Ruthless Pruning

Following the advice of a friend, I decided to start with this train wreck of a rosebush by the corner of the house. My intention was to prune it, hoping it would still produce some blooms this Summer.

It was really hard work, not helped at all by the fact that all I had to prune it with was an old, rusty, dull branch trimmer with wooden handles that kept falling off.  It was hot, and I became increasingly grumpy and resentful as I worked.  My husband and I have made many plans through the years to do something with the backyard, but neither of us have ever followed through on those plans.  So, I was saturating myself with negative thinking.  Why am I the one that always has to get the ball rolling on big projects?  This is SO hard.  This is a dream I am never going to be able to accomplish.  It's too much, too big, too expensive, and I'm all alone.

 

In my fury, I ended up chopping the whole thing down.  I don't think it would have been any different even if I had taken more care.  The branches were all long and leggy with leaves only at the very top.  Most of the branches were dead.

So, I'm watering and fertilizing it, and hoping for the best.

When I was done with the hack-job trimming, I was sweaty and mad.  I took a shower and hopped in my car with no destination in mind.  Well, I had one destination in mind.  I was starving, and Taco Bell was ringing my name.

While I was driving, I suddenly remembered that this backyard adventure was my idea, and my intention was to rely on God to open the way for me to accomplish it, not to grumble and whine because my husband didn't immediately jump to my recuse and do what neither of us has been able to do in over two decades.  I felt a peace wash over me because I knew that the way has already been made, and all I have to do is follow the divine leads.

I grabbed a crispy burrito and went to park next door so I could eat and think.  I prayed and asked that the right resources, helpers, and advice would come to me to turn my backyard into a beautiful sanctuary, and then I noticed that I was parked in the library parking lot!

I came home cheerful and with a big stack of books about gardening and landscaping.  I plopped onto the bed next to my husband who was watching TV there, and together we browsed through the books.  Later I noticed him online browsing deck designing websites.

Help has arrived!

The change in my own attitude was my first miracle on this journey.

I almost forgot...on the library bulletin board there was a flyer for a garden conservatory preservation project   close by that I can check out for inspiration and to buy plants when I get that far.  More serendipity. I plan to visit soon!