As Voltaire says through his character Candide, "I will tend my garden." It has been a hard pull to reclaim this rectangle from the invasion of Bermuda grass, but I feel like I turned an important corner today.
Soundtrack: Joanna Newsom, 81:
I managed to clean up and plant one bed a couple of months ago, and it is thriving.
Today, I managed to complete digging out and sifting grass rhizomes from the second walkway. It takes hours and requires a lot of diligence to remove as many growth tips as possible so that they don't reinvade.
The weather is heating up, so work must be accomplished early or late. This morning, the bipolar elevator is going up, so I bounced out of bed and hit the dirt for over 2 hours.
I managed to install the boundary with cinder block and board. The sense of fulfillment really feels good, and I am motivated to keep up this morning routine until I have cultivated the entire space.
Green beans, cukes, squash, green onions, broccoli, and tomatoes are hitting their stride. I hope to grow all the vegetables my family of three needs, plus hopefully more to share with my community.
"Voltaire in Candide says that “tending one’s own garden” is not only a private activity but also productive (1759)
The enlightened playwright and social critic Voltaire (1694-1778) concluded his satirical tale Candide (1759) with the observation that the violence and plunder of kings could not compare with the productive and peaceful life of those who minded their own business, "cultivated their own garden," and traded the surpluses with their neighbors." http://files.libertyfund.org/pll/quotes/207.html
As Joanna Newsom sings,
"We broke our hearts in the war between St. George and the dragon. But both in equal parts are welcome, I'm inviting everyone."
It speaks to me that both my dragon part and my chivalrous knight are both welcome in the garden of my self. The propane ground torch I use to scorch the sifted grass is a beneficial destruction and very much dragonlike!
"The amends you made are enough for one life, be done."
Far better to tend the garden than to persist in self recriminations that only leave me wrung out and uselessly despondent.
"I believe in innocence, regardless, I believe in everyone."
I believe we all have to power to tend what garden we have to bring about a world of more creativity and more care!
May all beings dwell in love, kindness, peace, and joy.
Love,Cat
