Posted by Heather Harris

The soon to be herb garden/ fire pit

Phase II





My husband is out right now getting breaks put on our van. His other accomplishments this three day weekend include building a garden box, scanning all of the tax documents, installing a water heater, talking to a man about repairing a leak in our roof, hiking to a waterfall,and attending church and two extended family dinners.While I have done several of those things as well, I would categorize most of my time under the heading, "wandering, gazing, daydreaming."The problem is that nothing can really be done in the garden yet. Sure, I can dump some compost in the vegetable beds, sweep the deck and prune the roses, but that's about it. It really doesn't help that it is 64 degrees and sunny out. I have to chant "It's only mid-February...It's only mid-February" over and over to keep myself from running wildly out to the garden with seed packets and spade clutched in my feverish hands. With all of this chanting, I find myself standing still in the center of the yard a lot, staring at the plot of ground soon to become my herb garden. I am quite certain that our retired neighbor thinks I'm insane. I rake up pine needles for a few seconds and then abruptly stop and stare out into space for ten minutes. To my neighbor it would appear I'm just looking at a lumpy, mole hill pocked field, but if he saw the vision in my head, he might understand. Phase II of the Grand Project is about to begin and he doesn't even know it yet. Dill, thyme, and rosemary is spilling out before me. Guests are sitting around a fire on a long summer evening, gravel crunching beneath their feet , sipping herb infused cocktails with the sent of sage and lavender wafting around them. A billowy vision of silver, blue and purple.I looked back at the early pictures of installing the vegetable garden the other day and then through the end of the summer season. The transformation is remarkable; almost too easy. Clear some grass, bring is some gravel and boxes. Fill with dirt and poke in a few seeds. It hardly seems that this all I should have to do to create a bountiful, beautiful retreat. Gardening is so rewarding. I really can't wait to get started on the next phase. Time to resume my chanting. It's only mid-February. It's only mid-February...