But first, have a shroombrella.
What I Love About Gardening
• Bugs. I’ve noticed the weirdest thing — bugs don’t creep me out when they’re outside. Even centipedes, which, in my basement, turn me into the squealiest, stand-on-a-chair-and-shriek-for-the-nearest-person-to-come-kill-it girl you could imagine. Outside? I’m like, “Hey, centipede.” Or spiders. I saw the coolest spider the other day when I accidentally knocked a bit of bark off some dead oak. It had a cream colored abdomen and brown thorax and it was really pretty. I have caterpillars that will turn into hummingbird moths in a few more weeks. Have to keep an eye on them, because they’re voracious and fond of tomato plants, but so far they seem content to devour my primroses, which is fine by me. [Update: Yay! They stayed with the primroses, which are so thick you can barely see the damage, and are now cocooned underground.]
• It's hot. I don’t exactly love the heat, being generally not fond of sweat or exertion. At the same time, though, I start feeling really ... off when I go through entire seasons at a comfortable temperature. This moving from regulated environment to regulated environment thing really messes with me, and messes with my sense of the passage of time. Experiencing weather fixes that, gives back that connection with the real world.
• Weeds. Okay, on some level it’s an unending war, especially where creeping charlie is involved. But it can also be intensely rewarding to go out for a couple hours and clear a weed-choked bed. Clear, visible progress. It’s rare and satisfying.
• It's dirty. Whee! Playing in dirt! I love dirt. I love the way it smells, and how cool it is just centimeters below the surface even on a hot day. I love the rich black color of it, and watching the soap foam go grey and then swirl down the drain.
• It's expensive. I don’t think it is, actually. When you look at what it costs to buy plants and seeds, then look at how many hours of gardening you get out of that investment, the value it adds to your property, how much you save on crappy store-bought tomatoes, and the intangible worth of looking outside and seeing something beautiful that you’ve helped create, gardening is damn cheap.
• It requires tools that I don't have- also expensive. New toys!
• Sticks and leaves. So many #)%@&* sticks! I don't have much here. Collecting sticks doesn't bother me — leisurely stroll around the yard where I can take the opportunity to look at everything. Besides, I hardly have any to collect now that the maple is gone.
• Mulch never covers as much area as it says it will on the bag. Which is why you call up one of your friends with a pickup truck and go buy it at one of those places that will dump it in the back with a Bobcat and charge you about 1/3 of the price you’d pay buying it a bag at a time. Not only are you saving money and using fewer plastic bags, you get to feel pretty hardcore too.
• It requires many trips to the hardware store/nursery. Which is a much nicer shopping experience than the mall.
• where I am usually tempted to buy at least one thing that I wasn't planning on buying before I got there. Because there’s so much cool stuff there!
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• The shed. It’s like the grown-up version of a playhouse! Especially since Puck is awesome and went out and organized everything so all my gardening tools are lined up and just waiting to be played with.
• Having to make small talk with the neighbors. Or the neighbor's children. The age spread when the neighbor kids want to talk to you is pretty limited. On one side I have teenagers, and on the other side a 3-year-old who doesn’t talk but always smiles and waves at me in a nice, non-terrifying manner. And my neighbors are nice!
• That feeling that whatever I've done is never enough- there is always more and more and more and more to do. I can’t help but be trite here: It’s the journey! I love having these plans in my head and watching tiny pieces of them start to flower in the yard. Also, knowing it’s never “done” is relaxing in a way — you don’t need to rush to finish.
And a few of my own....
Eating something you’ve grown
Sharing something you’ve grown with other people
Being told by an elderly neighbor that your front yard looks “nice” and she likes to look out her window at it.
And again I agree with AKJ, feeling completely justified in indulging in a cold beverage after, because a G&T or cold beer never tastes so good as after a hot day in the garden!
