Toiling In My Garden

Who knew Father’s Day could be so exhausting.

Went out yesterday morning to pick up some Mule veggies at Walmart and happened to park by the outdoor garden area where they keep the pallets of soils and mulch. Now Lisa had just mentioned how some family member she stayed with during her recent back east trip had just done some wonderful work around their yard using black mulch.

So when the pallet I parked in front of was filled with this

and seeing it was “[r]esponsibly sourced,” I took it as a sign that Lisa’s hints should not be ignored, and filled the back of my Toyota (yes the one from The Claire Saga).

So, instead of putting my feet up under The Old Man, as planned, this Old Man decided to earn his keep by fitting and laying down sheets of plastic on the open area of the Jack The Spruce Grotto and then covering it with 30 bags of Scotts Hyponex Black Mulch.

Now, I’m not into traditional back yard aesthetics. I lean more towards the free wheeling Xeriscape philosophy where you allow what grows naturally in your geographic area to grow naturally. I lean that way because all of the pollinators supporters suggest that it is better for the pollinators AND it is my legal defense to having to do any real hard work when it comes to gardening.

Anyway, hours later I had expended all the energy I had been recently drawing from my tree hugging and grounding on improving the colorful recent floral additions with a consistently black background.

It looked pretty decent.

But I would be lying if I didn’t admit that the continuous humping, tossing, spreading and all of the standing and bending and squatting associated with it, in extremely hot weather, just nearly did me in.

And of course, I blame Lisa, who had even cajoled me into cutting back Posie’s Rose Bush, and as anyone who has tried to prune a rose bush will tell you, they have sharp thorns for just that reason. So my arms and hands (I forgot to wear gloves) looked like Jesus’s forehead if you know what I mean.

Anyway, when it was all said and done I barely made it through a shower and into the recliner, where I stayed until I dragged my very old and sore ass up to bed and fell asleep.

But it wasn’t a total loss. Yesterday morning when I was checking my emails in my office, I spotted something just outside my office window. Mr. Fox had made a rare daylight appearance, for my enjoyment and wonder.

I was able to snap a few photos until he headed up the side of the house, lept over the fence and headed out of Casa Claire down the driveway. But not before gulping down the last of feral Smokey’s cat food out in the Jack The Spruce grotto. He should have swung by in the evening so he could have appreciated my hard work.

Anyway, despite my pissing and moaning, it was worth the effort, but I will admit that my body will definitely move slower in the Rec Center Pool this morning.

And now I have other things to do before I head out, so I better get to them.

I hope you fine five readers had a much more leisurely Sunday, especially the Dads.

And let us make this Monday a great day.