I honestly haven’t looked to see exactly how long it’s been since my last posting, but I think it’s been about two weeks? I have used the ache in me, the encouragement of my family, and the prayers of a dear friend to whom I had confided, and made some progress. My flame is sadly still out. However, I have gone from just basic watering and the bare minimum of ‘Keeping Things Alive’ most days to the next chapter of ‘Going for Blooms’. And I have felt the slightest tickle of a spark. Some of these roses are astoundingly resilient! Like, one week of semi-decent watering, and they are already budding and some have even actually bloomed. (And yes, Martha Stewart is one of them, ha ha! You knew she would be, right?)
There is also something quietly yet brightly beautiful happening in my front garden. Suddenly tons of things I planted years ago have popped up to bloom at the exact same time. Bright red ‘Hot Lips’ salvia, explosive yellow goldenrod, the warm half rainbow of lantana, little frothy pink heads of Valerian, velvety purple sage spikes and the ultraviolet glow of Verbena bonariensis are suddenly blooming in incredible harmonic resplendence! You guys, IT IS SO PRETTYYYYY!
And if you know me at all, you know it is giving me all sorts of analogies about good seeds, strong roots, and all sorts of other things. What else have I metaphorically planted within myself? Specifically, what drought tolerant things did I previously sew and nurture that can now, true to their nature, bloom unaided by me? And what else can I plant? And did you know that roses are considered to be drought tolerant when they are planted in the ground? (I did, obvs, but did you? Pretty cool, right?)
Yes, some of these roses are also beginning to bloom again. Each bloom makes me feel like crying. They are so pretty! I hope I can get my mojo back. I hope I can continue to move forward a little each day.
Roses blooming: 1-2 Julie Andrews, 3 Sexy Rexy, 4 Pat Austin, 5-6 Molineaux, 7 Violet’s Pride, 8 Snow Goose, 9 Le Petite Prince, 10 Plum Perfect.
On Saturday morning, I went outside and while listening to a two hour church conference, reclaimed a horribly weedy and overgrown space by our front door. It felt so good to do it! And it was very easy to do! And now every single time I come or go, my mind is pleased with the cleanliness and order of it all. *WIN* *tiny spark of joy*
There is still much to do, but now it feels doable. Get plants out of pots, cut the tropical milkweed back, go get tons of pansies to fill the empty spaces, maybe sew some red clover between the bricks…And weeding. Always and forevermore weeding (which was today’s little chore). Well, we shall see. Stay tuned? I feel like it’s maybe starting to come back. Maybe?
