Danka's World

I’m giving to you straight. I came here to wallow in my disappointment and to inspire your sympathy.

Yesterday morning I was washing the dishes and as I gazed out the window I delighted to notice that my single living rosebush (I have three dead ones) was in full bloom. It was absolutely covered in soft pink flowers. I was hoping to get out and have a closer look, as it is way up on one of our terraces that go up the hill in the back. I had a very busy day and didn’t have the chance.

My Mom was over last night for dinner and to work on my sister’s practice wedding cake. Before dinner was ready my Mom and I stood, chatting, and pulling weeds from between the plants on the first terrace. I pointed out the roses, but still didn’t climb up there to take a close look. I did notice that my lettuce (the only vegetable I have gotten around to planting and only because my Grandma brought it for me) was coming along nicely, and was even ready to have the first few leaves pulled off to put in a salad.

I was feeling so good to see things finally coming along back there. Matthew and I have put countless hours in yanking five years worth of weeds (we just got this place in December, previously it was a rental property and the yard had been let go) and putting in new plants. Most of the garden is still a jungle, there are dead trees and bushes scattered all over the place – we left everything that wasn’t obviously toast in hopes that we could bring them back. So in the areas that we focused this year, it just pleased my heart so much to see progress. The fruit of our labour.

This morning after I dropped the kids at school, i decided to do some major weeding. I tackled the front of the house first. It’s not too pretty out there. I feel bad for our neighbors since we are seriously lacking curb appeal and they all have taken good care of their own properties. But, oh well. We decided to focus on the back yard first since that’s where we spend our time. The front needs several cedar bushes removed, and possibly a new retaining wall built before I can even think the word garden, but we are enjoying the things that did come up from seed, and I did put a few hostas in by the front door where there was nothing. A good weeding this morning really cleaned it up, even if it doesn’t look spectacular. Yet.

Then I moved on to the back yard. I went to collect the little piles of weeds my Mom and I had pulled last night, when I noticed that all of my lettuce had been eaten! Matthew and I were admiring a deer up on the hill early this morning. I didn’t realize it had come right down into the yard. I sighed a little. My lettuce! Oh pooh.

And then I went up to the second terrace. Every single flower had been bitten off the rosebush. Agony! I looked around at the other plants. Many of the flowers that had been preparing to bloom had had all of their buds chomped off. I sat down and nearly started to cry. But I didn’t. I just sat for a minute and wallowed. And then I decided I needed some sympathy so I came to tell you all about it.

Feel for me. Deeply.

As for me, I’m heading back out to my so-called garden, to pick away at all the weeds that the deer ignored.