Before and After

It started with a well-deserved "treat myself with a trip to the nursery" moment.  It turned out hydrangeas and annuals were fifty percent off.

It seemed like a great weekend project for Zach and me. Russ could get some work done while I kept the boy busy outside. The yard really needed some attention too.

We got a lot done the first day, but it was NOT the best time. I'm starting to get a headache just thinking about it. It was too hot and everyone was too "yelly." The boy was running around, squirting cold water at everything in sight, making a constant racket, knocking things over, falling down and requiring attention every ten seconds. When one adult would try to keep him occupied, they'd end up contributing to the chaos with their raised voice soon after. We muddled through completely annoyed. I wondered if I should even attempt more gardening on Sunday. 

That little section under the tree looked soooooo much better though. We talked through our game plan for the next day. Zach would try to listen better and stay out of trouble. I would try more patience and more ways to engage him. Russ would focus more on his own work and only check in occasionally. We would all try and have more fun going through the process.

Take TWO! 

The next section wasn't as crowded and we could spread out more.

Zach tried his hand at container planting.

His first attempt was ok...

but he soon managed well all on his own!

The best "before and after" wasn't captured by the camera. It was our Spirit. After that first day, we tried to improve ourselves and our energy. It worked. We're always a "work in progress" but our second time around was a satisfying accomplishment. :)

Here's to the reboots! Here's to knowing that even when things get hard, we can dig deep and remove some of the obstacles in our way. 

Blessed week y'all.

Love,

T

The Root of It

Was there crazy? YES, THERE WAS CRAZY!

Russ came home for a few days, there was another disco gig, the dog had diarrhea, Zachary is STILL a toddler... but in the midst of everything, my favorite moments were in the garden, pulling weeds. There was the calm, the Zen, those therapeutic and inspirational moments when I reflected on life and all of its challenges. I remembered that sometimes when we are problem solving we work on the surface of the symptom and often we have to dig deeper to get to the heart of the matter - the root of it. Life is like a garden... blah blah blah.

Then one pesky mosquito bite got especially annoying. I thought it was starting to look like that tell-tale bullseye which typically indicates a tick bite/Lyme Disease. I went to Urgent Care. The doctor said it was not a tick bite, but an allergic reaction - maybe Poison Ivy. (Darn it! The neighbors were right! There IS Poison Ivy here!)

Sigh... We decided to test for Lyme anyway, just in case. After two tries, two trips to a different lab, and then two more tries back at Urgent Care, they were finally able to draw blood. It took all day which is why this blog is so late and also so funny. The root of the problem - is the actual root!!! I have GOT to spray down that section of "garden." The spray I bought at the nursery is supposed to get to the root of the plant. SMH.

Meanwhile, the gig was great fun and the moon was beautiful last night! xoxo

Love,

T