I Drink and I Grow Things

Some of my best weekends seem to have two things in common: a rum drink, and gardening/yard work. But it’s also important that these two treats are enjoyed together, in combination.

Yes, I’m a proponent of lightly lit gardening. Here’s why:

First of all, deciding to enjoy a drink means I’m not going out to the grocery store or doing other errands. And I’m certainly not going to turn on the laptop and try to do work. So it’s either stay in the house or get outdoors — and the outdoors beckons!

The dappled afternoon sunshine. A light breeze. Blush-colored petals falling from the crabapple tree. The neighbor’s two chickens quietly free ranging across the back lawn. And me, with just a light buzz… like the variety of bees lazily fondling the nearby camellia.

I’m not a finicky gardener to begin with. Mostly, my motto is “put it in the ground, green side up, and see what happens.” But with a rum drink close at hand (possibly capturing a random gnat on its sugary surface), I have no preconceived plan at all. It’s the beauty of picking up the pruning clippers and just going for it. Seeing an opportunity and going with it, not overthinking it.

Another advantage is your back is loosened up! No problem stooping over to prune away the dead fern fronds — as long as you don’t fall in face-first, you’re good. There’s nothing much more complex than distinguishing the deadwood from new growth. You can even giggle when your husband comes by and teases you about rats, spiders, and snakes creeping around in the ivy where you’re standing in flip flops. (I’ve never been one for gardening clogs — it’s either flip flops or an ancient pair of imitation Chucks, with splits in the canvas and missing eyelets.)

The cat wanders by. One street over, someone’s using a weed whacker or another power tool; it sounds like a dentist’s drill, only more industrious. Your trips to the yard waste can are leisurely, and from time to time literal tripping may be involved…no worries, it’s just part of the process.

Yes, a most pleasant way to while away a couple hours on a Sunday afternoon in springtime or summer. As I sit down to write this, my tumbler’s empty, but for a few ice cubes and lemon seeds (a Meyer from my own tree, the last remnant of last season’s fruit, taken today while pruning in expectation of new blossoms). Birds chatter to one another. And I’m simply enjoying being outside.

Cheers!