I thank God for the garden

I think we are luckier than most of the country as we have a tiny garden of our own. That means we can step outside whenever we want without bringing our permission document. When the sun comes out we can sit there and absorb it. We can still see neighbor's faces without having to calculate our distance, and say "hello" as they check their mail or bring in their groceries. Our garden allows me to remember what it felt like to freely move outside. When I'm not messaging friends, reading news, or writing blogs, I go out here.

Let's try for a "before shot" of the garden (below). This was last week and you can see the magnolia bloomed, and the small maple tree in the center pot is just barely opening its leaves. The tree in the center of the weedy lawn is a cherry. It's got big buds. We look forward to the blossoms opening any day now. The weedy lawn is wall-to-wall.

I've been attacking the weedy grass. I raked the whole thing, pulled up a bunch of weeds, and plowed a perimeter so I can plant something interesting when I get access to plants. For now, I've just put down the peony bulb and echinacea seeds that I had luckily found at the grocery store. Pulling up the weeds and leaving the dirt is a slow job. I hope to finish by the end of the week.