Wednesday, April 19, 2006

View from a swing

View from my backyard swing
I feel like shaken Jell-O. I finally tried out my new rototiller today, and of course overdid it.
A woman and her power tools.
The soil at the back of the house has gradually been compacted over an unknown period of time due to the downspout falling off and allowing water to flood down our foundation, instead of to the sump pump. And I want to put the vegatable garden there.
It took around 2 hours of hanging onto the rototiller to scrape up approximately 15 feet X 7 feet X 4 inches of soil. And that's only half done. I should really dig down another 4 inches...but when my arms stop throbbing.
After dinner, I corralled all of us out to the back yard so I could sit and admire my work. The girls were intent on getting muddy again, and I was not in the mood to give them a THIRD bath of the day, so Geoff took them in for bedtime snack, which left me...just me...ahhh.
I was in a perfectly Zen-like zone when the brat two doors down fired up his motorbike and started fuming up the neighborhood. I tried to ignore him and suddenly was graced by the presence of our red-tailed hawk wheeling over the top of our house. Sigh...perfect.
The swing's creak, the wind making the grass whisper, the chip chip chip of the macho cardinals.
Made me forget about my arms.
Thank goodness for spring.

6 comments:

LauraHinNJ said...

Love the photo!

Sorry about your arms. Besides, tilling is man's work (so says I. Weeding is man's work, too.)

Can I send you some buuny poop for fertilizer - I have bags and bags of the stuff. *g*

Endment said...

Wow what an accomplishment! Have you considered making planting boxes? :) Dr. Jacob Mittleider has some great ideas... http://www.sharisgarden.net/mystores/item_192998202X.html

The swing, the red-tailed hawk and he cardinals sound lovely.

Anonymous said...

Nothing strikes fear into the heart of a man more than: A Woman with Power Tools!!

Susan Gets Native said...

Easy there, Neanderthal...
I would like to think that the tone of that comment was respectful fear and not some veiled jibe at women's abilities. 'Cause I know where you live, caveman.

Susan Gets Native said...

Laura,
If the postal service would deliver it, I would love some!
Makes me wonder...what do you do with it all? Does it go in the garden?
I hope to have some usable compost this year...I got started too late last fall.

Anonymous said...

My Daughter...............Wonder
Woman!!!
She's the greatest........sooo smart!!
Howsomever, I, the MOM, am even earlier than Neanderthal Man and am computer challenged, to say the least. Anybody want to buy mine?
Well, this is fun, now that I know how to do it. Maybe next time I'll think up something a little more clever. Bye.....Love One Another.