Back to Normal, Sort of

It’s June. We’re still getting quite a bit of rain. And, when it’s not raining, the skies are mostly cloudy, so there aren’t any sweltering hot days. Yet. It’ll happen. I think all the yard work that’s going to get done, has pretty much been done. So when I put on my overalls and went outside a couple of days ago, there wasn’t much I needed to do, except basic stuff, and I turned my sights to the patio itself. There are many lovely plants there, but, the place where I work on the patio, was looking sort of . . . drab.

Several years ago, when we lived in our other house, where the boys grew up, I was out doing something in the yard, pulling weeds or planting something, and I didn’t have a nice, organized place to work. Jeremy was at home, identified the dilemma, and made a plan. He gathered some wood pieces that we had. Then, he went on a hunt down our alley, and found some more wood pieces, which he used, with the others, and created a table sort of thing where I could store my garden tools and work on potting plants. That structure eventually prompted the rest of the family to realize that I was serious about gardening and maybe I should have a sturdier structure.

They purchased, and put together, a real professionally designed space where I could work and store tools and keep potting soil. It was great. When we moved from that house to where we live now, the bench got relocated to our patio. I’ve been using it ever since, and added some small metal shelves that hold containers of plant food, more soil, some sand, trash bags, and pots.

After working so much in the yard this spring, I’ve just about planted, pruned, trimmed, and edged everything. Earlier this week, I looked around and thought, hmmmm, when was the last time I took care of the potting bench. Ever? Never? I went to the garage and, oh, yes, there was a big can of Thompson’s Water Seal, which I carried outside, along with a brush and a pan. I took everything off the bench and got to work.

It’s as sturdy now as it ever was, and, with it being newly water-sealed, it should be good for many, many more seasons.

I keep on purchasing thyme plants, but I think I may have reached my peak. I have done lots of trimming in the space, cutting back lots of plants and drying them out to send to Jeremy and Sarah and to my sister in Seattle.

Here’s the final result. Nicely defined spaces. I did quite a bit of pruning. When I first made the garden, all the thyme plants were small and compact.  A space for every kind, and every kind in its space. Several of the varieties had, over months and years, really outgrew their spaces. The large area at the front, that curves around, is Creeping Mother of Thyme. The large growth of thyme toward the rear of the area is Foxley Thyme. These are two of the varieties that I planted first. See what happens if you don’t keep on eye on your thyme.

If you’re a serious cook, baker, chef, do let me know if you need a sprig or two of fresh thyme. And, based on recipes I read, a sprig or two of thyme is all that’s called for

Celebrate and sing! Play your harps for the Lord our God.
He fills the sky with clouds and sends rain to the earth, so that the hills will be green with grass.

Psalm 147: 7,8 (Contemporary English Version)

We are grateful for the rain. Our lake is full, which means we’ll have water for our homes and water for our plants. As Peter and I were coming into Waco last weekend, and nearing our house, I said that I wanted to go the longer way to our house (a minute or so longer) because it’s a prettier drive. Peter said, “I’ll look at the lake. Yes, it’s fuller now.” I found that credible.