Monday, July 30, 2012

Flights of Fancy on a Hot Summer Day

There are times when the pleasure and romance of a garden is put aside and its maintenance becomes a beast that growls or whines to get one's attention. This morning, although hot, was the time to do a bit of overdue weeding, deadheading, lawn-mowing and so forth. Not all of it, mind you, just some.

How could one lawn have so many weeds?

How could so many determined, 
single-minded bits of unwanted greenery 
 spring up between the patio bricks?

Sharp weeding tool in hand, I thought about the British mysteries I occasionally read (a memory instigated by my murderous thoughts regarding the unwelcome vegetation, I suspect).

For a little light reading, I'll sometimes indulge in a "cozy". Picture, for example, a single, middle-aged, female protagonist who has "a man" come to do the digging and repairs. She may even have a woman "to do" for her, not everything, perhaps the "deep cleaning" in her impossibly-charmingly-thatched-cottage. (I'd be just as happy with a woman doing the maintenance and the man deep-cleaning; my daydreams are equal opportunity employers.)


You know, the kind of home that has a name like "Rose Cottage" with a little stone wall and a cat or two snoozing by the hearth or purring contentedly in the garden.  

The only thing marring this idyllic scene is the certitude that at least one pesky corpse would be discovered amongst the hollyhocks, in the hedgerow, or some such similar place.)


Let's just blame the sun for this little flight of fancy. It's hot out there, the kind of day where I think about the time that one house demands and whether I really should continue my search for another one, or just find a lovely, maintenance-free condo where 
I could take a dip in the cool pool,
 or lock my door,
plane ticket in hand,
and know that all would 
                be safe in my absence.


Then again...

I could keep searching for the elusive house, not quite as little as my current one, and hire out some jobs...like shoveling snow or cutting the grass.




There you have some little ideas that than ran through my head as they tried to escape the club of heat being wielded by the sun...

They'll pass by and more sensible ones will take residence. 
I hope.

22 comments:

  1. Karen, Your garden looks beautiful. There are times when I feel a slave to the garden, too, and wish it were smaller, or that I had help, or that I lived in a condo. Nonetheless, I do get a lot of joy from my garden. Weeding isn't one of the joys...

    ReplyDelete
  2. That was a cute post Karen. I love English murder mysteries. Miss Marple on tv is a favorite of mine but rarely found on our 3 channels. Even with no rain here the weeds seem to find the energy to sprout up where they are unwanted. Our grass is almost all brown now except in the back yard. Your photo of the snow is a stark reminder to enjoy these hot summer days!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Loved this. Made me think of that line in Proverbs 31 about the woman of virtue having servant girls. I always think where on earth are my servant girls?

    ReplyDelete
  4. Hello Karen
    There are days when I think a condo with just a few pots on the balcony could fill my gardening needs. Other times, I wouldn't trade our gardens for anything. Do what you can, when you can, and hope for the best I guess.
    There is one thing I know, I'm not moving and starting all over again unless we win a lottery.
    I think the heat is getting to us all - enough already!
    Have a great week.
    Judith

    ReplyDelete
  5. It's so rewarding though,especially, after the weeds have all been pulled and the yard has been freshly mowed.

    ReplyDelete
  6. I thought there for a second the heat was getting to you. ha ha Sometimes I think a little condo would be nice. But then I think I would not have my gardens that I love so much. My gardens have been sadly neglected this summer. I do hire my mowing done. A neighbor does my snow blowing. We made an agreement that he would blow the snow if he and another neighbor could walk across my back lawn to each other's place. Works for me.

    ReplyDelete
  7. karen, I know the same "little ideas that than ran through the head", I hate the grass growing between the patio stones! Your garden is quite nice, let the lawn and patio as they are.

    ReplyDelete
  8. I enjoyed a peek into your thoughts during a spell of reading. You and I have the same sorts of fantasies! I want that cottage, a 'man' to take care of the heavy gardening and a dependable 'girl' to take care of the big cleaning projects. I'd be happy to put a basket over my arm and wander into the village for a spot of shopping.......

    ReplyDelete
  9. Its good therapy to indulge in some flights of fantasy once in a while. I've had my fair share of them. Your garden is lovely, so whatever efforts invested in it does it full justice.

    ReplyDelete
  10. I indulge in flights of fancy all the time! Love your English Cozy mystery idea. If only we could all have someone to 'do' for us!

    xo
    Claudia

    ReplyDelete
  11. Yes, flights of fancy are the best! I indulge whenever I'm hard at work. Fortunately, the weather has been a bit cooler here in Ma. Makes pruning and weeding tasks a little less arduous.

    ReplyDelete
  12. Beautiful garden.....It can be alot of work, but it does pay off when it's done. Flights of Fancy are a good thing. We have a large yard and sometimes I am burnt out.
    I am your newest follower. I hope you stop in for a visit and follow along.

    ReplyDelete
  13. Good morning Karen,

    Lovely photos today.

    I know what you mean about the garden taking up
    a lot of time, it most certainly does
    but then we would certainly miss the beuaties it
    produces if we didn't do that work!

    Would love someone to clean the house
    and a man to do the garden
    and I could sit and drink coffee and admire their handiwork!

    Think I will do the lotto on Friday!!!

    Your flowers are gorgeous. I can almost feel the heat coming
    from the oranges ones.

    Have a great week

    Fiona
    (raining again........)

    ReplyDelete
  14. Hi Karen!
    I'm right there with ya... thinking about other options,and day-dreaming while trying to win my battle with the weeds! Drat! Why is it that weeds grow stronger and faster than flowers or veggies??!!

    I commented to my hubby, that maybe we'd better sell the old homestead and get us a little tiny place to live with a potted tomato~~~~LOL!

    Love your pictures!

    Smiles :)
    Kerin

    ReplyDelete
  15. Such a beautifully written post. The constant battle between the necessity of daydreaming and the equally essential down-to-earth (excuse the pun) chores a garden and house demand.

    Stephanie

    ReplyDelete
  16. And I can't get past the hollyhocks taking so long to bloom, and the dumped body ruining them, LOL.

    Love this post.

    Jen @ Muddy Boot Dreams

    ReplyDelete
  17. My mind often wanders while I am doing mundane gardening tasks. I think of it as therapeutic. But, isn't it amazing how despite all odds weeds always grow faster than everything else?

    ReplyDelete
  18. I'm with you on this one Karen, sometimes maintaining a house and garden can be very demanding, especially in summer. But I love my home and I would really miss my flowers and yard if I would live in a condo. I'm not ready for that, maybe in 20 years ! Although the thought of travelling more would make me reconsider...
    I really really love the photo of your cat, you captured him at just the perfect moment !

    ReplyDelete
  19. No weeding here it is just too hot, lots of reading though! I am not sure if you know I also have a book blog which you might find interesting.

    ReplyDelete
  20. Hi Karen,

    Lovely post, I know just how you feel...it has been a quite the summer this year!
    Thank you for your visit today,
    All the Best,
    Christine

    ReplyDelete
  21. What a delightful post---I thoroughly enjoyed it and had a grin too :)

    ReplyDelete

LinkWithin

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...