Aim for Dormancy

Every year as soon as it begins to thaw outside... (yes it THAWS in Atlanta- that would be when it reaches 50' for the first time...) gardeners step into their yards and start to remove the dead growth of winter.  Broken limbs are trimmed from trees, rose bushes and crepe myrtles are pruned back, and dried stalks and stems are gathered and tossed in time to find lil bursts of green starting to push up from the earth.

Our winter has been brutal this year.  In our snowmageddon and ice massacre I lost a few bushes, including a beloved rosemary.  The days of true warmth have been few and far between, thus I've only mulched a few sections in the last three weeks and all of the damage has yet to be determined.  I have a stack of bags that still need to be laid and more sections that need to have plants deadheaded.  Even my dogs haven't wanted to stay outside with me as I've worked... my oldest, biggest and possibly smartest dog refuses to step outside without her jacket. 

In addition to Winter's savagery, I've found some varmint damage.  When I started this blog years ago, it was about the pesky rabbits and my new gardener Caddy Shack mentality.  Last year Mark built a fence around my vegetable garden... Two weeks ago I went to clear out the growth to ready it for planting and I saw that the damn deer have bent the fence.  Really Bambi???  Thus when I read an article about a deer being stuck in a fence in Buckhead - the Atlanta police helped save it - all I could think of was let the bugger stay in the fence.  Keep the lil body there like the vikings would on fence posts.  A warning to future varmints to stay clear of fenced in yards... Lil buggers... they've already chomped down my Croci and they have to destroy ironworks too???  I'd say aim for deer but they destroy cars with their fat bodies fortified by the decimation of my gardens.

Spring makes me smile... I see Daffodils and Forsythia and my heart warms with the knowledge that soon my body will be warm again too.  Soon I'll spend hours weekly in my garden either with coffee at my patio table or on my knees happily removing weeds and thinking about everything and nothing as the sun caresses my shoulders.

As I run through the streets near my home I see Bradford Pears (stinky as hell but pretty), Magnolias, Red Buds, Red Maples, and misc fruit trees beginning to blossom.  My cherries and Peach Trees are a gorgeous display of color.  The Blueberry bushes are beginning to bud out.  Dreams of Sour Cream Blueberry Pie come rushing to my head.

Running... ah I can't wait for it to stay above 60.  To run outside daily and breathe fresh air is divine.  I hate treadmills.  Mark and I have been training Tootsie to heel and run right next to us... but the days of it being warm enough or dry enough to do this with her haven't been many.  She loves getting out there on the paths with us.  Eager lil furry beastie.  Granted on cold rainy days like yesterday she's just as eager to be between us on the couch...  The TseTse flies get her and she snores and twitches away all afternoon keeping our laps warm.  Hmm... that's a good idea... I think it's time for the two legged beasts to snooze too...