My Zen Moments

    Gardening is a good place to find your Zen. It is especially good after a rain when you can pull the entire root easily. There is nothing so Zen as the "human against nature" conflict and pulling a long rooted walnut seedling, with root entirely intact from the ground. What is it about walnuts this year? There seems to be more than ever and I am a good 500 feet from any walnut! Those squirrels! 

    My neighbor has trapped 5 red squirrels this year! They are the worst kind, literally chewing through wooden buildings and into your home. I watched one climb my weeping birch the other day and make a good faith leap to my roof, to hopefully, scamper further on to the massive white pine that dwarfs my home (versus chewing into my soffit somewhere). His agility was something to behold and I did not wish him well. 

    I spent 5 hours weeding my front yard and mowing. It is a small yard. I could spend another 5 hours on the front yard. I took 2 huge (3' x3' x3') bags of material to our municipal composting area. I like to chop and drop but this was mostly invasive grass and the sorrel that, I swear, sets seeds the minute it germinates and tastes like lemon and "Baby Gardener" insists is entirely edible. 

    While having my Zen Moment, I came to understand that as a gardener, I need to edit. The bones of a fantastic garden are here. I need to sort it out. Edit out those plants that are not in their right spaces. You Hosta that are not mounding... I am looking at you! Monarda? Know your place! It is not runner rooting over in front of the lilies. Or Obedient plant... do not grow in the 'Concord Grape' Spiderwort!

    In other news, Clematis 'Violet Stardust' and the double fever few are looking good.

    It is June. So that means strawberries to pick. I'm off.

Silly Things Which Bring Joy

Every time I look at this picture, it makes me happy.  The bright blue of the sky, the bright white of the PVC, and those few drops of moisture dripping from the outlet...

Before Handsome Son left for college this summer, he helped me to install some guttering over the entrance to my house I use most often.  It may seem like a little thing, but it exactly the sort of job that never gets done.  What contractor would come out and hang 10' of gutter?

Without it, each fall and spring when the heavy rains leading into ice and snow and eventual winter come to central Wisconsin the rain comes off the house in sheets, drenching me as I jiggle my key in the lock, forming a huge ice dam and skating rink on my deck.  I have to keep my wits about me taking Faithful Companion out for a walk or any sudden yank on the lease could spell a perilous fall.

This year, it's not going to happen.

You'll notice we did not add a downspout.  I may regret that, but I left the option open to create a one of a kind rain chain.  Maybe I'll even look for an interesting, large, concave rock to form some sort of Zen-like splash.

The artistic options simply abound.

Considering how this utilitarian item made of PVC (ick!) will bring me no little amount of Joy is astounding.

What small thing could bring you Joy?