are old. LOL
but thanks. I like being an idol.
Dear Manzanita,
ReplyDeleteAnd as you move onto another chapter in your life adventure, your next project is re-doing a rock garden. I like rock gardens. And speaking of rock, I just watched the Rolling Stones perform at Glastonbury.
Just curious, but what's your header photo? I'm kidding.
A good rest of the weekend to you.
Your starstruck fan,
Gary :)
Gary
ReplyDeleteAnother stone ....... another phone ....Penny wants a bone.
You always make me laugh when you mention the obvious. LOL
Yee Haw as they say in these here parts.
Welcome to your new life, Manzanita. It's good to have projects. It keeps us busy and happy.
ReplyDeleteCongratulations on your garden!
Thanks Julia
DeleteI can never be idle. I've always said, if I have to land in a nursing home, I'll be lining up the old gals in their wheel chairs for a line dance. LOL
Good luck and happiness continue with you, Manzanita. I was wondering what kind of flower that was. It really is beautiful and unusual.
ReplyDeleteKay
ReplyDeleteIt really is a kind of a weird, different looking flower. I had never seen one before but I'm finding out a lot of people are familiar with them.