Survey of the Yard

I added "Claude Monet of the Day" to my homepage. A different Monet painting is posted each day, and I see it every time I open Internet Explorer. The painting replaces CNN headlines. Beauty instead of fear was a good choice.

This week marks one year that I have been doing everything "house" - painting, unpacking, painting, organizing, painting, clearing out...you get the idea. On the week-ends Ken and I have installed shelves in every closet, hung photos and artwork on the walls, painted and adjusted doors, organized the garage, installed a TV antennae, stained the deck, and started to think about where we need to start with the property, which brings me to the visitor I had yesterday.

I've gotten to know a woman who lives in town and knows everything about gardens. She said she'd be glad to come by and take a look at our yard, a term I use loosely. We had a good visit yesterday morning over coffee and cake. She said that our yard has so much potential - there's that word again. As we walked around the house, she found a natural ledge that I had not noticed before. We talked about trees that need to come down and others that need to be pruned. Any work we want to do on the driveway should be done before we start planting. She suggested chipping trees and brush, instead of burning, so we will have wood chips for ground cover - something else I hadn't thought about.

We agreed that there is a lot of work to do. It will be an ongoing project. She laughed and said that's the nature of working outdoors. She said I will have so much to keep me busy that I won't have time to worry about finding a job outside the home.

Working inside the house and painting outside has certainly given me enough to fill my days. Those tasks are different than working in the yard, with my hands in the dirt and time spent with nature. I feel disconnected - and unexpected tears appear. Pay dirt. Looking for connection. It's time to head outdoors.