I’ve been looking for the positive more than ever. I highly recommend it during this time of the coronavirus. Goodness is out there; you may have to wade past the crazy and the nonsense, the conspiracies and the downright rude.
Or, simply step away from the news and look to the greening of nature.
The first place I turn when I’m looking for positive is in the space of our own backyard. With the arrival of spring, thank goodness we can depend on warmer weather and sunnier skies. Of course there will still be some chilly nights and storms. There always are. And that’s okay.
Wednesday (aka the First Day of Spring Eve) couldn’t have been any more gorgeous here in Fayetteville. I spent most of the day working outside. The beds had become rather weedy. But pulling weeds does wonders for my soul. And I found myself feeling grateful to see them. They thoroughly occupied my mind for a while.
“When weeds go to heaven, I suppose they will be flowers.”
― The Story Girl
This would be a great time to give a shout-out to a farmer from my hometown, Travis Senter, who makes hoes from old, repurposed John Deere planter disc openers. Last year he sent me two—one with an oak handle and the other (pictured below) with a special carbon fiber handle that is very lightweight. Seriously, I was able to do a number on hard-to-reach weeds with my new hoe! (This hoe would have been so handy during cotton chopping days, not that I did a whole lot of that.)
What’s Growing?
There’s no better way to see what’s growing and blooming and soon-to-bloom than spending hours hand-pulling weeds.
Take a gander at what’s happening in our beds.
Coral Bells (Heuchera) are beginning to show off. This Magma variety is one of my favorites. And guess what? Deer don’t like it.
Last year, I transplanted a tiny bit of bee balm (bergamot) from the butterfly garden to the front bed. It never did much and seemed sad with its new home.
Now, it’s coming up. Something as simple as this fuzzy, happy sprout makes me smile.
I’ve begun dividing my coneflowers (Echinacea) and black-eyed Susans (Rudbeckia) so the flowers will bloom more profusely. I’m repotting them to share with friends and neighbors. By the weekend, I’ll have these plus other plants to share.
I guess it’s a good thing I love seeing these tiny wild violets because we have lots of them growing in our lawn. Pollinators like them too.
Our tulips will soon open their happy faces to the world.
Unexpected Gift
Looking for the positive always yield unexpected gifts.
See?
While digging up weeds, I found a marble.
Keep looking for the positive, y’all. It’s out there.
What positives are blooming in your world?
Grace Grits and Gardening
Farm. Food. Garden. Life.
I needed this! I’ve been down with a cold/upper respiratory episode. That means my granddaughter is out of reach right now. My daughter has been sending lots and lots of photos to cheer me up. That has helped. What a confusing time this is but we are staying as positive as possible!
Between rain showers, yesterday I did take a little trek around my back garden. I found somethings peaking their little heads up and it gave me a lift. Being quarantined during a very wet spring is a little depressing, but I have managed to stay busy so I’m grateful. The sun will shine again! ?
On our walk yesterday, I noticed tulips are blooming on our street. Also that hoe looks awesome. I love re-purposing things. My brother-in-law made a multi-prong hot dog roasting stick from one of those rakes that can be made more narrow for tight places when it broke.
And definitely, we need to turn off the television!
Are you going to plant veggies this year? I’m thinking about filling in my beds with veggies instead of annuals.
I have tulips, hellebore, forsythia & a few varieties of daffodils blooming. The redbuds are just putting out & I’m hoping for a burst from them this week.
Yes! I have lots of seeds and I plan to sow them everywhere.
I’m planning on doing the same!