I Am The Boss Of Me

I hear this at least twice a week, from some of the spirited children I work with. And while I totally empathize with their desire for being the masters of their own destinies, the reality is, they're just not ready. They still have dues to pay before they get this particular privilege. But one of the best things about getting *ahem* more mature is that I've paid my dues. And I am totally the boss of me. And the boss of me gave me a day off today because of how hard I've been working lately.

And what a perfect day to be free! The sun was out, the skies were a clear prairie blue and a nice little breeze was keeping the heat on the pleasant side. Such a perfect day just had to be spent gardening and so I did.



First, I went to the spring plant sale at the arboretum - a natural preserve featuring walking and hiking trails through prairie meadows, formal gardens, and old-growth forest. The sale raises money for the arboretum and I try to go whenever I can. Besides the usual annuals and perennials, there is a huge selection of native plants, many of which are not available through the garden centers. Unfortunately I missed out on the plant I was most coveting, as there were only 3 available and someone had just bought all 3 and declined my offer to arm-wrestle for them:

Magnolia x soulangeana 'Orchid'

But I wasn't sad for long, because I picked up some other little beauties, including a Nyssa (black gum) which is a small tree with the most amazing fall color, numerous perennials for my naturalized garden along the edge of the woods, and 2 varieties of french lavender that are supposed to overwinter well here. And 2 of these little trees that I have been trying to find for the past 2 years:

Halesia carolina (Carolina Silverbell Tree)

After that I spent the rest of the afternoon clearing the edge of the woods of the non-native weeds that have taken over the native weeds. Because its mating season, there were scads of birds around today, all of them singing like they're auditioning for American Idol. I put out some raffia, spanish moss and dryer lint so the birds can have nesting material. It was disappearing rapidly by the end of the day.

I got in quite a bit of knitting while going to the arboretum (no, I wasn't driving) and then whenever I came inside to take a break from gardening. The 2 office staff scarves are each about 2/3's done! And to make a perfect day even more perfect, the mailperson brought me a wonderful package from my SP10. I haven't had a chance to take pictures yet, but will post them up in the next day or 2. And now, I'm off for a long, hot shower and a good long sleep.