Let's Go Outside

First and most importantly, Kate Voegele rocks. If you're not familiar with her music, go check it out. "Don't Look Away" is a perfectly good album, but it's "A Fine Mess" that's really rocking my moods lately.

I'm a home body. If you know me well, you know this about me. I like my home. I like to be at home. I don't like not being at home. I really don't like to travel. (Part of the travel aversion most definitely stems from the fact that I can easily and violently become "motion sick" when I'm traveling, especially in a car.) But even though I'd always rather be home, I've found myself feeling a bit cramped lately. I think it's probably just the winter blues and too much time spent following the exact same routine every day, confounded by the many evening hours I've spent walking up and down a twelve foot stretch of my basement while staring at the ceiling as I replaced the electrical lines. Nothing encourages you to make a break for freedom quite like hours of a windowless hallway in a cold basement at night...

I say all this because we've been spending an inordinate amount of time outside the last couple of weeks. Yes, it is very cold and somewhat damp out there, and it still gets dark too early, and the ground is muddy. But the world is also beautiful. Most of it is still hibernating for the winter, but there are some signs of life. Little signs, and welcome. The daffodils will bloom soon, quickly followed by one of my favorites -- tulips. These are the first bright signs of spring after the long, dark winter. I watch for them in earnest every year. I have some planted in my yard, but not enough. I think I need to get more bulbs. (Some of you are chuckling at that comment, and you should; my obsession with bulbs is a bit out of control.)

Despite the unforgiving weather, it is a critical time of year to get certain things done in the yard. There are bushes, trees, and bulbs that cooperate better when handled during winter hibernation. The ground it also soft from the rain so it's easy to work the land.

In the front yard, we've been taking out some bushes. Those of you who saw the house when we first moved in might remember that the front yard was a bit of a jungle. Nothing but big, overgrown trees and bushes all around. We've cleared away almost all of the original plants from the front yard, save one little row of bushes. Well, most of those are gone now, too. We left just two of the bushes that were in the front yard when we bought the house. One bush is in its original locale, severely trimmed down. Another one has been transplanted across the yard and also trimmed. We added a couple of smaller, low-maintenance, pretty trees to replace what we took out, and there are a ton of bulbs (go ahead and laugh) in the flower/plant beds. There's still a bit of landscaping work to be fixed, but most of the front yard is now in shape, designed for a minimal amount of maintenance. Score.

The backyard continues to be a project. Sometimes I really need to step back and remind myself how far we've come with the backyard, because there is still a lot to do and it can be overwhelming. Since I can't finish painting the shed, it's too early to work the garden, and we don't have the funds to rebuild the retaining wall or replace the greenhouse, I'm working on another flower bed area, setting up a few planter's boxes to grow our lettuce, and daydreaming about the long-run goals for the backyard.

My daughter loves to run around and do all of these projects with us. It's adorable. She's delightful. Because it's so very cold out, we bundle her in two or three layers before going outside. Usually we don't go out until after naptime, and then only for 30-40 minutes. Her capacity for being outside right now maxes out at about 45 minutes, and even that is sometimes pushing it. I wish we had some outdoor toys for her because I think it would make things even more fun when we're doing yardwork.

I'm excited to start the garden. I want to plant so very many things in the yard. It's such a delight to walk outside and pick the lettuce or onions or tomatoes or zucchini that I need for a recipe. And watching things grow from tiny seeds to overflowing plants, weighed down with delicious vegetables... there's nothing quite like it. Such a joy. My fellow gardeners, green thumbs, urban farmers: What are you most looking forward to growing this year? Which plants do you miss the most?