With the temperature hovering around 50 degrees today, I was hoping it would hold up all weekend so I could get out into the garden and prune my shrubs, cut down last year's perennials, ornamental grasses and butterfly bush, and clean out the debris that always magically appears in my beds despite having been cleaned out in late fall. Where did all those leaves come from? They were all raked and bagged when the trees were bare. It happens every year, and I'll never understand it.
Unfortunately, thunderstorms predicted for tomorrow are putting a kink in my plans. Sunday should be clear, but I have 2 problems with Sunday: For one, it'll be about 10 degrees cooler than tomorrow. I was looking forward to actually enjoying toiling in the garden. If it's in the low 40s and I'm cold, I'll be miserable, so I won't do it.
Secondly, I'll be manning the soil testing counter at the Hicks Flower and Garden Show in Westbury until 1 p.m. Sunday. Wet soil can't be tested, so if you plan on coming in, please go outside and dig up your sample now. Be sure to dig down at least 4 inches for an accurate reading.
When I get home, for all my good intentions, I'm more likely to watch "The Crow" or "V for Vendetta," which just came in from Netflix, with my daughter Justine than I am to start digging around on a gray late winter afternoon. I'm dedicated, but I do need some downtime, even if it's just a couple hours a week spent lazying on the couch.
Next week will be better. Once the clocks are adjusted Sunday morning (actually, I find Saturday night preferable) I'll come home from work and the blaring sunlight will make me feel as if I have the whole day ahead of me. Though we're setting the clocks ahead, essentially losing an hour, my glass is half full: I gain an extra hour between 5:30 and 6:30 p.m.
When I get home from work, I run out there and water, pull weeds, move plants around and walk across the street to see how things look from there. After about an hour or so, I feed the masses and bond with the family.
How will you spend your extra hour of daylight?
Comments (1)
my glass is empty.