Ants in My Pants

It was lovely working in the garden yesterday. I chose to work on a bed in full sunshine as the day wasn’t exactly a scorcher. Plus, it was my front yard bed close to the street, and one thing I truly love about working in the front garden on a nice day is chatting with neighbours who pass by. It gives me such a good feeling of belonging to my neighbourhood.

For the first time in my life, I have a Lilac bush. It’s blooming right now and the fragrance wafted over me as I worked, making the work much more pleasant. The forecast is summery; there’s naught but sunny skies and warmth in the forecast, but it’s not hot. I’m going to get a lot of necessary yard work done this week! And the good weather bodes well for my upcoming trip to Nanoose Bay on the weekend. I’m heading there to spend a nice long day with Dianne and her posse of friends.

But man-oh-man I get tired quickly, so progress is slow. I take breaks every 45 minutes or so. But progress is being made. There’s an endless amount of work to be done; there’s no end to it. I love gardening it now that it’s warm, and I really love the results. By the end of the week, Pinecone Park will be looking mighty fine.

Mid-afternoon, I felt something on my arm. It was stinging, and I found a red ant biting me. Then another, inside my shirt, and more inside my gloves and then I saw billions of them crawling all over the ground. I was getting bitten everywhere, so I ran into the backyard, stripped off all my clothes and got into the hot tub. Ants came floating to the surface, so I hopped out, got a sieve, and scooped them up.

I got into clean clothes and did more of the garden, but carefully. And I mowed the front lawn, but then called it quits to get back into the hot tub, this time to soak and relax, not just a quick dip to fee myself of ants. Then Her Highness and I walked together before starting my down time with dinner and then Netflix.

I watched 100 Days With Tata and loved it. Of course, part of my passion for it was oogling the incredibly exquisite young man who produced the film and who is one of its two stars. The other, is his grandmother. I loved it!

At 8:30 I went outside to look at the backyard. I do it often, at least twice a day. When I do it, I feels as I do when I look at a painting that I love. Most visitors stop close to the edge of the courtyard that borders the lawn, and they do the same thing. They just take it in, and then the say something nice about the yard, or express understanding of why I love living here.

So, I went to the edge last night, and looked where I would put a big plant that’s currently in a planter on my deck. Now, like a painter looking at his creation, and choosing where I’ll plant it. Seeing where it best fits; using its height to create balance in the garden.

I love the verb, “puttering.” My friend Bruce always says the one word very, very often when I ask him what he’s been doing. It’s a great word. Doing many little things that take you forward and/or give you joy. Gardening yields both results.