Everything sublime is as difficult as it is rare. Baruch Spinoza

Thursday, April 29, 2010

Too Many Irons

in that proverbial fire.

I overwhelm easier now. That is to say, I am overwhelmed. What I want and what I can do are not the same. They truthfully haven't been for a long time. In my mind dwells the life of perfect. In reality it is quiet chaos. And I am lucky that it is quiet. Not quite quiet desperation, but give me time.

I have a large place and mostly me taking care of it. In the past week I have scraped paint on the garage and primed and painted one door to completion, one to the first coat of paint and one primed only.





After I finish the doors I need to paint the garage itself. Yippee.

Then there are the gardens. It doesn't seem like that much, but it sure is feeling like it. This stuff is getting ready to bloom and I still haven't got all of the weeding and mulching done, much less any planting.

So I still have this bed,


and this,


and this


as well as this to weed and mulch.


And of course too many of these fine animals to care for. Mud, hair and tangled manes. I don't even consider clipping anymore.


I cannot forget this, which always needs to be cleaned.


The bright side is, I have three beds done like this. Northern gardens are not exotic, we work with what survives -30 + degrees F. 


And then there is still this project to be done. Repairing and staining the walkway. And sowing the nasturtium seeds. And fixing Howard's dead spots. And where the big hole was dug last year to repair the leak from the well to the house.


While I'm at it, I may as well give hives to Allegra of Beading Stars. All of this lawn to mow. Plus more in the back, as well as the grass dressage arena. And look what that awful man did to my trees. I'm feeling her purple passion.


I believe I just had a very fine whine. I'm all better now.

13 comments:

Unknown said...

you can whine.
and these are chores that once completed , must be begun again. Ugh.

I won't say how do you do. But

How do you do it?

and your property is spectacular

Cyndi and Stumpy said...

It all looks so beautiful from where I am sitting. Marvelous, REALLY. That's a huuuuge list and I think your doing a great job. so good, in fact, I am going to talk to the boss about a raise for you!

My last summer in Massachusetts, when I realized I could no longer keep up with my gardens, I decided I was going for the over grown cottage garden look, and liked it!

Ganeida said...

I just realized why I let things run down. *sigh* I'm getting old & time just keeps getting shortwer. Everything out your way is looking really lovely ~ especially those 4~legged ♥ things. ☺

Sandra said...

The garden looks glorious from where I sit! I sometimes prefer Mother Nature taking over and what we call weeds, are just plants that are not grass - gives so much more variety!

A.Smith said...

I have to tell you a story that will make you laugh about lawns. Once we were asking at a dinner party what was our idea of hell, without hesitation as you can imagine I said: having to mow the lawn more than once in a life time. The silence on the table was ominous. By some truly extraordinary coincidence one of my fellow diners was the owner of then the largest sod company in Oregon.

Needless to say I laughed my head off all the way back home and believe it or not I was invited to dinner again because my host felt exactly the same way but as he told me later, he was tickled pink that I could say it but obviously he couldn't.

I am off to look for the calamine lotion now. And your beds look fine. What you need to do there is to get some Montana rainbow gravel (3/8) use a natural landscape fabric not the horrible black plastic stuff and cover the area around the plants. Or simply use newspapers, a good top dressing of hemlock mulch and some of the rainbow gravel. Good bye to weeding, water percolates fine and the roots won't have to compete with weeds. That will be twenty five cents. Thank you.

And I bring the Saint Andre and some good bread to go with your whine, so keep at it.

Bonnie Zieman, M.Ed. said...

You are wonder woman to take care of all that by yourself!! When there are too many tasks to count I just tell myself, keep working at something and sooner or later it will all get done. But as Deb says - with animals and a large property ... it all begins again. But aren't we lucky to have all this work in the midst of such beauty?

I am seeing all your rhubarb - making me anticipate the growth of ours and some wonderful rhubarb pies (my favourite pie).

It does feel good to whine sometimes doesn't it?

Memories Of Mine said...

That's a lot of work you do. I don't know how you manage as you have made me exhausted just by reading what needs doing.

Your passion you have for your horse and property is strong. Different seasons may bring different chores but I am sure you are always busy with something.

I'd say judging by the time and effort you put into the maintenance of your property, that a WHINE no matter what size is allowable here and there.

Sandra said...

deb, I do it slowly! And getting slower every year.

gsc, a raise for me? Now that would be something. : ) I have the cottage garden going on as well. It works well in the northern climate. I grow roses, but they are not as easy in MN.

Ganeida, where you live wild is beautiful. Here, it's usually prickly. My horses are tired of paddock life and so am I. It has been a nice spring but the pasture grass is on its' own schedule.

Sandra, I wish we had interesting weeds. Mostly it's crab grass and thistle, both of which take over like crazy. I'm glad it looks glorious in the photos, cuz not so much in person!

Allegra, I would imagine the sod business owner never sent you a dinner invitation! My place would be too much for you I fear.....there is a lot of grass. You would indeed be overcome! Thanks for the 25 cents, I will give it a try in the least overgrown of them.

Bonnie, I am wonder woman, but I am only she where the horses are concerned! I can stop a charging stallion with a single word. Oops, I think that is mixing my super heros! I know you have a large property as well. I'd like to say it was easier when I was younger but it was not. Then I was so engaged in my horse business I had no time at all for anything else. The rhubarb is nearly ready to be picked.

Sandra said...

Liss, I can't say it isn't a lot of work, because it is. Somedays it just seems worse than others. The brief moments when everything comes together at once it seems worth it!

A fine whine is a lovely thing as long as one does not imbibe in it too much. : )

Homer and Queen said...

I get so relaxed just looking at pics of your property. I'm going to have to do a post on the comparisons of your yard and mine...

Sandra said...

Queen, that could be interesting. Let me know if you decide to so it. I'll help.

Mel said...

Whine away, I felt sorry for myself until I saw how much you have to tend to. It is a conundrum, the blessings and curses of owning land. I want more than I can tend to, while I barely keep up with what I have. Nature will take over in a few seasons if you let it, and turn yards into brambles and buildings into rubble. This is the year I had to hire help to clean out the overgrown flower beds, as my bad shoulder and some heavy rains cost me dearly. The hired help jump started me this spring and I am full of plans and grand intentions, as long as the body is willing. Your yard has so many flowers that it will be lovely regardless of weeding and mulching. I've noticed that without my glasses, the yard takes on a Monet haze and the weeds blend in! Good luck getting it all done.

Sandra said...

Mel, there's always someone who has it worse! Sometimes I take solace in that. I got a cortisone shot for my shoulder and have been hoping it will get me through.