Instant Gratification

Instant gratification doesn't happen very often. Not in science or writing. The best scientific experiments raise more questions than answers, and I don't think I've ever written anything that I didn't revise at least three times. And then there's the process of submitting: waiting... w a i t i n g . . .  w  a  i  t  i  n  g. 

I've been doing a lot of that lately. Waiting. By the end of last week, I was trying to make myself write something, anything, just to take my mind off of the seven different submissions I've got out there.

Over the weekend, October peeked its head around the corner and waved. Hmm. One week left in September. If I wanted all those plants I'd bought to survive the winter, I needed to get them in soon. Time to put my weeks of landscape planning into action.

So we did. Beloved Husband and I (with the help of the kids) dug up the grass between our fence line and the sidewalk. Then we hand-tilled the (extremely hard, clay) soil underneath. We removed the soil, put the grass back in upside-down and covered it up with the soil that had been under it. (Following all this? There will be a quiz later.) It took two three-hour sessions to prepare ⅔ of the fence line.* (If you're wondering why we put the grass in upside-down and buried it, it will decompose and become compost. It also saved us having to figure out what to do with it once it was out.)

Have I mentioned that we're the crazy new neighbors in our conservative, midwestern neighborhood? We're the weird people from Germany who mow with an electric lawn mower. (Two months ago, when Beloved Husband first used it, our normally polite neighbors actually stopped and stared). But last week, one of our neighbors bought an electric mower, which meant we'd gone from crazy to trend-setting. Until we started digging, that is.

The next day, I set out my plants and started putting them in the newly tilled strip. Among comments from passersby about how much work I had cut out for me, I planted several kinds of native grasses and perennials - plants that, once established, will be drought tolerant and need less care than the grass did. They will attract beneficial insects like bees, lacewings, ladybugs, and butterflies. The grasses (when fully grown) will provide cover for birds that eat the pesty insects. And there will be flowers blooming in all different colors throughout the spring, summer, and fall.

Unlike my daily activities, I got to experience the (almost) instant gratification of seeing a project reach completion. it was hard work, but well worth it. And it provided the added benefit of taking my mind off of all those things I'm waiting on.

Oh, and the neighbors love it. Several asked what the different kinds of plants were. I wonder how long it will be before we go from crazy to trend-setting yet again?

* To do the rest of this strip and convert several other bits of lawn to garden areas, we're going to do it the easy way. Power landscaping tool rental, here we come.


What gratifying events have you experienced lately?

---

Awards!

I am rather embarrassed to admit that I was given an award about three months ago that I have not yet claimed.  I think it's about time to rectify that, particularly since I just received another one (only two weeks ago--I'm trying, people, I'm trying)!

So, thanks to Megan K. Bickel for the Versatile Blogger award!

Isn't it lovely? My favorite color!

(Very belated) thanks to Megan for the award (head on over to join her for her the My Favorite Picture Book Blogfest on March 10). And now, seven things about me:

1. When I picture my dream home, all I see is a huge garden. And some chickens.
2. I have been attacked by a whooper swan, a bronze-winged duck, and a family of nene geese (all within a matter of weeks).
3. When we were in Budapest over Christmas, I dropped a plate in the sink of our hotel bathroom and broke the sink (the plate was fine, the sink cost us 15000 forints).
4. My office chair is an exercise ball.
5. Because I work in English (and we speak English at home), I speak only enough German to get by, despite having lived in Germany for almost five years.
6. I don't own a car.
7. My most prized possession is a signed copy of Catch-22.

And now I pass this award on to:

1. Shannon O'Donnell at Book Dreaming
2. Susanna Hill 
3. Catherine Johnson at Kangaroobee
4. Nikki at Raising Marshmallows
5. Robyn Campbell at Putting Pen To Paper   
6. Elizabeth Mueller
7. Janina R. Williams at My Road to Freedom, A Chicago Freelance Writer's Guide 
8. Jeanne Kraus at Captive Audience
9. Barb Best at Barbs Blast 
10. LadyJai at Snippets from my mind 
11. SA Larsen at Writers' Ally
12. Deniz at The Girdle of Melian 
13. Samantha Verant at Life, Love & Living in France
14. Faith B. at Literary Coldcuts on Toasty Buns
15. Ali Cross
16. Margo Berendsen at Writing at High Altitude

And then I got the Stylish Blogger Award! (Cuz I am clearly so very stylish. Or something.)

Thank you Mask! I'm supposed to say seven things about me. Hmm. Do the above seven count?  I say yes, but I will pass this on to a different set of wonderful bloggers:

1. Donea Lee at The Queen of Procrastination 
2. Francesca Amendolia at Making It Up
3. Lois D. Brown at I Devour Books
4. Len L at Conversations with Self  
5. MC Howe at Pensive Sarcasm
6. Carrie at Carrie Keeps Typing 
7. Ben Langhinrichs at My Comfy Chair
8. Chris Phillips at Chris Phillips - Slushpile Savant
9. Akoss at Nye Louwon - My Spirit 
10. E.J. Wesley at The Open Vein
11. Sharde Richardson at Realm Of Randomness 
12. Jess Lawson at Falling Leaflets
13. Vicki Tremper at VB Tremper 
14. Laura Diamond at Diamond, Yup Like the Stone
15. Michael at In Time ... 
16. Shelley Batt at Voices of a Writer

Yes, I know we're supposed to do 15, but this rounds out the PB/MG crusaders (new crusaders, that is).

---