The Art of Nature and the Nature of Art
  • Musings on Life and Work in Progress
  • Find my gallery
  • Contact Me Directly

Stoned on Robaxicet

3/11/2015

 
Picture
In my defence, let me explain.  Today was absolutely glorious weather for November.  For any month, actually.  And the siren call of the garden could be heard.  Putting a garden to sleep for the winter is a ritual I love, although some years it has been done to the tune of mitts and a tuque.  But I'm busy tomorrow and seasonal temperatures are returning along with rain, so today had to be the day. 

Naturalizing the tableland behind the house has turned me into a leaf miser.  While the City will come and vacuum up leaves hauled out to the front street, autumn leaves are too precious to give away.  So I drag them from the patio and the driveway into our young forest, where they obligingly protect the English Ivy and the ostrich ferns over winter while turning themselves into crumbly rich mulch by spring, thus liberating us from watering during the dry spells. ( Dirty secret: sometimes I even cruise leafy neighbourhoods in the fall and shovel unwanted leaves into the back of the Prius.  Bet you too do some things you wouldn't have predicted as a ten-year-old.)

After redistributing the leaves, I crawled down the curving pathway Jon created to lead to the ravine.  I should have weeded it months ago.  But the ivy clippings could be planted in the perennial bed, so that was the next job.  I sure hope they do better than the echinacea seedlings which I transplanted last week.  Disturbed ground seems to inspire Grand Theft Auto in squirrels, who assume that it must conceal something edible and desirable that a competitor has hidden and that they themselves deserve.  So after I replanted the echinacea, I stamped hard on it with both feet.    

Then it seemed like a good idea to drag the ten foot ladder over to the far side of the house and climb up onto the roof to wash the bedroom windows.  Somehow I got back down too.  At that point I checked my watch.

Seven solid hours had passed.  My happy little brain might have been oblivious, but my back was no longer speaking to me.   Luckily I can occasionally appease it with extra-strength Robaxicet by pretending that it is green and white candy.  So while the garden has been put to bed for its long winter sleep,  I think someone will have to do the same for me tonight.

(This clumsy little watercolour was one of my first paintings.  It reminds me of how stark the house looked at the time -- a stone farmhouse without a foundation planting to be seen. A blank canvas!)


Comments are closed.
    Picture

    Archive

    July 2023
    April 2023
    March 2023
    February 2023
    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    October 2021
    July 2021
    March 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014

    Categories

    All
    ALLA PRIMA PAINTING
    ANIMALS
    ART SHOWS
    BOOK RECOMMENDATIONS
    CHRISTMAS
    COLOUR THEORY
    COMPOSITION
    GARDENING
    GLAZE OIL PAINTING
    HOW SHAPE MATTERS
    INSPIRATION
    OUTDOOR LIFE
    PALETTE
    PHOTOGRAPIC REFS
    PORTRAITS OF CHILDREN
    PORTRAITURE
    SEASONS
    STILL LIFE
    SUBJECT MATTER
    THE FUNCTION OF TITLES
    THE HUMAN COMEDY
    THE ISSUE OF SIZE
    THIS OLD HOUSE
    TREES
    UNDERPAINTING
    YouTubes

    RSS Feed

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.