garden

Sorry for the un-pinterest worthy photo but I like to keep the pictures on my blog old school. Grainy and not cute. Anyway, I'm currently embarking on a garden project for our deck. This is a pretty new and different thing for me because you really wouldn't use "JiJi and gardening" in the same sentence. Unless it was the sentence "JiJi you shouldn't garden".  Also, I'm not really sure if the end of summer is the most auspicious time for such a thing but it's better late than never, right? (Pretty much how all gardeners talk I'm sure).

My first task was to clean up fallen leaves, seeds, dirt, dead insects i.e. things that JiJi does not like to touch. So I bought yellow latex gloves and hauled these items into a trash bag. I felt so strong! So pioneer! Like a character in a Barbara Kingsolver novel!

Then the mosquitoes attacked.

As soon as I swatted one away from my ankle, others came for my neck and arms. My small, delicate hands were helpless against these formidable pests. Ack! This is what English professors mean when they talk about Man vs. Nature! I decided it was time to retreat when the mosquito bites swelled into Lana Del Rey lip proportions.

Sooo that was my first garden project. Next time I will wear long sleeved shirt, pants, and enough DEET to make me an environmental hazard. Stay tuned for the next post when I will talk about trimming branches and pulling weeds interspersed with meditations on how this garden is a metaphor for life.