Lady of the Gardens

Janet Leigh got off her knees the other day, after "slaving" away in her garden, and wrote a lovely haiku:

Been away awhile
Torn between blog and duty -
Gardens beckon me

Then she responded so wonderfully to one of her commentors on POETMEISTER that I had to include her own comments. It tells us more about this poet, this lady of the Shenandoah.

Janet wrote:

This time of year usually knocks me for a loop - allergy, muscle stiffness-wise, and fibrofog. But, Don’t Cry for Me, Argentina, because I’m used to this yearly assault. Sooooo, if I write like I’m hitting the Courvoisier, well, I haven’t. I haven’t had alcohol for more than 10 years. And I don’t smoke. I’m no fun. I’m the turd in the punch bowl, so to speak. I have so much to do in my gardens, I just don’t know where to start. I almost cried last night from being overwhelmed. Hubby-bubba (he wouldn’t be happy about this nickname ;) just started pulling weeks from around the garden shed he built me a couple years ago and it gave me the push I needed to get going. We worked outside together for about 2 hours and made a real dent in the weed growth. He’s wonderful that way. I was gone from Jan 1 to July 4 last year and missed all the stuff I usually do in the Spring in my flower beds and usual yard work. When I got back from MichiganSucks! after being there for 6 months, it took me until Christmas to do everything to put this house back in order. I live in the country in an earth house, and when we got back here, every critter on God’s green acre were living and partying in our house! We didn’t leave the key with anyone because I was only going to be with my hubby in Michigan for about 4-6 weeks. Well, we got stuck in 2 blizzards and couldn’t get the hey out of MichiganSucks! due to weather or hubby was traveling or building machines with deadlines. I better stop now or I’ll be writing about my experience being in MichiganSucks! during 2 blizzards living in our RV which is not FULLY winterized. heh heh See? You don’t want me to go there, trust me. Your kind remark about my garden lifted my spirits. Thank you, Lady

And for my readers, thank you, lady. Your contributions to this site are always bountiful and heartfelt. I responded to her haiku as well:


Janet:
Thanks for the post-it haiku–it was kind of you. Many of your respondants, I’m sure, miss you when life calls you away from the keyboard. Yes, endorphins abound when you get those little hands in the earth, troweling around your flowers, planting others, breathing in the floral perfume, and that smell of damp dirt and wet rocks. When I was more physically able, I did like to mess around in our gardens. Like most folks we have edges of the lawn, and around the house where the blossoms bless us and the weeds curse us. My lovely wife, Melva, has to be the sole gardener now. She does it wonderfully, but she is not always in the mood for the stooping and digging. But I would be remiss if I did not say that when you are writing poetry, or typing it onto some blog somewhere, there are endorfins aplenty as well. Poetry is the garden we all inhabit.

There you are, lady,
on those Shenandoah slopes,
with sun on your lips.

Glenn