Two Garden Gnomes?

Our neighbor took this photo. What? Did he think this was a once in a lifetime photo opportunity? He’s right. Next time, we’ll hire some neighborhood kid to perform this dirty task! (Cute hats, huh!)

I love to dig in the dirt. Cathy, my sister, loves to dig in the dirt. So last week we spent the majority of one day shopping for plants, buying miscellaneous yard stuff, and planting Mom’s yard. We questioned whether or not we planted her flowers too early. Jack Frost loves spring encore performances.

This week, following months of nasty weather – cold, wet, blah, blah, blah – our week of spring finally descended on our humble parcel of ground made up of rocks and clay. So NOW it is earnestly time to putter in the garden, clean up winter’s mess, and prepare to plant! Summer temperatures will soon be upon us!

Generally, I can’t wait to get outside, but I also subscribe to sage advice from experienced farmers. They say, “Don’t plant until after Mother’s Day” or “Wait until the snow has melted on the Oquirrh Mountains.” In our case, we also needed to wait until we refreshed our clay with DIRT. I call it dirt, but really it’s a mixture of waste from the water treatment plant mixed with chopped up dead green stuff like trees, shrubs, etc. And…yes, it stinks a bit, if you think about it too much! But, oh my, it sure does make plants happy…and why wouldn’t it?

After two trips to the water treatment plant, emptying 2 ½ truckloads of dirt, plus acquiring blisters, sore back, tennis elbow, muscle ache, and red knees, my underlying suspicion was confirmed -- although I think of myself as a gardening guru, I’m really no Garden Goddess, gnome, or model for Better Homes and Gardens! Pleeeeessse, let me dig in the dirt, not HAUL it! (I can’t speak for Merrell.)