Garden notes

I've been spending a lot of time in the garden lately; you may remember that when we moved into our house a year and a half ago, the back yard was nothing but a field.

A half-acre field.

We've been steadily working out from the house, and this month has been retaining wall month. Chances are, next month will also be retaining wall month . . . we've got several changes of levels in our yard, and my husband is intent on taming them. Yes, he's building the walls. My job is to clear land, and plant after the walls have gone up.

I'm a demon weeder; I rip them from the ground with great force and speed. No finesse whatsoever; but when you're clearing a field, delicacy is not what you need. Brute force is.

We've settled into a routine; we're out after breakfast and we work in the garden until it gets too hot. Then it's time for beading for me; after supper, if we're not worn out, we're back out there until the sun goes down. It's fun seeing the transformation; our wild lot is becoming civilized.