And the Oxalis Goes to...

Another garden project-pruning my ornamental pomegranate

It is that time of year when the rain stops for a few brief days, the air is clean and sweet and the sun peaks out from behind the billowy clouds and shines through the crisp blue sky directly on my garden.

This is not a good thing.

What this crystal clear day reveals is the ten thousand projects that have been festering all winter.

This is the kind of overwhelming feeling that makes you peel back your garden glove and look at your wrist watch wishing that the Red Carpet Oscar shows would start five or six hours early just so you can throw down your rake and run for the TV mumbling something about “having to watch what Kathryn Bigelow is wearing because she could be the first woman ever to win best director: This is an Historic Event.”

But you realize that the first Red Carpet show doesn’t even start until 4:00 and you can’t use that excuse, so there you stand, frozen, gripping your rake, a little bead of sweat starting to form on your brow. The sweat isn’t there from physical exertion but from the terror of gardening ADD.

I realize that I am now standing there looking just like that freaky chick in that painting by Grant Wood. You know the one; I think it’s called American Gothic. I have the same expression on my face that she did, a combination of bummed out exasperation.

Now I know that she was looking at her winter garden.

I finally set the rake down, kneel, and start to pull weeds because that’s what I do when I can’t think of which project needs to be started first. I pull weeds for a while trying to get into a Zen state and decide which of the 9,999 other garden tasks need to be done next.

I pulled weeds for a while.

I like to do it the old-fashioned way. I kneel down in the dirt and yank them out by the roots. Pulling weeds by hand makes me feel as though they will not come back next year. But we all know that they will be back.

Short of napalming my entire garden and the surrounding neighborhood, they will be back. Weeding gives me a Zen-like feeling and helps me to clear my mind so I can put things in order. After weeding for a while I felt relaxed and rested and focused.

I stood up, looked at all those projects I still needed to do, and took a deep breath.

In the end, I never tackled another project that day; instead, after weeding I threw down my rake and ran inside mumbling “I think that there is a pre-Red Carpet Oscar show on any minute now.”

“I can’t miss it because this is Meryl Streep's 16th Oscar nomination. That is the most that anyone has ever received: This is an Historic Event.”

I watched the pre-Oscar shows and the Oscars and after I saw Sarah Jessica Parker’s dress, I almost went back to weeding.

Stumble It!

Comments

[Annie in Austin]

So true, Chigiy...I spend much time walking back & forth, trying to decide the order things should be done... then don't do many of them.

The Oscars came on later here - no decisions to be made!

That's an ornamental pomegranate? Mine is a foot tall and had 2 poms...doubt it will ever be like yours!

Meryl & Stanley Tucci should have received a special Oscar for most adorable couple in Julie & Julia ;-]

Annie at the Transplantable Rose

[Heather's Garden]

Luckily it's still a little early to be freaking out about my garden, but I completely understand your angst. However, I liked SJP's dress, not like I would ever wear it, but I thought it was pretty flattering on her and by far not the worst thing I've seen her wear.

[chigiy]

Hi Annie,
I inherited the ornamental pomegranate and I had to move it. When I moved it, it just shot up. I was actually going to try to eat the fruit and see how it tastes and blog about it-another thing to do.
I haven't seen Julie & Julia but I will. I loved them in The Devil Wears Prada.
Peace.

Hi Heather,
I hated SJP's dress. It was one of those you either love or hate-hated it. It looked crooked! I usually love what she wears. There was something weird going on with her face too. It might just be the same weird thing that's going on with my face. It's called age.
Thank you for stopping by.

[donna]

You are a funny gal and humor is a gift I cherish.

Weeding is my favorite thing to do in the yard/garden. Like you, I sit on ground and pull them out one by one...without wearing gloves. I talk to myself while doing it, more of a quiet mumble.

A couple of times a year I let my grandson cut open a pomegranate and suck the flesh off the one million seeds that are inside. He loves doing that.

donna