old katie would never understand

if you knew me a few years ago, you would think that this post is a complete fabrication. heck, even last year i was so disgusted with dirt and bugs that i forced my mother-in-law to do most of my gardening. now though, i'm a certifiable green thumb. is that right? isn't that what you call gardeners? see...i'm still trying to figure it all out. i've been reading a couple books and am working on the lingo.

when we moved into this house last summer, there were some disgusting looking gardens with overgrown everything (mostly weeds) with random borders. so random. like bricks on a couple, then some of those cheap-o black plastic borders, then a couple with a little more pricey stone edging. it made no sense. oh, and the mulch. don't get me started on the mulch. like three different UGLY colors. it was as if our backyard was a community garden that was rented out to like six different people. six people with very bad taste and apparently bad backs who refused to weed.through it all though, i have so much hope for this garden and am confident it will eventually be amazing. so, i'm starting to weed. i've been weeding for the last three weeks, little by little, and there is still so much more that needs to be pulled. today, i saw a spider and didn't even jump or scream. i may have let out a "ugh-a-ugh-ga-ga-ga" (i think that's how to best spell the noise i made). point is, i'm doing it. i'm gardening in spite of the huge obstacles in my way and the fact that i think i'm weeding the same spots every time i go out there with my gloves on and trowel in hand. my only glimmer of hope lies in a few random tulips that have started growing through all the junk, bricks, weeds, and yuck. and the trees have started getting colorful. we have a purple tree in the back. i didn't know they existed. it's gorgeous outside.
i actually find getting my hands dirty a little relaxing and therapeutic. i'm getting in touch with nature and with how things used to be. i can't wait until we get to plant the seeds and hopefully get to eat some of the things that come out of the earth. the same earth that i spent so many hours tending to. the earth in my very own backyard.