Playin' Outside

When writing, I've always preferred to pour out all my random thoughts on the topic then edit down to a tighter, cohesive narrative.  Before computers allowed me to drag, drop, and delete items at will, I employed an old screenwriters' trick using 3 x 5 index cards.  Each thought was written on its own card, then cards were shuffled and swapped around until my story found a pleasing flow.  Once that outline was in place, I would get to work fleshing out the little details and bits of color that made it interesting while also getting rid of things that no longer worked. I realize this technique isn't unique to me.  However, what's painfully obvious is the number of people who release their thoughts to the world immediately after the initial pouring out stage.  They skip, or find unnecessary,  the all important next step of editing out the superfluous.  As a lover of the well-turned phrase, rare word, or even a tidy absence of grammatical errors, it's easy f

This is short, but something I really felt a need to share.  There's a delightful Spanish dicho I've been thinking a lot about recently - " "En un jardín crecen más cosas que las que siembra el jardinero."  It's generally translated as "more grows in a garden than a gardener sows." What unexpected thing has been growing in my garden?   Surprise.   Really.   "Surprise" as the noun rather than as startling exclamatory statement as you're jumping out from behind the sofa when someone's not expecting a party.  Or maybe it's a feeling better described as wonder, or delight.    It's discovering a bloom, or a tiny lizard, a brief cooling shower, or a trio of migrating Indigo Bunting eating seedheads.  It sounds silly, but as I slowly molt into an old, wrinkled crone, surprise and delight are valuable commodities that keep me young in spirit.  Far too many things threaten to drag me into a pit of cynicis

At the last Garden Bloggers Fling  in Toronto, many friends said they'd like to hear more from me.  I duly vowed to post more, then did.  Unfortunately, it was all on Facebook leaving my poor blog withering away.  Appropriate metaphor for a gardening blog is all I can say in my defense.  Those tiny effortless posts on Facebook of "today's garden surprise" allowed me to share the small, unremarkable events that delight me and keep me gardening.  Truth is, nothing major has really transpired out in my playground - no major weather events, no big projects or changes in design, not even a thorough application of compost.  Yet after eight years of Playin' Outside, I somehow find myself unable to stop posting and simply walk away. It seems as if I've been waiting for something "noteworthy" to do a blog post.  Instead, I'm going to recreate some of the past year's delights here.  I sincerely hope you enjoy them. Perhaps one significant cha