Good Tilled Earth

"In the spring, at the end of the day, you should smell like dirt." -Margaret Atwood

Few things do I enjoy as much as gardening. Although you might not know it if you're walking past my house from the months of October to February, I love to garden. I love the sweat that tedium brings, the dirt under the nails, the bulb that you nestle deep in hopes of a fabulous show.

The thing about gardening that brings me pleasure is the serenity of working with my own two hands--of doing something. Not talking about something, or thinking about something, or reading about something, but really doing something.

With the warmer temperatures, I've found myself back in my garden--clearing away old mulch, tilling the soil, smiling at the first glimpse of green leaf shoots from my new Oakleaf Hydrangea.

And the deep, vibrant green from my hydrangea bush.

"Spring cleaning" begins in the front yard for me: getting rid of the weeds, getting rid of the old.

All worthwhile endeavours require sweat and begin with a spring cleaning of sorts. What isn't working? What needs improving? I've found myself humbled lately and so thankful for dear friends. Between the car accident, two deaths in the family, and a new job, I've learned a thing or two about the weeds: those circumstances that suffocate growth. And, I'm left wanting to garden, and feeling so appreciative for the many wonderful things that matter in life.

"The highest reward for man's toil is not what he gets for it, but what he becomes by it." -John Ruskin