Planting and a Wax Museum

I'm not sure where to start. I still feel like I'm on a roller coaster, but the lows are less dramatic. I'm not sure there were real roller coaster like highs at all the last few months. However, I have been able to find happiness in life doing the things I enjoy. I still have my moments. Sometimes I break down and sob for 5 minutes. Then I get up and get back to focusing on the good things in life.

I really miss my sweet Aimee girl! I miss her bubbly, creative, spontaneity. I miss her beautiful auburn hair and pretty, smiling face. I miss hearing her sing almost all day long. I do still feel her, but the ache in my chest seems to just be part of my life now. An ever present feeling that something is missing, or rather someone is missing. Ok, enough of that. It's making me feel like crying.

I've really been enjoying the weather lately. I love to work in the yard. Last week just below my right ankle started hurting badly and I had the chiropractor look at it and my massage therapist worked on it and then I finally had an x-ray and the diagnosis was tendinitis. I am taking lots of ibuprofen and it's helping some. However, the thing that helped the most was jumping on my shovel with the foot supports. lol Ya, I know I should be careful and not over do it, but that is not who I am.

On Wednesday I had the chance to take a bunch of plants from a neighbor's yard. She'd been telling me that I should take them for months and I felt weird about it. To make a long story short there is a divorce involved and they've been in and out of the house. It's really sad. They used to take such amazing care of their yard and now it looks awful. I don't think it's been watered this year. They are going to let it go in a short sale because they're upside down on it financially. We've had other homes go like that in our subdivision and the grass and plants all die as well as most of the trees. It's really sad.

Earlier in the day Wednesday some people none of us recognized came and started taking the plants and bushes and stuff. When they left the neighbors in the circle realized that if we were going to take any of the plants we should hop on it. I still felt weird, but since she'd told me over and over I could take anything I wanted I finally decided to do it. Wednesday I dug up lots of plants and brought them to my house where they could get water and tlc. We didn't take everything, and almost all the trees are still there.

I think I'm going to water their trees and mow the lawn and spray for weeds so it doesn't get as bad as the house on the corner did. The people in the corner house are just starting to put the yard in. It was abandoned when I moved in. That one's yard wasn't taken care of for three years. It finally was purchased last year. I'm glad it will finally get looking good again. I just don't want to see another home in my circle go that same route. Especially not the one right next to me. I hope the bank will get it sold soon so we can get some neighbors in there who will take care of it.

Anyway, after digging things up for several hours Wednesday I started planting here for a total of four hours that day. When I first went over there I was hobbling. Once I decided I was going to go after it and I hopped on the shovel it took about 5 minutes and whatever was bugging my ankle stopped hurting. I think it popped back into place. Then yesterday I spent 6 hours planting in my yard. I still have a bit to go, but it's so nice to see my flower beds shaping up.

When we moved in here this house had nothing that should have been growing in the back yard and the front lawn was like a dandelion preserve. I've planted hundreds of bulbs and worked hard on the lawn and it's looking good now. The first year we lived here we got the back lawn in and a huge sand box in with our play set in it as well as a large concrete patio put in. We still have lots to do, but it's getting there little by little.

I'm hopeful that I'll be able to sit in my back yard soon without feeling the constant urge to weed because I can't stand to look at it. I've been working hard on it, but it's a never ending battle. I sometimes dream how it would be if I could just say to the weeds "don't grow here" and they'd pull up their roots and walk out of my yard and not come back. Wouldn't that be a sight! Something akin to "de-gnoming" the garden in the Harry Potter books.

Oh, I did have one more thing to share. Aaron was Theodore Roosevelt in his 2nd grade wax museum. He did a report on President Roosevelt and had to memorize some of the facts from his report. He was the cutest "Teddy Roosevelt" there. I was surprised how many Theodore Roosevlets there were though. He was one of the most popular choices. I got his moustache (apx $5.50) at Zurchers with his glasses ($1.79). I didn't have to purchase anything other than that and the shirt. We had all the rest of the costume. Too bad he doesn't want to use it for Halloween.

Well, I've probably rambled enough. I'll try to post again much sooner than last time.

~Wendee