Pack it Up

So why does it take longer to plan an vacation than it does to be on one? It doesn't matter if you fly off to an all inclusive or go camping, it all takes longer than it should. By the time you decide where you are going, what you need to take, arrange the details through the travel agent or Internet, arrange for animal care..etc. I am exhausted before I even begin on the adventure.

And adventures they are! I am probably a very annoying person to travel with, as I like to see every possible thing there is to see from a back road with special trees that I saw in a flyer all the way to the biggest tourist trap. Luckily my husband is up for this as well, the only problem is that by the time we get home we need another vacation where we just can just sit.

So here I am getting ready to go to a cottage for the upcoming long weekend and I am up at 7am to arrange things. I have planned the menu (because there isn't a grocery store for a whole 10 mins), written a list about what the cottage has vs what we need to take, doing the last minute laundry, vacuuming and cleaning-as I like to come home to a clean house- along with a multitude of other things...and we are only going for THREE DAYS.

Mind you, just because others are "roughing it" with the bare essentials doesn't mean that I have to. One of our first camping adventures involved a very packed car, with equipment you could plug into the cigarette lighter for power and one embarrassed husband -then boyfriend.

You see- his nickname is wilderness boy! His idea of camping is a tent (optional), sleeping bag, matches and some snacks. I think this sounds like torture. Where is my change of clothing and toiletries....and don't even get me started on having to take a poo shovel. I do not apologize for liking the finer things in life. I do not need a 5 star resort with hand and foot service(although this does sound appealing) but running water is essential and I am not referring to the stream "over there".

So as I pack up the final items into the car to go off on our "relaxing" adventure I think that the bare essentials of a toothbrush and a change of undies might not be so so bad....then I laugh myself silly and pack four more pairs of shoes...after all, a girl has to be prepared for any fashion emergency.

Out Out Damn Weed

As the snow begins to melt away I dream of things to plant and what to do to each garden. What I seem to forget about are the weeds that come along with this too. When I am able to first get out in the gardens I do more playing around than actual gardening. I think I just enjoy tromping around in the mud. Yes, some days I am six.

The reason for my tromping is that until things start to grow, I am unsure if they are a weed or something I planted later in the season. I have discovered that I spend more time half way through the season wondering if I pulled a plant I was sure I planted last year. So in my garden it is better to wait until I recognize the plant before I pull it.

It never fails though as I truck off to the various nurseries around town searching for more colour I come home to plant them and the colour fades away after a week. What drives me mad is that the "more colour" I am looking for usually comes from the $%#ing weeds. Creeping charlie would be pretty if it didn't creep. My husband bought creeping jenny many years ago, which I pulled out about two years later as it began taking over the garden...and each spring I still find bits of it to pull. I have learnt my lesson...anything that says creeping...DO NOT BUY....I can probably give you some...cheap!

Then there are the plants that continue to grow and bloom. They are so pretty that i have to divide them, so instead I share the wealth with friends who need them...or move~! I have divided one poor Snow ball plant so many times I am surprised how each year it still looks bigger. It must be a girl plant and likes all of the maintenance.

Then there are the lovely critters that come with gardening...did I mention this is what I do to relax...can I just say what a hate on for earwigs I have. Those creepy bugs are my nemesis as everything I plant they seem to love...they are right up there on my "would like to eliminate from the earth" after June bugs and grubs. Ewww my skin shivers thinking about them.

It is amazing with all of the cursing I do in the garden that I continue to go out in my spare time , in the blistering heat to painstakingly deadhead everything, pull out tiny pieces of clover and dig holes to make room for new plants. Some days I think I am demented. But then summer hits and the garden is in full bloom. The roses bloom in abundance with the most amazing smell, the dahlias grow and bloom to the size of dinner plates and the sea of colours blend together makes me sigh and think that all of it was worth it...until mid August hits and I say screw it...I am going on vacation!