Motivation

I hope you all had a Happy Easter!  Here is a peek into our festivities:

I made the strawberry dessert and boiled the eggs.  I am very proud of myself.

My husband is responsible this time for the flowers, and I must say, he chose well:

Lilacs!

A couple of our lovely guests also brought the most beautiful arrangement of tulips:

And my wonderful auntie brought me an Easter basket full of plants!  How sweet!

Plus olive oil for chef Evan

Love!

What says spring-- time of rebirth and renewal! -- better than lilacs, tulips, and baby plants?

Well, I've managed to start this week with a rather terrible cold.  As someone who almost never gets sick, I've been an exceptional baby about it, sitting around the house uselessly when I am not at work.  If I am honest about it, here we are, well into April, and I haven't done much useful gardening yet either.  After my big test at the beginning of April, I was so excited to have all this extra free time to be uber-productive, planting plants, baking cakes, painting pictures, exercising up a storm, etc.  

You know what I have done instead?  I've spent an awful lot of time looking at facebook and reading buzzfeed articles/quizzes (apparently my aura is green, if I were a dog, I'd be a Corgi, and the city I belong in is Paris).  And I've managed to get sick for the first time in maybe a year.

So.  As a slightly goal-oriented Type A person, I love lists and resolutions and goals (embrace it, my fellow Type A-ers).  It is still early in the year for greenery and growth, and thus, I've decided to make my New Year's Gardening Resolutions for this year (since Spring is the beginning of the gardening year... get it?)

1. Stay faithful

The Key to successful gardening.  Plants are living little beings and if you neglect them even for a short time, they will look neglected, or worse, die.  And let's be honest, this is kind of hard.  Just as it's hard to go to the gym on a regular basis or having your daily quiet time or consistently cook healthy for yourself (instead of going to Taco Bell), etc.  All worthwhile habits require consistency, and with gardening, truly you reap what you sow.

2. Learn something new

Because failing isn't failure if you've learned something.  This year, I hope to learn more about tomatoes (maybe not of the heirloom variety this time), bulbs (my tulips will be ready to be exhumed soon), and propagating succulents (an ongoing project -- perhaps I will try additional varieties).  

3. Maintain an aesthetic baseline

This is an extension of staying committed to your garden but for me, warrants it's own point.  I tend to garden in spurts -- beautiful garden, slow death, replant, repeat.  It's because I hate pulling up plants that are still alive (i.e. killing them).  But successful gardeners know when to call it and plant for the next season -- everything has it's time!

4. Get started.

Specifically, this week, before my siblings get here because I am very vain and like people to think that I am a great gardener.  Getting started is the first step!  And then you've got momentum.

The end!  So I promise you that soon and very soon, I will have some actual gardening updates for you.  That, and I may be messing around with alternate blog templates... feedback welcome.

Do you have any gardening resolutions??

A pleasant aside: Crosby, Stills, & Nash - "Suite Judy Blue Eyes"