Getting My Hands Dirty

I turn 40 is slightly less than a month.  It's not a huge emotional issue for me as it is for some but it has got me pondering.  I've enjoyed my 30's for the most part but I do have some regrets, too.  There have been opportunities that have slipped past me, things I wanted to do that didn't get done and I have felt like much of life has dragged me along rather than me being in the driver's seat.  I'd like my next decade to be a bit different.

I have been pondering what I would like to do, which things would enrich my life and which things I would be able to say that I was able to do and from which I got joy.  The list is fairly short right now because I've been having trouble having time to ponder but I have come up with one thing - I'd like to spend more time in my garden.  I LOVE fresh flowers and I'd like to be able to always have some flowers in the house.  I've gardened for years in a limited way but usually, my plans extend beyond my reach and I am not satisfied wit my results.  I have decided that I want to, in the next five years, strive to  get a garden going and not to see an initial failure as the end of the road.  I want to have a five year plan and see what I can come up with.

To begin, I want to have more flowers in the house.  I started yesterday with some forget-me-nots.  My husband loves them and we planted them a few years ago.  They have spread and I wanted to pull some up so they were perfect for this little vase.

This bed is in shade and I haven't done much with it.  After some pondering, I decided that hydranga would be perfect.  I have one out back and I have been cutting flowers from it.  

 Of course, one of the benefits for me is getting the kids outside as well.  We spent a huge amount of time outside last fall and I'd like to resume this spring.  At least today, the kids were anxious to help.

This is my rose bed.  I have a David Austin rose (LOVE those) and a hardy rose in the bed.  Today, we added to small trellis with sweet peas ( I also love the scent of sweet peas) and Dh bought me a new rose to add into the empty corner.  I hope it all works - I love having cut roses in the house.

Finally, this is a bed that just never does what I want it to.  I'm giving it another attempt this year.  I cleared out some of the stella doro lilies and moved some other lilies I have.  I put in another small trellis with morning glories that I began from seed a month ago.  I sincerely hope they take - I love morning glories, they are such happy flowers.

Finally, I just had to share.  Dh bought me a bird feeder a few months ago and we spend a lot of time sitting as a family watching our feeder friends.  We have cardinals (my favourite birds of all time), mourning doves, blue jays, startlings, chickadees and lovely yellow finches who spend time with us and squirrels who feed from the ground below.  It's silly but it gives me so much pleasure.

I'm still pondering my plans for my 40's - if you are in the same boat, do you have any plans?