I awake to the sound of birds in the laurel outside my window, the lilac still bare but hopeful, the refuse of autumn cluttering the waking soil.
I am skipping school today. Calling in sick. Nothing makes me feel better than not doing what I am supposed to do. Rebel with a clause. I feel like crap right now and am hoping the eventual call in will help with that. I skipped a meeting last night and now this... what will the future hold?
It is supposed to be a beautiful day today. Once again my husband planted grass seed in the back yard. Last year, if you'll recall, we used sod. It failed after a couple of months. I think because he cuts it too short and because our back yard is shady and you can't purchase shady sod. It died rather dramatically. Suddenly, long about october, there wasn't a blade of green to be seen. This time we hit all the elements: dug deep, added lime to the soil, used lots of shade mix seed, tamped it down gently, sprinkled a thin layer of mulch on top, watered daily, and now we wait... but we have been waiting now for three weeks. I'm accustomed to grass that springs up after 8-9 days, but not this stuff. Yesterday, finally finally, we began to see tiny little green hairs here and there. I say we, but it's all HE.
Everybody has an opinion about growing grass if you bring it up. You should do this, never do that, only use this seed, never start before May, blah, blah, blah. I think seed grows if you water it, pretty much. There seems to be some wisdom about not cutting it too short, only one-third of the blade is to be cut, and I can't be sure about the mower and uneven lawn, but generally leaving it longer is better. The lazy person's method of cutting it shorter and less frequently is probably why so many of my lawns have failed.
Well, that's your gardening lesson for today, one of the first really nice days of the year. I am holding my breath for spring and the Canby Master Gardener's Fair. I don't know if I'll be able to wait that long. I do want to see what all comes back before I start jamming new stuff on top of sleeping plants. I really can't wait for my poppies. I'll be out in the yard today to see what is pushing back through the soil for another run at life on the upside. I'll move aside dead leaves and clean up the decay of another year spent in hiding. In so many ways.
I made the call. I am free. Ah, worklessness. Hooray. I should be unemployed.
5 comments:
I missed Monday due to being sick and realized three days of just me was far too many and I need my job to survive my own ability to sit on the couch. tomorrow we have Aloha day and I don't have anything hawaiian. hmmm. might bring in chocolate dipped strawberries, though. I can eat like an islander. your writing lately is top form. sweet. sweet thanks to you.
I should have been calling in sick all week. I was sitting here thinking I was developing a migraine but I had forgotten that I had pushed a pair of safety goggles up onto my forehead and they were cutting into my head. Some days it just don't pay...
Enjoy playing hooky. I am with you in spirit and longing.
I call in sick and no one answers back. I thought retirement would be the hot tuna but no such luck. Bet if I felt better it would be the hot tuna. Such is life. :+) And thank you for your post. I agree with I, sweet.
I sent away for the Burgess spring catalog this year just to look at the pictures. It's the next best thing to spring. Right now I'm looking at wildly over shopped photos of red sprawling Walk-On-Mes and gorgeous Hello Yellow Butterfly plants. I've got to get out before it's too late and start clearing away last year's dead myself, so thanks for the post. The first paragraph is pure poetry. Thus far, I've only managed to bring the pruners in from the garage and put them on my desk as a reminder of the work to be done. Maybe tomorrow.
I called in sick. Works for me.
I don't plant grass seed anymore. It's much more efficient, for me, to just drive down the Interstate and throw the seeds out the window. Next year I'm going to save a step and just throw money out the window.
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