In the Garden of Weeds

It has been raining on and off for the last two days, and from above the white mantel in the living room comes the yellow scent of the ragwort—new to me, different, and reminiscent of wet earth and damp greenery; calling the senses to play with imagination as I work in my tiny cottage kitchen like a true she-beast trying to paint the insides of the cabinetry.

It’s crazy exhausting—that task of painting cabinetry, and I have gone over at least 10 coats of painting and retouching, and painting some more on each cupboard.  I am drained and I’m not even half way through yet… but the kitchen is already looking so chic and pretty, and I love the smell of fresh paint and feel free and optimistic as I paint away with my brushes, all covered up in a variegate rainbow of white and mint up to my soul… a light heart is a blessing, doesn’t it.

It is lovely out there in the weed garden.  This afternoon I took a break from painting cabinets and sat there for a moment—alone, surrounded only by the warmth of the remnants of April and the blue of the sky and the symphony of wings… full of deep silence all at the same time… filled with dreams and absolute clarity of perception. 

I decided to stroll about the property and search my surroundings beyond the privet thickets and see what surprises were there to be discovered… and sure enough.  The privet is thick and verdant with kudzu and autumn olive and trunks with multiple stems and many long, leafy branches… I was thrilled to my bones when I saw something jump to the small creek, disturbed as it was by my presence in the brushy growth… something yellow or brown or olive to gray… Spring Peepers?  And then, earlier this evening when I came back to the cottage, I spied a couple of lovely Eastern Cottontails hopping all over the weed garden as they conversed with each other and munch on all those succulents.  I guess birds are not the only inhabitants of the shrub thickets.  Oh I’m afraid there’s more… much more.    

You can imagine how very thrilled and excited and joyful I was... I have never ever seen a rabbit in my garden... or in anyone's backyard as a matter of fact… and they were so cute too.  I tried to follow one of them; the male, I supposed—perhaps he was the rabbit from Alice in Wonderland who had come to my weed garden to introduce himself and his sweetheart?  To invite me to some magical tea party somewhere… maybe?   All I needed to do was to follow the rabbits on their path, past the old wooden little bridge, onto the thick privet and beyond… see where they may take me? 

Or maybe not? You see, I did some research tonight and learned that all rabbit species can carry a variety of external and internal parasites, aside the nuisance they can represent in the garden.  Cottontails are very productive having 3-7 litters per year that range from 4-7 young per litter.  Young can start eating vegetation after 8 days.  Can you imagine?  A whole army of rabbits.  Maybe I just should forget about hiring a landscaper and have the rabbits do all the work of removing the weeds?

And then the landscaper we’d called finally came by.  We learned of all the poison ivy and poison oak we have in the thicket.  I feel so lost when it comes to what expect from Nature in this place.  What to do?  What precautions to take, how to proceed with so many things I know nothing about?  I am an inept in my field, just a clone of a gardener I once knew…  but I'm already in love.  I'm in love with this cottage, and this place, as foreign as it is to me... and all I know.  And there's no turning back.

The bouquet of daisies hanging from my living room ceiling it simply delights me.  It enchants me… I love how it sends off offerings of daisy petals to its surroundings, freely and wonderfully tattooing ceilings and walls in lovely designs and enchantment.  It almost looks like a round magical moon hanging from the sky, slowly descending down to earth...

Thank you for following me on my adventures.  

Tomorrow our new granite countertops will be installed.  

I can hardly wait...