Thursday, December 31, 2009

It’s raining this morning….go figure, as we end the second wettest year in Atlanta’s recorded history. It’s hard to argue with the notion of climate change, since 2007 was the second DRIEST year on that same scale. Just when we learned how to master gardening in times of drought, with the requisite rain barrels, 5 gallon buckets in our showers to catch “gray water,” xeriscaping our gardens, etc., we have found ourselves with more water than our gardens know how to absorb. The rosemary that has thrived for the past few years out next to the street is chronically soft and dark, but the ground in the stepchild garden feels more like soil than terra cotta and the hydrangeas that have struggled for a few seasons are visibly bursting with buds right now!

I’m not unhappy that it’s raining, since I’ve been under the weather (no pun intended) for the past week, and this forces me to stay inside and get some things done. The Christmas greens are beyond dry and crispy on the mantel and there’s a hunk of candy cane stuck to the carpet, so a day like this is perfect for getting things out to the compost pile. I’m going to start majorly redoing some of the containers at the penthouse garden later this month, so my most strenuous activity today will probably be going there to take some exact measurements and photos of what will get changed.

The reporters on television this morning were chatting about the changes that this past decade brought, and expectations for the next one. Since 2010 is when I’ll hit 50, it all seems somehow more applicable this year. I’m finally at that age of saying, “Where did the time go?” while also being able to maturely consider what I want to accomplish in the years to come.

For me personally, this first decade of the millenium has been pretty awesome! We relocated to Atlanta, I look forward to going to work every day to do something I love, and I think I have more balance all the way around. Frank and I have developed a relationship over the past many years in which we don’t take one another for granted, but delight in having been together for so long. I have much more laughter (and laugh lines) in my life, and feel that I have a better sense of what matters in the grand scheme of my life (if there really is one……) I’m okay having a body shape that is more like “The Barefoot Contessa” than the gardener on “Desperate Housewives.”

Perhaps the greatest learning in my life of this past decade has been my acceptance of life as it is, and my realization that I CHOOSE to be happy or not. I certainly have goals, but that doesn’t mean I shouldn’t also celebrate the amazing state of the present. It’s raining, I’m sick, my house needs to be cleaned……and life is unbelievably FABULOUS!

Have an incredible New Year!

12 comments:

  1. I'm gonna steal the sign! This IS a fabulous post. Sorry you are sick (again). Maybe a scotch (or two) every night might keep the bugs away. Thats my secret. Hey, get ready for your health insurance to go with you birthday. Mine is a monthly mortgage payment! In any case...Happy New Year, Tim. I always look forward to your posts.

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  2. What a nice, reflective post. My best friend is turning 50 this year, too, though he's a lot more grumpy about it. I've never worried about birthdays... and age that isn't dead is good for me. Of course, I'm "only" 44, but I didn't mind turning 30 or 40 and don't expect to be spooked by 50. I think a lot is, as you say, in acceptance and finding joy and beauty in everyday things, things around you. I wish I could make my long-term living gardening, but I can't. So the new year brings the dreaded job search... but I hope to find something more inline with my interests and look forward to a whole new decade! (P.S. Hope your rosemary survives. Your extremes in weather sure are, um, extreme!)

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  3. Have a wonderful New Year to come and we will be looking forward to your postings in 2010.

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  4. Isn't it strange that just when you think your climate has changed one way you spend the time getting your garden planted for it only to have the weather completely change the opposite way?
    It sounds like this has been a really good year for you, what a nice feeling to end the year with.
    I totally agree with you about how we choose to feel!!
    Have a fabulous New Year!!!

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  5. I have been so glad to come upon your blog. I like to collect people from all over the world and anywhere out of Iowa is all over the world. I beat you by 10 years and I have found that the older I get, the less that I need to be worried about everyone else. It is most important to make good choices and to live life with appreciation. I don't know where time went, but I know that I need to make quality time important. Luxury of a great cup of coffee and creating and making is my goal. Learning from others has been my passion for all of my life and that is why this blogging world is so great. I hope you get to feeling better. I hope your rains learn to moderate a little more and thanks for sharing.

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  6. Hello Tim,

    Wait another 15 years and ask where did it go.... which makes your statement of "that I CHOOSE to be happy or not" all the more critical. So pleased to have found your site. Happy Blue Moon New Year. Diana

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  7. Tim, just want to wish you all the best in the coming new year and thank you for all the great posts that have been both informative and entertaining. - G

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  8. Your attitude will serve you well in the coming New Year, and beyond. I will also be crossing the half century mark this summer and have yet to decide how to mark it. Maybe a tattoo? Happy New Year to you!

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  9. Tattoos can be very cool....perhaps a piercing, as well?

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  10. Love this blog and Happy New Year too - may 2010 be wonderfully happy and peaceful for you

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  11. Hope you're feeling better soon. I always enjoy you blog, always makes me smile. Hey hitting 50 wasn't so bad, it's been the 4 years after that have me thinking hey body, giddyap and keep up with my 25 year old mind.

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  12. Happy New Year and congrats on your upcoming 'golden age'. Layanee at Ledge and Gardens

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