On Socks, Rakes, Old Bones & Spring Chores

My other brother would put this in rhyme but my brain, what little is left of it, does not work that way when I reach for a word that matches old or ache or garden cart, I just find nothing and have a brain fart! So I will just narrate yesterdays emergence from winter in words!


The hardest work I do all day is putting my socks on, how is it that my feet get further from the ends of my arms each time I get dressed. Used to be I looked at them “old farts” who shuffled down the halls of various nursing homes where I updated their electrical and 'call systems' with a little amusement, no longer is that funny. I now see why they wear no socks and slip on footwear and shuffle their feet rather than step out with confidence, you just cant trust those creaky knees and distant feet!


With spring now bringing a little light at the end of the winter tunnel here in the Klondike Hills of SW Ontario I find my self with the desire to get out and do something, anything other than sit on me arse and watch snow falling. Putting seeds to soil in the green house and sliding them into the hot bed certainly helps but sitting back in the following days watching them grow is no less frustrating than the previous occupation of doing nothing and resting after..


Given the above I decided that it was time to get out and rake the dead grass off the flower beds.....I know, I know, grass is not the preferred crop in a flower bed but in an effort to minimize the upkeep we decided upon mostly “perennial bed”, what we seem to have achieved is perennial grass and weed beds rather than flower beds. Our new regime is now potted plants set in holes that we can remove or replace as the need arises, So now at least all out 'failures' are in pots”


Anyway given the above sudden surge of ambition I foolishly decided that spring gardening clean up should not be done in slippers and that perhaps the tall 'slip on' insulated boots dedicated to traipsing through the snow out to the mail box in the winter months were, perhaps, not realty suitable for these tasks and thus dug out real 'work boots', you know with solid tread, ankle support and .....laces! All I am going to say that putting you socks on in the morning pales besides this task, particularly the first time in several months and on only two cups of tea!


Never the less after resting for some time after those exertions, and another cupa, I did spend some time with that lawn rake.....some of which I actually used it for raking rather than leaning on and contemplating how the crap on the top of the “flower” beds provide insulation for those thing that we planted that probably wont reemerge anyway! Thankfully after a couple of hours of this my wife arrived from picking up our granddaughter and dragged me fighting and screaming away from my gardening efforts, Then I was informed that our visitor has requested hot dogs for supper and it being probably the nicest day since sometime in September decided to fire up the BBQ.


Now we do not subscribe to those fancy thing that come on wheels with a tank full of heating juice but prefer our stone. wood fired. monolith. This takes a little time to get going and thus I was forced to leave the lawn rake rest and clear off all the accumulated junk, grills, and 'stuff' from around on and in the BBQ structure and actual put fire to wood. After a hard days raking dead crap from on top of half dead crap this understandably a tough job and required 'refreshments.' in order that one did not become dehydrated in the steaming +12c temperatures.


I am going to end my narration here with the notation that our first BBQ of the season was a small tease of better days to come even if shortly after the hot dogs went on the sun went AWOL. My old bones are aching and there is LOTS more to do out there but I just cannot wait to get at it.....in small doses. Now will someone design 'slip on work-boots and a way to put my feet closer to my hands!