Here’s a photo from a walk I took yesterday. No editing, this is the raw image.
How did I spend the past two weekends? Grubbing out old brambles, digging up posts, spreading between forty and fifty wheelbarrows-worth of manure from the horse stables across the way, then cheering as my husband wrestled the roto-tiller across our garden four times to churn it in. Next? Oh yes, we spread out the water lines and ran them to check for leaks to mend, then laid black felt garden cloth over which we set the wooden slatted walkways. I have just set out a collection of Swiss chard, some parsley, a new Victoria rhubarb, and a fine row of broccoli. Will do the next set this afternoon. Marathon and Packman broccoli varieties for those of you who want to know. I learned from my father that you don’t just harvest the big apical bud head from a broccoli plant, you continue to harvest side shoots for as many weeks or months as you can keep the plants happy. It’s a remarkable production rate, and Packman is good at persisting. Marathon’s new to me, so we shall see.
The other main occupation has been pruning. Massive pruning, making up for the sins of the past, the year I spent taking care of my parents is a long time ago now, but I never caught up until now with the branches I should have trimmed back then. The job’s not done, but it’s well-started, and I discuss the major cuts with my memory of my father who was the real plantsman of us all. We’re working well together.
Yes, I’m getting older and my joints remind me that I come from a bloodline of arthritic distinction. But I have a garden set up and ready to plant, and I carry the fine scent of manure like a perfume in the folds of my clothes.
I’ve just been reading about the brutal weather system headed into the Northeast with snow and blizzard conditions. Unreal to me here in California looking at a forecast that might if we are very lucky contain a bit of rain– less than an inch even with luck, they say.
I post here another photo taken on last night’s walk. I have not photo-shopped it one bit, no enhancement of hues, not even any cropping, so I can show you as close to what I saw as I may.
