When it comes to pulling weeds and cutting back plants and branches, I seem to come up with just about every chore that I need to do before I do that one because when I finally do get going out in the yard, I just can’t stop. And I always get bit up by bugs or end up with a juicy case of poison ivy.

This morning I innocently started out by filling up the fish pond and while I was filling it up, I began to pull some of the weeds that had begun to take over the Lantana bed that we have growing there. Then it seemed like a good idea to go get the great little Gardner tool bag that a good friend had given us one year–just in case I needed to trim some branches up while I was at it. I knew that I’d gotten a bad case of chigger bites in our back yard recently, but I assured myself that was because we have big ole islands of wild flowers growing back there…surely the nicely mowed front yard wouldn’t have chiggers would it? Yes. Yes. it does just in case you were wondering. These must be the city chiggers that live in the freshly mowed grass.

My ultimate intention this morning was to fill up the fish pond and then water the plants and trees in the front. Especially our palm tree which is growing like a weed and before you could say “The Secret Garden”, I was pulling weeds and trimming back dead branches and digging up this and tucking away that. By the time an hour or so had gone by, I was really hoping that our precious neighborhood kids would not see me and decide to run over to talk with me. I looked like someone who had been out in the fields for a good long time with sweat from stem to stern. It just felt so good to get some of our flower beds cleaned up and all the trees watered. I finally stopped myself even though I hadn’t made it to the very top front of our lawn to clean up the weeds, bramble and brier near our fence because I was plum tuckered out!

Then I went inside, took a shower, ate a great lunch and fully intended to begin my lap regime in the pool but instead watched a great movie that a friend had given us and occasionally glanced out our windows to the front yard to enjoy the view. The itching didn’t begin until just before sunset. Pretty much every part of my body that you can’t itch in polite company has become camp headquarters for the chiggers in our yard. It’s begun to sink in why I avoid working in the yard. We have insect repellent but the problem is that it doesn’t work if you don’t use it!!! And these little garden jaunts always start out with the intention of just being a few minutes of pulling this weed or that branch, right?

Still, I’m grateful for this fabulous day of sunshine and big puffy clouds and smelling the rosemary bushes that are growing rampantly all in our front yard and the earthy smell of the over turned soil around the tree beds. I’m grateful that our big huge Agave that got freeze-burned this winter and David had to trim back is growing arms back almost over night and is even more beautiful than it was before. I am, however, not so grateful for the chiggers. I realize in the line up of things, there must be a purpose for them but damn if I can figure that out right now. I surely don’t like playing host to them as well.

Cest le vie!! Such is the ebb and flow of life. What did you dig up for yourself today?