Becoming a Gardener

Drag name: Anita Wall

Friday morning began with a nice dry dog walk and a red Poodle/Retriever cross puppy named Teddy joined us. Teddy is the most beautiful puppy you’ve ever seen; he and Sheba ran a marathon while the rest of us walked; they were instant brothers.

Then we did errands in the car together before coming home to do a lot of design and writing for the self-portrait project before enjoying a lovely relaxing spa. The sun came out in the afternoon and will be here for several more days.

I really love my work with the arts council. My skills are a good fit and the project is a good one and focused on raising essential funds. But the best part is that I am not in a position of responsibility. It’s not my organization; I am not staff. It’s a project I’m sharing with colleagues and I love the absence of pressure.

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When I lived in France for a year, I met a fellow who lived in the most picturesque village I have ever had the privilege of visiting. It is called Peillon. 

Half of his house was above a blacksmith’s place that looked like it dated to the days of Robin Hood. His main reception room had a wall of glass looking down the valley yet it was completely private. As well as the grand reception room, there was a kitchen and a bathroom in this half of the house. The other half of the house was up the street and comprised another washroom and two bedrooms.

I loved moving back and forth between the two halves of the house. It made you aware of the weather and the sounds of the village, and we could each occupy half of the house when one of us wanted privacy.

It’s like that here. I use all three of my buildings. I go back and forth between them often every day. Today, I was toting wood and moving things from the studio to the house or vice versa in just a t-shirt. That’s how warm it is right now.

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This weekend is predicted to be sunny and warm. My plan is to do yard work, clearing up the rest of the crap that fell on my property during the December storm. And then I’ve got to get to work on my vegetable garden.

I’ve no idea how to grow anything. I have to choose what to grow given the amount of sunlight I have and the soil depth and I have to learn how to germinate the seeds and start everything I want to grow. 

Some things I’ll buy, like raspberry canes and blueberry bushes. I want to get some big bushes.