What to Do

I’m in a pickle. I have a spot on a back lot where I want to create a little garden area. I’ve set up some old fence panels to act as a trellis. I’ve got seeds for vines to grow there. I have numerous flowering plants at my disposal. In the center, however, I want a tree, but if I want it to grow to any size while I’m still alive, it will have to be a fast grower, and I’m more a fan of slow. The latter are sturdy trees with fine grained wood, and long lived. The former are brittle, drop branches, and die quick.

I guess I’m officially one of those old men who will plant a tree even though he knows he’ll never live to see it to maturity. That’s okay, and is as it should be. I still have my old trees to nurture, and the ones we planted some fifteen years ago. So, why stop now? Luckily, I have the winter to make up my mind and lots of choices. At some point it will all come together in my mind, and the planting will begin, and I will pretend I am young with years still to go. That’s probably the key, actually. I should do what I know is right.

In the end, I’m glad I have my gardening. My planting and planning. Throughout my married and working life it was the thing that gave me succor. It was the physical work that helped me remember the soil and the earth. The real things. And it’s the same now. The plants grow and bloom in their seasons. I live among them. We tend to each other. I give what I can, they give back. Their blooms and green growth are all the gratitude I need. I think It's a sweet deal for all of us.