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Monday, March 14, 2011

Gardening Just Gives Me The Shakes



Splitting your time between a job and art isn't easy. Particularly if your job is nine to five. Add a family and a house to the mix and there's hardly a minute to spare. Your art takes the hit.

Fortunately with children grown and long gone,consequently a lot cleaner house, and a job I work on my clock,I can usually steal an hour most days and sometimes an hour and a half.(Any time longer most often results in an over worked piece).

Yesterday housework took my energy. Usually on Mondays, housework takes only half a day and I paint in the other half. But yesterday was different. It was a day for gardening. Gardening. Working outside. Something this vitamin D deprived person hasn't done in months. I wasn't going to miss it.


It was Spring. The temp was in the forties. It was sunny. It was a nice day at long last. With not a second thought about painting, I went to the garage for the pruners and hit the garden to severely cut back the spirea. The row of solid, brilliant magenta flowers in June and July is a sight to see.

I wasn't working alone. Another worrisome sign of Spring paid me a visit. A friendly little varmit who lives, I suspect, under the garage floor and will cost me a floor in the future, came out to say...well nothing worth repeating. He just got up on his rock and watched with his beady little eyes as I unknowingly clipped away my energy for righting up the bird bath or anything else.

Now, I only have four bushes and I lift light weights regularly. The chore should have been an easy one. But the different action was a different exercise that I, a beginner, overdid and caused my shoulders to quiver involuntarily. Worse: by the time the job was done, my hands were quivering too . At the cocktail hour, I had one hell

of a time lifting my wine glass to my lips. Putting a brush to canvas? Out of the question. Suduko was it till dinner where I overdosed the salad with dressing being unable to control the tremors.

So what does honey say? "I thought I told you not to overdo."

And I say back,"How do I know I'm overdoing till I've overdone?"

You know, I have that the same problem painting.

Post Script. The Red Cross is on my to do list today. My heart goes out to the people in Tokyo. I can't imagine their shock, pain and suffering. Overwhelming. Donations are definitely a must do--from cash to whatever we can think of to make life a bit easier for them.

7 comments:

  1. My heart goes out to Japan, too.

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  2. Well then I've missed you. Good flight. Good time.

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  3. gardening in 40 degree weather???omg,u wouldn't catch an Cali person in 40 degree weather! lol..

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  4. It was warmer in the sun Crissey. In fact, the day was so nice, after the days we've had, I contemplated bringing up my bike--but then remembered the wind chill factor.

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  5. Agnes, I find the videos so heart breaking. All those people homeless, all those loved ones lost, the chaos instantly.
    Unbelievable. And they are still have "after shocks" of 6.7! Tokyo's a nightmare.

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  6. "How do I know I'm overdoing till I've overdone?" : good line :)

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  7. It should be written in script and hung on our studio walls Evelyn.

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