The three-day weekend was lovely! Hope yours was too. Our young and very lively granddaughters were here yesterday, and OH how I wish I could harness some of their energy! With the book now done, (a heartfelt 'thank you' btw, for those sweet comments and emails), I've wandered back outside into the garden after a few seasons of sitting, and I could use a power boost. [She says, slowly hobbling . . . after days of digging weeds.]
A new front lawn is springing up NOW and I'm as jumpy as a grasshopper. Deer have already trod across it leaving holes where their hooves have sunk into the soft top-soil layer, and any minute rabbits are going to discover the tender shoots. I just know it. I'm peering out the window every five seconds watching for trouble makers! (Where is Mr. McGregor and his wild rake-waving antics when you need him?)
This is, I think, our third try at getting a decent lawn going--having initially reduced the original lawn (which had gone to weed), by half in order to conserve water and reduce maintenance. The roses are somehow surviving, after excessive rain earlier this year washed away the magic concoction (DEER REPELLENT) and they all got munched--badly. So heartbreaking, I tell ya. They're recovering nicely now, but only because I added a tiny squirt of THAI and TRUE Sarachee Hot Sauce to the recipe.
What can I say, I'm nefariously wicked when it comes to my roses.
Finding the right team of "professionals" has also been something of a challenge living in a smallish town. We've lived here over 16 years, but still it remains a mystery how to find the right people to get things done. If you've ever read the Peter Mayle books recalling his experiences in Provence trying to get serious work done, it's that. Exactly that. And sometimes more so. When I read those books, years ago, I was living in California where you could get anyone to do anything, usually the same day, and at a reasonable price. I really couldn't relate to any other situation and thought those stories of village workers were hilarious and rather charming. But. Now I get it. One must simply find humor in the situation or one will simply go mAD.What we've learned now is that there's a small window of opportunity to seed a lawn--particularly here in the northwest, and we've missed it two years running. In California you have sod delivered, but it's not easily available or possible here, we were told. This year though, we were on it, and made the arrangements back in February--plenty of time, we thought. But due to weather issues the crew didn't actually arrive until the end of June; which was just last week by the way, and now I've just heard news that very hot weather is blowing in.
My sinus headache confirms it.
OK. I may not be able to do anything about the oil "spill", or the countless atrocities happening daily around the globe, but I can keep my lawn guarded and damp until danger passes. That I can do. Though I shall continue to pray about the other things and offer my support to worthy organizations whenever I can. (The Audubon Nature Instituteis making a tremendous effort in coordinating marine animal rescue in the Gulf right now, if you want to help too, you can learn more about it here.)
OK then. Duty calls. Back to watching grass grow.
