Up early in the golden light, the grass lush and wet with dew, I stand in the backyard and marvel again at the beauty of spring. I’m perfectly comfortable barefoot, wearing a t shirt and gym shorts. It’s quite a contrast to six months in the future, or past, when I could be knee deep in snow. Nice weather arrives late in New England, stays briefly and leaves early. All of which explains why it seems such a marvel when it’s here.
Putting my coffee cup down on the stones that line the garden, I proceed to plant the seedlings that spent the week on the porch waiting for me to find time to put them in the ground. One by one, I scoop a little hole, plant the little tomato seedlings in and cover up the roots. Then I stick the little plastic signs that identify what type of tomato they are. The sign planting is all ritual because I never pay any attention to the identifiers after that. I just eat the tomatoes.
A little gardening in the early morning gives me a wonderful connection to the real, natural world I live in. It takes me out of the climate controlled human environment where I spend most my time and reminds me I live in a real, natural world with seasons, life, growing and, harvest.
And then I realize planting tomatoes in the morning before work, sure beats shoveling snow.
’tis a far better thing I dew!
copyright 2018 Christopher Donahue