Extreme Gardening

Who needs climbing, the challenge of the ascents, the mental toughness, the endurance? All I needed to do was stay in my backyard and garden, who would have thunk?

Last week I embarked on the task of getting my garden ready for planting. I didn't have a garden last year so that gave the plot time to fallow and it was patiently waiting to be the bringer of new life and scrumptious veggies for Lise. Or so I thought. In actual fact the area of dirt had an entire year to compact down into a cement like substance with weeds tougher than Clint Eastwood and the same bad attitude.  My nemesis by far was the Quack Grass. What the fuck is up with their root structure? Look, after 4 evenings and 1 full day on the weekend dealing with those weeds you'd swear too. I used to think dandelions were difficult... whatever. With 1 or 2 good digs of the shovel I was down to the simple roots of the dandelions. Quack grass had managed to infiltrate every edge around the garden including underneath my cement blocks in the front of garden and these very big, very heavy cement paving stones at the back that were already 1 foot into the dirt as a barrier between the garden and fence - to keep out weeds of course. Very big and very heavy cement blocks that I dug down to the base of. I managed to slide them over and sort of grab, push, pull, swear, try something different, swear some more and eventually get them out of their spots so I could dig for the Quack grass and pull on its roots till I found them extending almost the length of the garden and underneath the adjacent cement block. This was slow, manual labour getting me dirty, sweating, sore, tired. I want to go and buy all the gardening magazines that tout gardening as this *relaxing* activity, aligning with nature yada yada. I want to take all those mags and gleefully burn them for lying to the general public. 

However, under threats of raining skies I got the area ready for planting. At one point I realized I needed spinach in the garden. I would regret not planting spinach if I was too lazy to go get it. So dirty and disheveled I headed to Canadian Tire. I didn't even bother to clean the dirt off my knees and I was fairly certain I had dirt on my face. I had no time for trivialities, my objective was to have everything planted by the end of the day, I was racing against time dammit.

I cringe abit when I think that my approach to gardening wasn't at all Buddhist or Shamanic. I took way too much glee when I found the end of the roots on some quack grass. When I pulled up the roots I sometimes would raise up my hand like I just made a touch down or else I would voice my happiness to the plant; Die you suckah!!! This was Lise against the weeds Mano-eh-mano. I don't think I'm headed for enlightenment anytime soon.

But it was fun to be a gardener again. In my *previous life* when I was married I was an avid gardener. At the time it was all plants, annuals, perennials, grasses. I remember fondly when I would mull over gardening magazines wondering what paradise I could create outside.

Something changed all that. I swung an ice axe. That's the simplest way to explain it. Climbing caught me and never let go. Other pursuits like gardening and golf got dropped or I slowed down considerably. I did plant a garden one year, but other than that I haven't had much interest in some activities I used to love.

This summer I knew I wanted to have a garden and was prepared to devote the time to it. I did most of the digging after work and had dedicated the whole Sunday. "As long as it would take" I had told myself. 

My body and whiplash hasn't appreciated the digging and moving around with shovels full of dirt. But I figured it was worth some discomfort, that's what the Robaxasol and a glass of wine are for. I'm expecting my whiplash to fade as I get back into much better shape, along with plenty of visits to physio, massage and acupunture. I am surprised how long its taking although most people warned me it might take this long. I'm also aware that the stress of the last 6 months hasn't helped.

Once the garden was ready to be planted I do admit I got into it the whole process. Pulling these tiny seeds out of the package knowing they were going to feed me. With the feeling of the dirt under my hands, I placed them down and gave small prayers for fast growth, tastiness and my appreciation of their give-away to me in the future. The feeling of what I used to enjoy about gardening was present. I realized that as much as I love climbing I'm rediscovering other things that are giving me a different kind of pleasure (writing included) and I appreciate the balance.

Energy has shifted since Bhutan. It feels like I have more space inside, space to enjoy a variety of experiences. Since returning my relationships have changed, some ending and some starting. Today I found out that my work is changing dramatically with it being divided into two separate companies. All of us in corporate groups will have to go to one company or the other so I have no idea what will happen to me.  I'm taking everything in but I'm not that attached to the outcome which feels like an unfamiliar but good space to be in.

I get a shiver up spine as I realize that my intent and prayers in Bhutan are being felt. Incredibly quicker than I could have expected. I know that my shamanism the past 7 years has given me the ability to make changes in my life fairly quickly and I actively use that ability. From the outside I know it could look like I was lucky or one could site factors. But I know that I have some good shamanic mojo that works when you know what you're doing. Shamanism was around a hell of a lot longer than the movie "The Secret" (I didn't like the movie). However its still a shock when things start happening dramatically.

How does this relate to gardening? I'm not really sure but I enjoyed the tangent. :-) Oops maybe that celebratory wine and Robaxacol are having an effect........

I'm relieved that my garden is planted. I am getting such a kick knowing that life is growing out there even as I write this. Which makes me think of compost (don't ask me why)... for many years I had what I now consider an unhealthy relationship to composting. I loved it too much. I had 2 composters for more effectiveness and once it produced new dirt I felt like a proud mother. I was cruising Jugo Juice for what composters would consider "mana from the heavens", the used up vegetables and fruits. Since all the fruit and veggies are all ready mulched it turns into what I called "liquid gold" which turns into dirt far faster and is nutrient rich, oh ya baby!! The girl at the store would look me weird but hand over a big bag.  Apparently my love for compost is still alive and well since, when I remembered that I've had leaves and grass composting naturally for 2 years along the side of the fence, I started to get all excited. I pulled up the covering of old leaves to find cubic feet of pure virgin compost full of worms making the soil extra special. It was heaven when I dug into that and mixed it with my garden. And now I'm thinking about composting again, like I need to nurture 2 obsessions.

I will wrap up my gardening story since I could write plenty more about composting and that would get kind of weird. Suffice to say that I experienced my day on a couple levels and, I got a good workout in, I won a war with the weeds, and soon I'll have an organic salad to show for it!