Each fall, when the vegetables have been harvested, I swear I am NEVER going to plant another garden – too much work! Early each spring, when I dig the compost in, I say “I am going to plant the whole thing in poppies and never plant another vegetable seed.” Late each spring, well past when the job should have been done, I dig deep holes and plant a few of last fall’s potatoes which have sprouted in the box in the cold room. Then, realizing I have some carrot and romaine seeds left over from last year, I plant those too. A few packets of beets or peas will have been donated by family. Their gardens are too small to use all the seeds they buy. Before I know it, the garden I swore never to plant again, is planted.
What’s Up Doc?
The past few days I have been harvesting the garden. Bugs Bunny would be happy – the Carrot crop is good. They smell so wonderful when they are just pulled from the ground! I eat a few right away (after a quick rinse with the garden hose.) The Car Guy, and his dad, simply rub the dirt off with their shirt sleeve.
Things I Didn’t Plant
Right next to the garden are Cotoneaster bushes that have sprouted from the berries that the birds pooped out. The leaves are more red than orange and lend quite a dash of color in amongst the aspen, willow and spruce forest.
For truly magnificent fall leaves, though, we head out to the cabin. The trees that line the roads are majestic old poplars that drop enough leaves to blanket the whole resort. This results in a flurry of activity on the part of the people who prefer to keep their grassy areas leaf free. They spend weeks blowing and raking the leaves into piles, then bagging them. I prefer to leave the leaves where they lie – let nature do the work.
Who, in the rainbow, can draw the line where the violet tint ends and the orange tint begins? Distinctly we see the difference of the colors, but where exactly does the one first blendingly enter into the other? So with sanity and insanity.
– Herman Melville –
Now it is your turn – What is on your list of things you do every year, even though you say you aren’t ever going to do them again?
Amusives 