Truth be told, it was closer to seven days; I was down on gardening/blogging right after my post last Thursday and wrote my temporary sabbatical post on Sunday.
Well, a lot has changed over the past week and I'm back and ready to kick some ass again.
I should clarify that last statement; a lot has changed "inside my head" and as bizarre a place that might be, I will share those changes in thought with you (guess the "obsessive" and "neurotic" monikers were dead on after all, eh?):
- My mother-in-law came to visit from Oregon this past week and she is a big gardening fan so I may have put a bit of unnecessary pressure on myself to impress. My photography has improved over the past few years which really means I have learned how to hide all of my garden flaws. Now I was going to be exposed. Once she arrived, I think I heard her mutter the word "lush" and from that point on, all the pressure was off. Ahhhhhh ...
- We have had nothing but 95 degree weather or warmer for the past week so I've had to spend all of my gardening time watering and trying to keep the plants alive and thriving. No time for hardcore weeding or digging out new beds. Amazing how that gives you a better appreciation of what you have rather than what "could be".
- I've upped my exercise/running routine and there is nothing that clears the mind and puts you in a solid mental state like a hard run in 90 degree weather. I should also be thankful that I didn't die from exhaustion.
- My issue was never with blogging, but more with all of the time I was consumed with analyzing reader traffic and how I could improve the look and feel of my site. F that, I'm going to keep writing and taking photos and let the chips fall as they may. This is just too much fun and a nice escape from reality.
- And maybe this is obvious to every other gardener alive, but I really need to remind myself that "Rome wasn't built in a day". I have a large property and still somewhat of a blank canvas. That is a blessing and not a curse. So I need to stop and smell the roses more often (Well maybe not roses, I've done nothing but kill them in the past ... but you get the point).
- Finally, I'm going to compare gardening to baseball once again. Both past times are a grind and marathon like, where you have to just try and survive some days (especially in the dead of summer). But each day brings you a mini adventure and the fun is in how you handle that.
So yes, I'm back with a refreshed perspective on things and we'll see how long it will last.
Here are some recent pics from out in the garden and we'll all talk again real soon, aight?: