Beauty 365 … Stories of Love and Life for Everyday
Lock-down journey Day 34… Going potty with Potter.
Day 34 saw us out in the garden again doing a revamp of our pots.
I have many personal “shame files” and one of them has been the serious neglect of our garden pots. We have dozens of pots around our property, once the receptacles of herbs, flowers, tomatoes or strawberries, now sprouting lush, green weeds. (Speaking of lush and green, our back roof gutters have also come to my attention, sprouting lush, green trees! And they're impossible to reach without the help of a cherry-picker. We’ll tackle that one during the next pandemic!)
With our youngest at my side, we had fun. I do think of him as my baby, but at just 13 years old, he is more half-man, half-boy. His 6-foot, 4-inch height and broad frame make him the muscles in the project, and his vivid imagination, the genius too.
He is a bookworm who has been well versed in Beatrix Potter, so fancies himself as a kind-hearted version of Mr. McGregor. First we discussed ideas of what to plant. He came up with lettuces, radishes and cabbages (The Tale of Peter Rabbit), sage and onions (The Tale of Jemima Puddle Duck), and foxgloves (The Tale of Mrs. Tiggywinkle).
We focused our attention on just two pots (cruel experience has shown me it is better to start small!), and settled on rosemary and parsley, which also feature in Potter's wonderful tales.
While presently we have no plans to stuff ducks (poor Jemima), if the lock-down lasts much longer we may just go really potty and consider getting chickens!
I would like to finish my post by acknowledging the amazing Beatrix Potter and the literary contribution she has made to the world, and especially to our family, with one of her poems.
We have a little garden,
A garden of our own,
And every day we water there
The seeds that we have sown.
We love our little garden,
And tend it with such care,
You will not find a faded leaf
Or blighted blossom there.
