Weekend Warrior

It was such a beautiful crisp, sunny day today, I just couldn't wait to get outside and DO SOMETHING. Ask me in August if I think gardening in Houston is a good idea and I'll probably mutter something about "only mad dogs and Englishmen" going out in the midday sun. (Being English, I can say things like that ;-) 

Today was, for me, a perfect day to be out gardening.

However, the first task I set myself for today was to organize the area of shelves in the garage that I use for my gardening "stuff" and birding supplies -- potting soil, gloves, trowels, bird seed, feeders etc.

Over the course of the winter it had got to be a mess.  There was seed all over the floor from pre-dawn feeder-filling mishaps and one of the shelves was starting to sag under the weight bird seed and peanuts. The empty planters had stuff piled on them and in them so I couldn't get to them and anytime I tried to get a shovel off the rack, several other things fell over and rattled to the floor.  The whole area was just bugging me.

I got another shelf at Lowe's and was relieved when it fit between the existing shelf and the saddle rack my husband (Mr. W) hung for me. The cat carriers went up into the attic, which left room for me to sit the green rubber container with the spare horse blanket to the right of the saddle rack. 

Well there's something you don't see in a garage everyday -- on the right of the photo above, an old Claymore that was a legacy from an old boyfriend who was into such things.  I never had the heart to get rid of it, our neighbor's 14 yr old daughter thinks it's neat and, who knows, perhaps Mr. W. will carry it when we go to the Texas Renaissance Festival in the fall?

Et voila! Much neater. A place for everything, and everything in it's place (well, that's the plan, let's see how long it stays neat and tidy). I can even get the shovel, etc. off the tool rack (just to the right of the area shown here) without everything clattering to the ground as I do so.  Even the Claymore!



And now... because this is supposed to be a garden blog... on to the depressing site that greeted me on the back patio...

Alas, pretty much everything is history.  The beautiful palm that was a gift and that I've had for 6 years is no more.  But I happened to notice, among the general brownness...

Since we're supposed to get another freeze in a few days, I think I'm going to put this fern, and another that also has some new fronds uncurling, into the garage when the temperatures dip again later this week.

After such a productive start this morning, I also planted a southern wax myrtle in the border at the back of the garden.  The camera batteries were low by then, so I didn't get a photo, but I think it's going to like it there.  I'll see if I can remember to take a photo of it in place tomorrow.

What a great day!  I have a very pleasant sense of achievment today.

It's a pity our weather can't be like this all year round....

Words and photographs by Jayne Wilson, Green and Serene, Jayne's Country Garden.