It's going to be disappointing

Spaghetti squash blooms

January and February of this year seem such a long time ago. Ron was ill, but we still talked about the garden we hoped to have. He listened as I rambled on about seeds and soil, offering a few suggestions of what he'd like to see planted. We had no idea just how sick he truly was. 

All the garden planning wasn't wasted. I did manage to start JetStar tomatoes, cabbage, jalapeno peppers, bell peppers, spaghetti squash, basil, dill, cucumbers, gourds, and some annual flowers. I wish he'd have lived long enough to sit in the garden and enjoy being among the growing things.

The brutal heat wave we experienced mid-June wreaked havoc on my garden. I've been told tomatoes won't flower if the temps get above 90F, and it looks like that may be somewhat true. The plants should have a lot more flowers than they do, and some of what was blooming have dried up.

The dill is over. It bolted in the heat so I pulled all of it and dried what I could for the spice rack. The cabbage is doing wonderful, tucked safely beneath a mesh cover to keep the moths away. Yes, I know the cabbage are planted very close together. They are annual plants, good for one year only. This works just fine. Next year I'm putting the cabbage in buckets so I can plant something new in the raised bed. The jalapeno peppers are finally flowering, but not profusely. I hope I get enough of a harvest to make a batch of cowboy candy. If not, I'll have to purchase enough to round out the recipe. 

Every year is really a different growing season. One year the peppers may be too plentiful and the tomatoes crap out. The next year, just the opposite can happen. We plant and we hope, and we accept what we're given. 

My garden will look very different next year as I'm learning to do everything - cook, do laundry, shop, and garden, for one person. Except for the begonias in the planters, that is. I've mentioned several times that my grandmother loved red wax plants and I grow them every year in her honor. 

It's never too early to plan, and I'm making notes of what I think will work next year. The damn squirrels got to the lettuce and spinach, so I think I'm going to invest in a raised planter with a cover. There are a variety of them available. I need to invest in some better tomato cages, too. 

My life is like the garden, always growing and always changing in unexpected ways. This year, 2024, has brought many disappointments, with probably more to come. But like the garden, I'm resilient. 

The Lady of Holly Tree Manor/The Hideaway

Holly Tree Manor, The Hideaway, gardening, rural living, country lifestyle, life changes, disappointments, heat wave, planning ahead, 

Finally! Blueberries

This morning I picked a handful of blueberries off my little bush. It may not be much, but it's exactly what I wanted. I'll be able to pick another handful on Tuesday. It's just enough for breakfast whether I have cereal, yogurt, or cottage cheese. 

Sweet, juicy, and worth the wait! 

The Lady of Holly Tree Manor/The Hideaway

A day of rest?

Several years ago, when I retired, the Lord of the Manor and I decided we'd try to practice a true day of rest. Now that I'm here alone, I'm finding it difficult to achieve. Deuce is great company but he's not a conversationalist. Lounging on the patio is much easier with someone to talk with. 

In theory, our day of rest included only the most necessary of "work." Someone had to prepare meals and feed the dog. I watered the garden and gathered anything that needed to be harvested, but I didn't pull weeds or apply fertilizers. We tried to make Sunday our day to take a drive, watch a movie, or just hang out together. 

I'm still adjusting to being without Ron's physical presence. My day of rest is plagued by boredom. That's BOREDOM in capital letters. I've watched some television (not my fave thing to do), did some reading out in the garden, played Frisbee with Deuce, and now I'm blogging. I wanted to take Deuce for a long walk but I did not like the looks of the radar map and sure enough, we've had a couple of rain showers. 

This is something I need to work out for myself. Boredom at this level is not very restful. It's restlessness in an extreme. I should try to write. I've been doing better with that this week, but writing is a type of work. I do get paid for the completed book. Do I want to be that strict with myself? Probably not. 

I think my day of rest, and now solitude, needs to be reimagined. What is restful to me? Walking the dog - most certainly. Playing in my garden - very much so. What about visiting one of the cousins each week? That's a possibility as long as I don't intrude on their time with grandkids. 

Hopefully, I'll come up with a few good options before next Sunday and my next "day of rest" makes me feel a touch crazy.

The Lady of Holly Tree Manor/The Hideaway

Holly Tree Manor, The Hideaway, day of rest, country lifestyle, rural living, black Labrador Retriever, fighting boredom, a writer's life, gardening, reading, loss of spouse, restlessness