|
|
So it’s Saturday morning, you have the day off and a bunch of new acquisitions to plant, and you wake up to the sound of – OH NO – it’s BUCKETING and a gale is blowing, not even the ENGLISH* will garden in this weather. So – do you crawl back under the covers…. or make good use of the day in other ways? Here are some suggestions of things you have probably vowed to do for ages but have never gotten around to. Now is your chance!!
|
|
Setting up a year calendar with dates for fertilizing particular plant species. Decide and research what you will be using and plan to make notes during the year on your results. Drink some coffee. Imagine how much better your plants would look if they were on an optimum feeding schedule. Wonder what fertilizers you have in the garage. Going through all those bottles of fertilizers/insecticides etc. and narrowing it down to what you actually use. Freecycle the rest.  Make another pot of coffee. Venture out into the garage (yikes SPIDERS!) armed with a box and a rag. Clean off the bottles before making the decision. I wonder if these have a due by date? WOW what is THIS stuff doing here? Who would WANT this? Abandon freecycle idea. Vow to take the box to the ‘harmful chemicals' special drop off point. Drink the rest of the coffee (wait ... what did I just use this mug for???)
Make a map of your garden and decide where to move/add/remove plants. I can just ESTIMATE the size of my garden can't I? No wait, there has to be a map of the property here somewhere. Is it lunchtime yet? Oh look, baby pictures of Ryan HOW CUTE. I'm sure he will want to show those to his fiancée. Put pictures in the box originally intended to ship plantlets to DG plant swapper. Better eat the rest of that cheese before it goes bad. Finish that database for all your plants on PowerPoint/Excel; vow to keep it up to date. Have some chocolate. Retrieve list from last fall. I haven't seen that Plumeria Pudica in a while. I wonder what happened to it. I hope the neighbor's kid didn't run his bike into it like he does. I should really speak to his mother. Maybe I should speak to our attorney. Maybe I should draft up a letter first. Those boxes of chocolate get smaller all the time. Make sure to have at least ten weather sites on your computer desktop so you can get the latest breaking news on the latest breaking storm front. Is there any ice cream left? Lord that fridge needs cleaning. I wonder if that foie gras is still good. Could have had that for lunch. Bet it will be nice with a drink later on. Then again, why wait till later? Research all the weeds that have been popping up in your yard and how to deal with them. Oh a new feature: the TV schedule is on the computer. I wonder if there are good reruns of American Idol on? WHO let that girl on American Idol; and Simon is such a rat, but he must have been impressed by her figure or he would NEVER have let her through. What was I doing again? Start looking for a second job to pay for the greenhouse heaters. Maybe a paper route would be a good idea, I hear people make LOTS of money at those. And really, instead of sitting at the computer at 5 am I could be making some spare change. Is it the cocktail hour yet? Close the shades to the blinding glare that is messing with your computer screen. WAIT!? Blinding Glare???? Is that the SUN?? I'm outta here...... that was a USEFUL day! * I don't mean to imply anything negative about the English; it is just that while living in England for 14 years I noticed they would never postpone any outdoor activity (gardening, golf, watch the kids play rugby, picnic) because of inclement weather! Remember, the Barbour coat was invented there!
 | Dutch by birth but widely travelled since my late teens. Married for 25 years to an American musician, with a grown son and living in sunny Southwest Florida, I now call myself 'semi-retired' so that I can justify spending all waking hours in the pursuit of growing blooming tropical plants, most specifically Plumeria. |
|
|
Subject: the weather is awful
Posted by beebe (from Ambler, PA) on April 28, 2008 at 7:21 PM:As it is raining and nasty outside I have definitely enjoyed your story. Last year I dragged hoses around all summer , so I am thankful for today. Outside dirt is more fun than inside dirt so I haven't cleaned the house inside. (more fun to read Dave"s garden)Tomorrow I will get back to pulling up the garlic mustard as the moistened soil will make that job easier. As I look outside the window, in one day green - green - new leaves doubled overnight. Thank you and now I'm going to read your other stories ... Posted by Dutchlady1 (from Naples, FL) on April 28, 2008 at 8:19 PM: Thank you!! ...
Subject: parallel lives
Posted by twistedparrot (from Galveston Island, TX) on March 31, 2008 at 10:37 AM:OMG! This is EXACTLY what I do in inclement weather! Dutchlady, you are not alone. ;-) ...
Subject: rainy days
Posted by rubyw (from Crozet, VA) on March 31, 2008 at 8:43 AM:How interesting that I read this as we are getting a very nice and steady rain. It is much needed. Too bad it didn't snow more this year. We only had one good snow of about 4 or 5 inches. Oh gosh, it was so very dry last summer. The plants really suffered but were a delight to my senses anyway.
I am like you dutchlady, I too get sidetracked very easily. I have several things on my list of "to-do's" today, but none garden related other than reading Dave's Garden. Well, maybe I will finally sow the coleus seed inside that I have had on my list for at least a month now. Maybe...or maybe not.
