I have been absent for a good many months here. I apologize. We are all living through "interesting times" and it has taken a toll on many of us, I am no different.
I lost my precious Scottish Terrier, Mr Tre, in May and was already doing poorly, suffering from the effects of the pandemic - masks, no hugs, no hanging out with friends. And, not to put too fine a point on it, there was no baseball when the season ought to have started. It was so very difficult with everything being distanced and masks and excessive hand washing. It took me a long time to get in with it all, even though I was one of the early mask adopters. And no hugs when Tre made it apparent he would not make it through the month was agonizing.
It felt as though I had been flung of a sudden to a different planet where everything was topsy turvey to where it had been before. My writing has suffered and my teaching has suffered. I'm on a brutal pace to learn Zoom in all its intricacies and obfuscations; gone are the days where I could size up a program and learn it on the fly; today's programs are much smarter than I am.
So I am returning at last to my blog, I feel like I can write again. And I'm sorry to have missed a great garden season with you. I hope you have been able to look in the archives to follow along on my schedule because it's a routine every year. As I go along, I add stuff and puff up points that seem more relevant today than they did in say 2009 or something like that.
I promise to make a concerted effort to keep you informed and entertained and not drop off the planet. The Dodgers play their 3rd game of a truncated season today and that helps a lot. I have a new dog on the way that I can goosh over and photograph to his annoyance.
I allowed ads on my blog to beef up my income a little and when I opened it today, I was met with a huge ad from the NRA and another equally nefarious organization.
And so life goes on. I will have some postings on The Learning Garden and SLOLA as well as current topics in gardening. If you have questions you would like answered, hit the reply button below and I hope to steward my blog more judiciously in the coming months and growing seasons.
david
David, I'm terribly sorry to hear of the loss of Tre, a noble friend whos spirit will stay with you and the community for eternity. This has indeed been a challenging time and for me no exception. Bouts of intense anxiety and pressures to meet the community's exciting yet overwhelming interests to learn gardening skills. We are in this together! Looking forward to reading more updates as you get back into your flow.
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing. We are all having a hard time, indeed. I'm sorry to hear of the loss of your pup. Losing pets is so hard right now too... I am from central Illinois but moved to the San Gabriel Valley area 5 years ago. This year, ushered in my quarantine boredom and hysteria, I finally began gardening again (one of my favorite childhood hobbies). I look forward to using your tips. Thanks again. -Bree
ReplyDeleteDavid-
ReplyDeleteI am new to your blog. Reading your recent post truly resinated with me. My heart goes out to you! Things will get better, even if they are different. Blogs like yours give people hope and bring much joy. We need to focus on the thing we can look forward to, and watching a garden flourish definitely falls into that category! Hang in there!