Our garden is not far from our house. But it is still difficult for me to get Linda to it.
The rough ground makes for a bumpy ride in a wheelchair, and it is a challenge for me to push her there and back.
Plus, there are ticks out there. That's all she needs, another neurological disease (Lyme).
This year I thought, "if Linda can't go to the garden, bring the garden to Linda."
So instead of planting exclusively in our raised bed, I expanded our growing space by amending bits of soil next to the house.
Along the front porch where we like to sit and enjoy shade early on a hot day, or a summer sunset in the evening, I planted peas and kale.
Some of the kale was from second year plants that I wanted out of the raised bed, and they have been flowering all summer. Their profuse and dainty yellow flowers attract both bumble bees and hummingbirds.
There is a small triangle of soil in front of our kitchen window in which I planted purple pole beans and trailing nasturtiums.
These have climbed the stick structure I built for them, so while in the house we have watched them flourish, along with the big bumble bees that love the purple pole bean flowers.
The dream is to have a huge, fully accessible garden at some point in the future. In the meantime, bringing the garden to Linda is the way to go.
What a wonderful gift for Linda to be able to share in the garden. I miss being outside so much. I sit in the morning with the door open so that I can at least hear the crows greeting each other in the new day. So good to be back among you on the blog. I have some catching up to do after a long internet break.
ReplyDeleteWe have been thinking about, and missing you. The crows announce the day here, too.
DeleteA couple of days ago our local crow family was especially noisy while we were on our front porch. One bird amongst them was not the same as the others. It turned out to be a peregrine falcon, which got chased away in short order. If the crows did not alert us we may have missed it.
Linda often sits at our front door watching hummingbirds at the feeder. One left a teeny, tiny feather for her. Iridescent glory, it was.
Welcome back!
How fortunate Linda is to have you as a caregiver - someone who is truly a giver of care - of her body, of her soul, of her spirit. I live in a basement apartment that looks out on a parking lot; not really a big deal because my windows are larger than the apartments upstairs and bring in lots and lots of natural light. Since I moved in here, every summer I have been filling window boxes with impatiens (I change the colour every year) and placing them on the ground just outside my windows. The flowers screen the "view" ("and a fine view she got, of an [old] parking lot...) and bring the birds and the bees (not to mention the squirrels and rabbits) within range so we can really observe and enjoy them. Since I am planning on making this my permanent home (rent controlled and I am the last in a twenty year string of sublets) I am going to start planting hardy perenniels, one or two a year, along the foundation as a gift to my fellow tenants and the neighbourhood. I won't be planting anything edible because of the vehicle emmissions. Next summer I am thinking of starting with prairie hardy milkweed.
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