The Last Year

This past year has been one of change and adjustment. This time last year Handsome Son and I were caught up in the fever of Senior year basketball season. This was going to be the year. His team member had yet to crumble on the corner of the court, going down like a duck shot from the sky, leaving four of the five Senior starters to carry on alone the rest of the season; having an excellent season, but not the one we hoped would end with a run for the Gold Ball.

The team carries on this year, neither my son nor I has seen a game. I think they are again having a good season, but without expectations weighing heavy on them.

Baby Gardener was born in my birthday month. Now 8 months old, we seem to have a special bond. It is like we are connected at some cosmic level. I saw him Wednesday after a week's absence. When he saw me enter the room, he began bounding up and down in his jumper seat frantically waving his arms. Picking him up, he reached out to touch my face, like, "I HAVE MISSED YOU!" He put his head on my shoulder and let out a deep sigh. My heart melts for this tiny scrap of humanity that has both me and his mother completely entwined around his finger. We are both terribly biased, but believe him to be the absolute best baby in the world.

And, my Handsome Son is now Handsome College Man. He is liking college a lot and doing well. I hear from him barely weekly, because unfortunately, I did do my job well. He tells me he will be home for a month over the holidays, although now I have started a new job, going back to my career in the restaurant business having landed a position as an executive chef. I won't have quite as much free time over the school break as I did when I was substitute teaching. Next week, my baby will be 19. It seems incredible that it could be so.

I received an email from the site coordinator asking for my garden bio for the Master Gardeners' January meeting. Eight months and counting down to the day in July when my garden will be featured on their garden walk.

I added these window baskets under my windows which will have cocoa fiber liners and (hopefully) billowing annuals for the garden walk. I picked this beautiful green apple color and painted a number of items, including this large pot, some garden chairs, trellis, and used it to add a decorative element to other items in my yard.

Planting a conga line of pink lily-flowering tulips I unearthed this massive slab of block and concrete from one of my garden beds. What in the world it was supposed to be leaves me drawing a blank. A foundation stone? Anybody? No building other than an outhouse ever graced my backyard to my knowledge.

And before the weather has turned too cold, I finished staining my fence a nice dark brown. The covers for the cushions for this shabby chic garden sofa need completing-- a winter garden activity. I also need to decide whether to paint or not to paint this frame? Leave it the off white blistering paint, re-do the off white, or paint it the green apple, or maybe for contrast a dark federal park green?

I still want to come up with some nice plant labels, too.

My winter gardening projects. And oh, the chef in me is crying for some freshly grown basil!

What is keeping all the gardeners out there busy these days?

Stay warm all!