Perenial or Annual

I'm one of those "get the job done once and for all and don't think about it again" kind of people.  Just generally speaking.  (Yes, I'm lazy.)  And when it comes to yardwork I've always been the,"I'll just stay inside and iron, or read" kind of person. Don't care for the dirt, spiders, worms, slugs, and other nasties that come with working outside.  (And yes, I'm still lazy.)

So I'm sort of pro-perennial plants for the yard.  I have learned through experience though, that that doesn't mean plant once and they'll look beautiful forever.  Perennial plants can get rangy or sparse or they just "age out".  Another downside is that you don't get that punch of color that comes with the annuals.

I just cringe every time we look at annuals.  It seems such a monetary investment in such a short-term project.  But I'm getting better at just going along with the crowd on this one and plunging into the spring planting.

So Saturday we stopped in at Home Depot.  I love the spring/summer flowers!  It's like eye candy that truly lifts my soul.  (I'll never forget taking a toddler grandson in a cart through the garden center and listening to him just ooh and aah over all the pretty colors.  What a fun memory that is.)

44 small plants will hopefully beautify our small corner.

This morning was the time.  The Husband so graciously offered to do all the planting, and after all, he likes that gardening thing.  (I just like the results.)  But he is so very busy and works so hard to provide for us.  This is my personal sacrifice to indicate in a small way how grateful I am for him.

It only took about an hour or so.  I planted, fed, pruned some roses, and gave the thirsty little things a drink.  You'd think I wouldn't dread such a small investment of time quite so much.

Last year's results pleased our eyes the entire summer.  I was astonished that something I planted actually worked out.  (I never professed to be a gardener, just bumble my way through - like I seem to bumble my way through life.)  I'm a teensy apprehensive about whether or not today's efforts will flourish.

And to The Husband's credit:  I only received praise for my work, not a speck of criticism.  How kind he is, and gracious even when I know that often I don't quite measure up.

(And that brings to mind words from church yesterday.  She spoke about how people can disappoint us and we should love them anyway.  The corollary - in my mind - is that we (all of us) disappoint others.  Hopefully they will love us anyway.  Often they don't: friendships dissolve, marriages disintegrate.  Love should remain constant.)

Now I'm off to curl my hair, get lunch for The Husband, run to see a friend in the hospital, stop at the grocery - I feel such a sense of accomplishment and it isn't even noon.

Today's gratitude:  for the beauties of this astonishing world we enjoy.