Sunday, June 13, 2010

Rainy Days are for Housecleaning?

"I thought you always said that rainy days are given by God to you, so you could clean house"....this remark came thundering across the garden along with the thunder god above, from a scowling, brow curling, husband, carrying a shovel and a rake.  Slowly standing up, so my back would uncurl to a pain free, up rite position, my mud covered hands grasping an unforgiving piece of sod....I had to laugh.  Your the one who brought me to this chapter of our life, so deal with it, was my sarcastic reply, while trying to get the wet hair out of my eyes, and focus on the job at hand.   

Actually he was right, if anyone should enter into this domain, during a dry spell, you toss in your coin and take your chances, housework was never on my menu, ever....My mother tried to teach me, the good sisters at the convent tried to amend my ways, but to no avail....it is simply not to do, unless you have known company coming...like my kids, or the tax inspector is coming, or some appliance breaks down, I see no reason for not living with all the white dust balls of fur from the dogs, muddy foot prints, dust on the ceiling fans if.... there is something of more importance to accomplish.  But I digress from the story at hand.

Actually it was all my Brother Den's fault, as he called me up late Friday and said...."I have all these extra raspberry plants growing around the edge of my raspberry rows, and you can have them, rather than me mowing them down. Wheeee....my eyes light up, the adrenaline flows, the mind starts moving...."Be there in the morning" I reply while hubby yells out...not before 10 AM, I'm not getting out of bed early for!@@#$$%%^....unprintable!

  EARLY, Saturday morning we speed into town to collect the prizes of a lifetime.  Dennie's garden is small, pristine, and he is a master at raspberry growing...as we dig out the little foot tall specimens he proceeds to tell me how far to plant, what kind of mulch to put on, when to prune, when to pick, the life history of his precious plants.  I have learned to listen to the masters when they have done things I have not yet accomplished, as there is yet so much to learn.  Hubby has this resigned look on his face, but dutifully helps lift the tote full of plants into the car knowing full well what may lay ahead.
We walk across his manicured lawn, now that Den has retired he has plenty of time to take care of his own little piece of heaven.  He has this really neat bird feeder, that raises up and down, and do I think I could use it out at the homestead...as the squirrels just jump down from the trees, and eat the precious seed, or knock it on the ground.  Tim sighs, and manages to fit it in the van....another project to finish.

Back home now, the puzzle deepens as I try to figure out where in this absolutely crowded garden, will these gems retire to...only one thing to do, tear out the sod along the garden fence, shovel out the pile of compost sitting there, and level out the garden path. Digging out a 20 foot ravine of quack grass and sod is no easy feat, Hubby would rather climb MT. Everest....carrying out the rocks hiding in the mud... and ....what? ...filling it back in with compost....my husband by this time is hoping the sky would just open up and lightening fill the air....but it only mist slightly, as I finally put the plants in their final resting place.....hubby delightfully heads for the house...when....wait a minute, we have to mulch this entire new plot.....sinking to the ground, head in hands, I am sure now that he is sending up prayers to the rain gods.....why have they forsaken him........????
The dogs eagerly hop into the van after he hooks up the trailer, and we head down to the neighbors to load another 40 bales of wet moldy hay, but this time Dave helps with the heavy wet bales.  "Yep", he says," made one round of raking up the cut hay, and she (the sky) just opens up...had to come in and get a dry shirt, didn't think you would make it back here for another load today".  Its been a hard month on the farmers, the hay must be cut, but there hasn't been enough sun to dry the furrows, ..".probably be a long dry July n' August after this month" he says, with a slight drawl of words, those of a seasoned,..long hardened worker of the earth.
Heading back up the road, pick up the mail, and the rain comes down.....good thing, because by now hubby has had it with the Honey DO's and its time to just pick up the remote.  The wagon is sitting in the yard next to the garden, covered with a white tarp so as not to soak up the rest of the days rain, but ready to mulch tomorrow, or the next day, which is today......Yes I finally took a mop to the floor, only because the tractor soles of my high topped boots tracked in more mud than the dogs wet footprints, and my aching muscles need a rest.

Phone rings...its Denny again....."You know those white lilacs in the middle of the lawn.....I am going to cut them down...but I got to thinking...they sure would look nice on the hillside down your driveway...you know on top of the hill where you want to put that bench...." .........  OK, be down next week, ...have to wait a bit before I tell hubby.....you know ....prime the water....break it to him gently.................!

1 comment:

  1. Love it...some day I would like to make it up there to see your place...I bet it is beautiful....I am still anonymous because I can't figure out how to comment otherwise!

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