It’s been a glorious weekend here.
70 degree days
Lots of sunshine.
We are told tomorrow
Will be another story.
This on again off again weather
Has given me the chance to do
Some important fall chores.
So let’s just call this
The weekend of shoveling.
On Saturday I purchased
15 – 40 pound bags of manure
That’s 600 pounds!
I’ve developed a great system
Have it loaded into the back of my SUV
At the store.
When I get home
I just wheel the wheelbarrow
Up to the back of the car.
Split the bag open
And slip it into the wheelbarrow.
I never have to lift one of those big bags.
Then I just shovel 4 – 5 shovels full
Onto each Rose, Hydrangea and Hosta
In my garden.
It does two things.
Provides winter protection.
Serves as a slow fertilizer
Come Spring.
It also makes you a little tired
And sore.
You also may find
A few more Easter Eggs.
But by Sunday afternoon
I’d recovered enough
To attack the compost pile.
All those leaves, garden clippings and food scraps
Turn into a rich garden amendment
By fall.
So I got out my handy little shovel
And scooped it into my wheelbarrow
Spreading it onto the garden.
I got about 1/4th of it done today.
There is still more shovel time
In my future.
Having the right equipment
Makes chores like this
A lot easier.
Years ago John gave me this little shovel.
For Mother’s Day.
Last summer he snapped the handle
On the original.
He quickly replaced it.
A small shovel is a real help
For a gardener’s back.
I did have a friend to help me
With all the shoveling.
This giant praying mantis reappeared.
I first met it a few weeks ago
When it landed on my dahlias.
Now it seems to be scurrying around
Looking for a place to hide out
For the winter.
This is not the glamorous side of gardening.
It doesn’t make for lots of
Pretty pictures.
But digging in the earth
Playing in the dirt
Is the beginning of any garden
And perhaps a new gardener.
Photo credit Kristina Wynne
Gail
P.S. Thank you to everyone who has kindly mentioned the Oklahoma Gardening video of my garden house. My favorite comment was from my friend Kay…”I’ve never seen it so clean.” How true that is!
In My Garden 
I chuckled when you mentioned finding some leftover Easter eggs. That was a lot of physical work to accomplish. We’ll be shoveling a different substance tomorrow as we’re expecting up to 10″ of snow by noon. Too early and then really cold air is coming in, too, so I’m remaining garden clean up will wait until spring.
Wow – that sounds like a lot of snow for mid-November. We are bitterly cold but only a little early morning sleet so far. Guess we can just dream of Easter Eggs for a few months.