Spring Inspiration

Saturday afternoon, on my way home from a birthday party for the youngest member of our church, I stopped at my mail box. Just as I opened my car door, my neighbor's car pulled up behind me. I had not seen her for a while. She stays busy and so do I. She asked me to come over and see what they were doing to their patio. I told her I would put some things in my house, and meander on over. And I did.

She has a wide gray concrete drive up to her house, a distance of about 20 yards. Her husband met me at the door with his usual banter. Then we went through their house to the back where the patio was undergoing major change. The outline of what the patio was to become was discernible by the curving forms,piles of sand, and stacks of pavers. They had found some talented yard men and brick layers who were in the process of transforming their back into an inviting site for entertaining in the future. She wanted me to see the "before" so I could appreciate the "after".

The grounds around their home is already a dream of flowering shrubs, bulbs and various trees. That in itself, is enough to get my gardening juices flowing. She had been planning this whole new "playground" over the winter, and had just made some final decisions. So, she was still on cloud nine and it was casting it's spell on me. My version of transformation was more utilitarian, in terms of harvest. I am looking to put my energy and resources into vegetables, fruits and preserving what I do not use fresh.

But just seeing her plans come to life was inspiration enough to make me want to speed up the process. In my case we will buy a new heaver, riding mower to use in the vineyard and on the yard. Our's caught on fire, possibly from the friction of the fan belt below the deck. That incident was the catalyst to research a new mower. A dealer is sending someone out tomorrow to see if Jim's vision of what we need will match the dealer's machine which he is bringing out for a test run.

Old timers used to say, in the spring tour blood thinned. Well, whatever you call it, the urge to dig in the dirt does hit about this time. At least it does for all of us gardening enthusiasts. Good luck with your spring adventure and let us know how it turns out.