Grey Garden

Not sure if you noticed but I recently started a To Do Wish List (yes, they are wishes...) right below my Wardrobe Wish List.
You see, my spare time is so completely scarce, that instead of dreaming up wishes like trips to Spain and starring in my own TV show, (what? who said that?) my wishes have become a bit more blissfully domestic. And simple.

I should really stop calling them "wishes" and just consider them straight-up To Do lists. Cuz that's how you make things happen.  And I love lists.  I do.  I especially love checking them off.

Que garden wish: Never before in my life have I had any interest in gardening. (And I mean NEVER.) I've never been especially fond of the messy/dirty activity, and as a kid I was way more interested in my mother's closet than rough housing in the back yard with my brothers.

But I recently saw the light and have been so inspired by some domestic goddess friends of mine (get to know them here, here and here),  who always seem to have it together in the gardening department.

One who does amazing things with lavender, one who recently served me a cup of tea with the most delicious fresh mint, (direct from her balcony garden) and another who gifted me a down-right giant cock of a squash that damn near intimidated me every time I looked at it sitting there in my fridge.  (And did so until I chopped and baked that sucker with a drizzle of olive oil, salt, garlic & pepper.  P.S. ~ it was delicious!!!)

I think it's about trusting yourself with the lives of these precious plants.  I used to kill even the most resilient house-shrub and that always made me feel sort of bad. But I figure hey, if I can keep a whole human child alive, certainly I can bushel a few lavender sprigs and water some flowers!

It's amazing what self doubt (or trust, for that matter!) can do to ones life. And backyard!

And I'm happy to be raising a daughter who's already so sweet, she talks to trees and smiles at flowers.  (And absolutely LOVES getting her hands dirty!)

I'll be sure to let you know how it goes! Wish me luck on this new green journey!