2 posts tagged “flowers”
It was a busy day for Alison. She had been trying to finish her garden project, and had the opportunity to complete it today. And that is what is was...complete. It had been a while since she had followed through with anything lately.
She had started the project Saturday, buying plants and compost, and getting some tools together. However, Sunday was too busy to get anything done. So, on Monday, she started on half the garden. The soil on that side of the walk was wonderful and rich. Worms were working their way through the soil, giving it life. Roly polies crawled around between clods of dirt. It was so exciting to get the soil worked up and ready for the pansies and white a**??. She planted a border of the white ****, then filled in with white pansies, delta blues, and blacks. It looked so lovely.
Tuesday turned out to be busier than expected. The only thing going on was a portrait session for her dear son. Finally, Wednesday arrived. Alison felt like she had lived two entire weeks in the past two days. It didn't help that Wednesday began very early at 6 am. The baby had been sleeping fitfully since 4 am, and decided he needed to be up and awake much earlier than usual. Alison's fabulous husband retrieved the baby and changed his diaper before bringing him in for a morning feeding. It had been a while since Zed had nursed in the bed. He fell asleep again once his belly was full, and had a quick catnap next to his momma. By 7:30, it was obvious that he was ready to have fun. Thankfully, he played in his playdome outside after his morning feeding/nap. (Sometimes it was hard to tell if he was sleeping or eating.)
As Zed played on his own, Alison started packing up the mulch on the other side of the sidewalk. She could tell as she picked it up that the soil underneath was dry and would need a lot of work. After she got the mulch cleared, the baby called to her. It was time for another nap. For this, Alison was grateful. She felt a bit guilty making him play by himself so she could work on this project. Once the baby was in his crib, she returned to her project.
The sun was really starting to beat down on her. She noticed her project from Monday was starting to wilt. The tilling would have to wait. Alison returned inside to slather herself in sunscreen...50 spf. The heat also had parched her throat, so she found one of her new plastic cups and filled it with water, downing the refreshment in just a few gulps. She also filled her new watering can with 2 gallons, and gave her flowers a much needed dousing.
When Alison looked at her new gardening space, she sighed. It was definitely going to take a lot more work than the previous space. Nothing grew there very well, and she was about to find out why. As she drove the spade into the dirt, it proved to be more like sand near the wall. She also found dozens of rocks as she worked her way out to the main walk. It too Alison almost an hour to turn the 1.5 cubic feet of space into workable soil. She mixed in extra compost to help improve the health of the soil. As a bonus, Alison discovered the sprinkler head that had been buring for who knows how long. Now, with it uncovered, the area might improve.
She was able to plant all the white **** before going inside for a little lunch. The project was finished in the afternoon with a few stops to feed and play with the baby. The project turned out very nice, and hopefully all the plants would enjoy their new home. It felt good to finish that project. It always feels good to finish a project, a book, a game, anything. There is something honorable in finishing something you start. It really gives you a sense of pride. May that feeling last until the next time you start something and help you go through with it. Perhaps tomorrow at Weight Watchers. Have a good night.
Alison decided she needed a project. Nothing much, just something to keep her busy while the baby was sleeping. After reading several blogs, she decided it was time to try her hand at gardening. The weather was starting to warm up very nicely, and it seemed the ideal moment in time to make the attempt at cultivating a green thumb.
She chose a spot outside the front door, and thought a few flowers would look nice in there. It wasn't much of a spot, and it was going to be lopsided due to the bush growing on the east side of the walk. "Who cares?," she thought, "It's just a few flowers." She had even let herself dream of having a vegetable container garden and a trellis for zucchini. But, not wanting to get overwhelmed, she set a starter budget and made plans to visit a greenhouse.
Her husband, Nicholas, was interested in the idea and wanted to help. She knew his interest wasn't in doing it all, but having him involved seemed like a good idea. Finally Saturday came around. The family packed up in the car and headed off to City Floral Greenhouse. It was just south of Colfax, on Kearney. They had ample parking, and several greenhouses. It was quite overwhelming for this gardening newbie.
The baby had fallen asleep on the way to the nursery, so they packed him into his bright orange stroller, still cozy in his infant carrier. They wheeled their way into the main entrance, and began to take in the colors. There were potted plants, trees, hanging plants, and rows and rows of flowers. Alison did not know where to begin.
Eventually, the family was able to locate some help. They were directed to the pansies, and told to wait to plant many other varieties of flowers. In Colorado, the spring weather can be quite unpredictable. The nights can stay in the 30s and 40s well into May. Even then, there may be the occasional June snowstorm. But, the knowledgable emloyee told them the pansies would do well in the slightly cool weather, especially if the are recieved 6 or more hours of sunlight. However, around June or July, the weather would be too hot and the pansies would die. Then, they would probably be replaced by geraniums.
Alison and Nick thought this was a fine plan. They chose a flat of pansies, in white, light blue, and black. They also chose some small white flowers to border the sidewalk. As gardening newbies, they still needed tools. In the far back of the greenhouse, all sorts of tools, fertilizers, and pots could be found. Their helper found them a trowel and a small box of Miracle Gro, and directed them to ask the checkout counter for Cotton Bowl compost. So, they bought a bag of poop. At the checkout counter, they also discovered you can buy live bugs! There were packs of lady bugs (thousands of lady bugs!), praying mantis eggs, and boxes of worms. All the natural composters and pest control you could think of.
A nice young guy helped them out to the car with their treasures, and they found places for everything (even the stroller) in the trunk. It had been a fun and eventful trip, and it would be repeated soon. Alison had plans. Oh, how she had plans.
