Something drew me to this house, a bungalow really. As I move through the most difficult, and painful time of my life, I have found some reprieve in this little, but very welcoming East Sacramento bungalow. The place had been vacant for a couple of years, a long history, and family stories swirling in the air around it. The home needs some love, and well, I need a place to rest, recover, and renew. We need each other, the bungalow, and me.
In back of the bungalow is an epic pine tree surrounded by various green things, a sweet orange tree, and a garage that looks more like an old horse stable (and very well could have been).
After moving in, I walked back behind the old garage, and there I saw it, a plum tree-shaded cement patio next to a garden, overgrown and exploding with potential. The garden was a weed-covered mess, but had obviously been loved by someone at one time. It was clear, it was my duty to bring the garden back to life. With some very much needed help for the heavy labor (thank you, Kevin), over several weekends, we cleared years of weed, and grass build up. An old tarp helped us tear out layers of weeds (thank you to whomever tended this garden in the past), and random bits of plastic, glass, and metal debris were cleaned from the garden (I even found a watercolor paint brush under the soil, which is now in my art studio amongst my other supplies). It took a few weekly green waste pick-ups to remove the pile of natural debris we pulled from the garden.
Underneath everything are cement, and ceramic steps placed around built-in wooden garden planters in fine shape. After clearing the area, and leveling the ground, soil was added to each box, and a selection of starter flowers, and seed flowers were planted. As the Salvia, Lavender, Golden Yarrow, California Poppies, Sunflowers, Red Rose, Corn Flower, and Alyssum flourish, volunteer squash plants have cropped up from a long underground slumber. How remarkable! Seeds from years-old plants, buried under the tarp, weeds, and soil, now exposed to water, and sun are able to grow, blossom, and produce fruit!
In writing this, I see a metaphor for my life, life in general, but I don’t think I’ll express it here.
Happy Gardening!
Thank you for reading,
Michelle