Reclamation



I’m slowly reclaiming our yard. The uncommon luxury of a 3 day weekend combined with glorious Florida weather and softly ringing windchimes worked together to entice me to attempt to shrug off the remnants of our illness and to lure me out into the yard.

Saturday morning I ventured forth, donned my leather gloves and proceeded to clear the backyard of unwanted plants. During my grief-driven gardening days I planted many different tropical plants, trying my hand at growing plants that caught my fancy. After 5 years of neglect some had proven to be poor choices for our yard, but terrifically prolific plants! I pulled out at least 200 of one variety of a dwarf variegated ginger that had taken over the beds.

On Sunday afternoon, I tackled the ferns that had come up in the hedge along the driveway, coming upon about 10 Chinese fans that had taken root-- some coming out easily, while others had to be coaxed out of the ground. When I crawled into bed that night, I ached all over, and felt the triumph of having completely cleared the area of weeds and unwanted plants.

Monday found me clearing out the side yard beds of variegated pothos, ivy, briar, and numerous other vines. Once upon a time I had planted a lovely winding path and the satisfaction I found in restoring it to cleanliness was rich.

Each day I worked while listening to a book on my ipod. Over the three days I listened to “Icebound” by Dean Koontz, “I am Legend” by Richard Matheson, and “Coraline” by Neil Gaimon, all very different and interesting. Between books I contemplated what I want to do with the yard, and even managed to clear an area where I’d like to plant a privacy hedge, to hide the hunting and boat trailers.

Digging, pulling, coaxing, I managed to clean up the yard, and in the process uncovered some beautiful things. The spathiphyllum that I planted so many years ago were lush and large and would be a great base for lovely bedding, and the giant lariope would work well around the Drake Elm in the front yard. It was good to get out and work after these past weeks of sickness. Taking the occasional break to rest, use a tissue, and enjoy the shade made the work manageable.

Late yesterday evening I walked around the yard, surveying what I’d accomplished. Now that things were tidy, I could begin to think about creating places in the yard for retreat and relaxation. There, up in the canopy of live oak branches was one particular branch that begged for a swing. A swing! I’d always loved the porch swings that graced my grandparent’s home when I was a child, and the thought of hanging one in the yard made me smile. My dream of a yard that speaks to my spirit seemed just a little more substantial.