A day of "rest"

   I've said it before and I'll probably say it again: the one thing I don't love about my line of work is how  sedentary it is. Long hours of creating art on the computer takes its toll on a body! I feel better when I can move regularly.

   So for me I prefer not to "relax" in my downtime… moving is relaxing and stress relieving. And I got 11 hours of stress relief in the yard today.

   I started in the front yard, trimming, weeding the flower beds and the patio and driveway, discovering the house finch nest being built in one of my hanging baskets. Then I swept and hosed the patio.

   Then I moved to the backyard, trimming shrubs and trees, and piling branches and leaves in the fire pit to burn. It was fortunate that it was a cooler day, because I had quite the raging fire going! Sorry, neighbors!

   The forsythia bush gets gargantuan every year and tries to take over the yard, and I fight back with my trimmers. There were "volunteer" maples and redbud trees everywhere. My air conditioning unit was surrounded by baby trees popping up, and groundcover from my neighbors yard coming under the fence. Tamed it all.

   After a quick lunch I treated myself to a "break": running to the nearby hardware store to check out their plant selection. All plants were 75% off, so I grabbed a few more perennials for the beds and pots on the deck, and a large, beautiful palm and ceramic pot to place in the living room. The palm was only five bucks, so I could hardly pass it up! Even if the cat eats it, I'm not out much.

   Then I came home and got all the new plants squared away. Finished trimming and burning. Put all the tools away just as the rain started. And came inside to shower, and get ready to grill some steak for dinner. (Which fortunately had not been ruined by the 3 blueberries, 1 cherry tomato, and handful of sorrel I harvested from my yard and ate.)

   The dogs and Kismet (on a harness and long leash for safety) hung out with me in the yard all day. We were all tired—the good kind of tired!

   It felt great to tackle everything at once, and I'm excited to invite some friends over for a barbecue and evening around the fire pit. It has been so rewarding to see how much my yard has evolved over the last 13+ years. Nature is truly amazing, and I am grateful for the chances to shape it. Some years I do a lot, so I'm just a little, depending on what else life is throwing at me. It all adds up to so much beauty!