favourite weekend of the year
Healthy Mindset – Days 53-58
Everything that slows us down and forces patience, everything that sets us back into the slow circles of nature, is a help. Gardening is an instrument of grace.
May Sarton
The May long weekend is usually one of my favourites of the year because it’s the unofficial beginning of summer. Usually, I’ve gone to a garden centre (or two) and picked out my flowers and tomato plants, maybe a few herbs and then had my hands stuck in soil for a few hours planting everything I’ve bought. This year, honestly, it hasn’t felt that much different than other years. The only difference is that on the weekend in March when everything shutdown, I ordered a whole bunch of vegetable seeds, thinking I wanted to have a summer project in case everything was shutdown for a very long period of time.
Garden centres are open in Saskatchewan for browsing (with limited number of customers at one time and physical distancing, of course) or you could choose curb-side pick-up or delivery. I’ve been to two garden centres this week and just the normalcy of browsing through the rows of bedding plants was such a relief. My weekly trip to the grocery store is fine. I’m used to all the protocols by now, but I wouldn’t call it normal. Maybe it’s being out in the fresh air or maybe it’s because there is a lot of hope associated with planting season, but this week I’ve felt like a certain weight has been lifted.
Don’t get me wrong, I completely understand that that it is not over, but we are in a new phase. The intensity of the first two months is lifting. All along, I’ve been writing about keeping a healthy mindset while living through this period of time we’re in. A big part of that is “staying safe” but I much prefer the proactive message of “being healthy” going into this phase. None of us controls the circumstances we are in, but there are things each of us can do to not only stay safe but to also maintain our physical and mental health. The obvious way to do that right now is gardening! Whether you have a backyard with a garden plot (or room for one), a tiny balcony with room for a few pots, or a bigger balcony/patio with room for more, watching something grow is really satisfying! I’m planting some things I’ve never tried before like cucumbers and peppers, some different herbs, and a few different varieties of tomatoes and lettuce. I’m not sure how they’ll all do (I’m sure I’ll blog about as the weeks go on), but this sure seems like the summer to find out what kind of gardener I am! If not now, when?
At the very least, there’s a farmer’s market a few blocks away that will open in June if I want to buy some fresh, local vegetables!
Happy planting!
(The pic at the top is of the petunias I bought this year)
prairie girl wonders 