Thanks for sharing this with us. I am sure that many can relate.
Ruby ... Posted by birder17 (from Jackson, MO) on April 1, 2008 at 11:38 PM: We have had bad weather for the last 6 weeks. We had a terrible ice storm in February and then a flood in March. It still rains about 4 or five days a weeks--sometimes just enough to make it too muddy to do anything outside.
I can't even plant my seeds because I can't find soil at the stores that is not sopping wet. So, my seeds sit her in the house. Frustrating. ... Posted by rubyw (from Crozet, VA) on April 7, 2008 at 10:47 AM: Hi - Does the MO for state mean Montana? or what? It probably still is quite cold and messy at your placebirder.
I finally sowed two pots of coleus seeds last week. I also potted up some yellow butterfly bush seeds. I am anxious to see what either of these do. I ordered a seedling heat mat last Friday and hope that it gets here soon. I am interested in seeing how well they work.
Hope that you get some dry days soon so that you can begin sowing your seed.
Ruby ...
Subject: the weather is awful...............
Posted by aguy1947 (from Portugal Cove-St. Ph, NL) on March 31, 2008 at 7:21 AM:Yes, that is a fact here in Newfoundland. Thanks for the lift. We have 3-4 ft of icy snow on the ground, and I (now) have to go shovel what the snowplough left ten minutes after I spent an hour with the snowblower yesterday.
Hi to my 3 siblings and my belle-soeur - Snowgeese who will return North soon..............
I need a garden map in 3D......... good for 4 seasons.
Bill ...
Subject: Love it!
Posted by doccat5 (from Fredericksburg, VA) on March 29, 2008 at 11:34 AM:Thanks, Dutchlady, you made my day! chuckles ...
Subject: Invented in England
Posted by rince1wind (from Evanston, IL) on March 29, 2008 at 10:11 AM:Wellies were invented there, too. My English spouse thinks I'm being weak if I don't garden in a hurricane. He says terror builds character. Very funny essay; thanks! ... Posted by KaperC (from No. San Diego Co., CA) on March 31, 2008 at 1:46 PM: Oh, yes, DH digs ditches in the rain - with his wellies on. He glories in it because our cement-hard dirt softens up. I will never forget my first summer storm in Yorkshire - "Your are NOT driving in this torrent?!" LOL I really thought we were done for. And all the folks "tail-gating" with their tea pots in the rain. Really wonderful.
This gave me a real chuckle, Hetty. So glad to know there are other people around who flit from one thing to another. ...
Subject: Thanks for the laugh
Posted by LiliMerci (from Norcross, GA) on March 29, 2008 at 12:45 AM:I'll be seeing those weather soon in the next few days. I'll be thinking of you... ... Posted by carrielamont (from Milton, MA) on March 29, 2008 at 4:08 AM: Perfect timing - it's been raining for 2 days, but my garage is worse. Very funny, and if everybody else weren't asleep, I would laugh out loud! x, Carrie ... Posted by debilu (from Fingerlakes Region, NY) on March 29, 2008 at 7:40 AM: funny, thanks!! ... Posted by eview (from Clifton Forge, VA) on March 29, 2008 at 9:04 AM: Yikes! I'm NOT alone in my jumbled world! Love your company! ... Posted by darius (from Appalachian Mtns, VA) on March 29, 2008 at 12:18 PM: Cute... I should start some indoor projects in today's rain, but first i need to..... ... Posted by summerkid (from Kankakee, IL) on March 29, 2008 at 3:02 PM: I'm with Carrie -- who can even get to the fertilizer shelf when the entire garage is clogged with slippery pieces of cardboard for the next lasagna garden, which i can't plant today but maybe i should lay it out except ... well i just wasted some time reading & laughing so i guess the DAY'S SHOT... ... Posted by carrielamont (from Milton, MA) on March 29, 2008 at 4:25 PM: No, I'm with Summer. . . and after we filled up the garage, we started on the HOUSE! ... Posted by gessiegail (from Taft, TX) on March 29, 2008 at 9:45 PM: really entertaining and funny article. Thanks a lot! ... Posted by MistyPetals (from North Augusta, SC) on March 30, 2008 at 5:41 PM: Reading your article was like looking in the mirror. Oh, it was so funny, thanks. ... Posted by Dutchlady1 (from Naples, FL) on March 30, 2008 at 5:44 PM: thanks, everyone! ...
Subject: It rained all Summer!
Posted by chrissy100 (from Sydney
(Australia)) on March 28, 2008 at 10:44 PM:Thankyou for a laugh! after months of "awful weather" I just could not find anything more to squash the garden urge so I donned the raincoat and gumboots and off I went into the mud and rain, I was soooo sick of grey ...wet sky (mind you in Summer) and gazing longingly out of my windows that I just couldn't take it any more. I don't know how you stand it in places where it is too cold to escape outside ...your article made me laugh! thanks so much ...so nice to know that I am not the only one who suffers this devine madness.
chrissy ...
Login to post a comment.
| 
