At this rate, it is going to be a pretty subdued summer due to financial limitations. But, I am hoping that the girls will be happy enough spending time in the garden. Of course, whether it is enjoyable or not depends a lot on the weather, since being there if it is cold and wet sucks. Even though there is still snow on the ground, I am going to have to get out there and do a little bit of prep work, like wrap the thujas in shade cloth before it gets too sunny and burns the new growth, as we only put them in last year and they aren't strong enough to fend for themselves yet. And then prune the apple tree.
If the weather is good, a simple summer is welcome and with Puusti, it means we can't travel too much anyway. Hopefully, we can do some forest trips and perhaps borrow some gear from friends to go camping or something, to test it out. There is no point buying all the gear only to find out we are not campers. There are a few national parks close by, so even if not camping, we can do some short hikes through the forests.
The plan was to build the rest of the decking this year, but I think that unless something dramatic happens for us financially, that will have to wait a bit longer. What I might be ab le to do is hand dig the foundation and lay the foam down to stop the ground freezing, but even that is a maybe. And hand digging such a big area 50cm deep is going to be pretty back-breaking work, especially as it is also under a birch tree. Though, perhaps it is what I deserve.
Heavy manual labour.
It would likely take me several weeks to dig the area deep enough, so if the weather is good, I wouldn't need to go to the gym too often to get some exercise in. Though, I am still probably would. There is something in me that says that working in the garden doesn't count as a workout, so to get the mental benefits, I would have to go and do something - even if it is only on a bike. I also think that when the "intention" of the activity isn't to exercise, it doesn't have the same effects on the body as intentional exercise. I am not sure if that is backed by science though.
Normally I look forward to summer, but since I haven't been working that much lately, it doesn't have the same appeal. It will be nice to have some warm weather and be able to sit out on the terrace, but otherwise, not much changes for me. Of course, once Smallsteps and my wife are off school and work, then it is nicer again, but I feel that until then, it is just going to be a bit lonely. Maybe though, I will be able to get a lot of gardening clean up done whilst listening to some audiobooks or something. And then of course, if it is really warm, then we can splash around down at the lake, eat ice cream and have plenty of grills. That would be about as good as it can get perhaps. Simple, enjoyable, cheap.
Personally, it doesn't take much for me to have a good summer, but I feel that my wife kind of feels that it isn't a relaxing summer unless we do something, go somewhere, and get out of the house and city. Many Finns grew up going to family summer cottages, and then now many travel internationally, but sitting around home has never been the usual practice. For me, sitting around home was every summer. It changes the expectation for the rest of life it seems. Childhood memories and all that.
I try to forget most of those memories. To no avail.
But yeah, with the shift in the air and the increasing warmth when the sun appears, my mind is making the mental shift from winter into spring, looking around at what needs to be fixed, what needs to be cleaned, and making a list of where to start. It is a long list at the moment, but luckily I have the time.
Taraz
[ Gen1: Hive ]
Be part of the Hive discussion.
And you may be rewarded.
