Monday, July 30, 2012

Like Lemon Sorbet

Lemon sorbet is used to cleanse the palate between courses in a meal.

Last week, I was treated to a vacation in Galveston, and it was glorious.  Instead of weeding, I waded through seaweed.  Instead of mowing, I plowed through waves of salt water.  Instead of the buzzing of the bees, I listened to the melodic sound of waves crashing against the shore.  Instead of dreaming up new garden areas, I snoozed under a big beach umbrella.

No computer.  No cell phone.  No camera.

And even more surprising - no itinerary!  Usually, I plan activities hour by hour on my vacations.  But this time, the itinerary only read:  Lounge at Beach.


It was like a lemon sorbet.  

When I came back, I viewed my garden differently.  

There were some pleasurable flavors.


But as a whole, my garden dish fell short of tasty.  

For instance, many of the plants in my garden need to be cut back.  The last of the spring vegetable garden needs to be harvested, and planning (and planting!) for the fall garden should have already begun.  The hedges need a trim.  I haven't finished mulching.  And the weeds!  Oh, the weeds!  


And still, when I look at my garden, I see the dream.  I can almost taste the dish I'm trying to serve.

Sure, it's still a mess.  But it's not always going to be that way.  One day it will be finished, and it will be beautiful.  At least, that's the dream.  And the dream is all that matters.


The vacation was wonderful.  Like a lemon sorbet, it cleared my mind, and I am ready to cook up the next course.







46 comments:

  1. Sounds like bliss Holley! Glad to hear you had a lovely time :)

    ReplyDelete
  2. That's a great vacation, just relaxing and enjoying. You still have fantastic blooms and the rest will be there for you when you are ready to deal with it. :)
    Cher Sunray Gardens

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You're so right, Cher. The weeds are always there. No reason not to take off and enjoy living for a few days! :)

      Delete
  3. I just love Galveston...it is so extraordinary

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. We hadn't been there for a few years. It has really grown since we last saw it. I have mixed feelings on the way it has grown, with so many franchises now instead of mom-and-pop businesses, but at least it seems to have finally recovered from that devastating hurricane.

      Delete
  4. Holley, you had a really nice vacation and I'm glad that without phone, computer etc. Your garden took a rest without you too. Don't hurry to cut the plants!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I need to remember your advice about not hurrying to cut the plants! I have cut them too early some years, and they suffered in the heat!

      Delete
  5. Sounds like a wonderfully relaxing vacation. Looks like your garden did all right while you were gone, it still looks beautiful!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks. There is still beauty to be found in amongst the weeds. I guess that's what every gardener sees in their heart!

      Delete
  6. I am away but with camera, iPad, and laptop (I don't have a cell phone). Your vacatio seems much more restful.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I hope you enjoy your vacation. I needed to get away from everything, but sometimes we need to be connected.

      Delete
  7. Lovely time you had. I like how you described your vacation, as a sorbet. Vacations really do cleanse the mind and spirit. I was with Carolyn in Maine, and she is right, we were on the go a lot, but I still thought it restful and relaxing. I had a cell phone, iPad with no 4G, and no laptop. I did not visit blogs for ten days almost. I was surprised how I did not really even notice, because there was so much I WANTED to do in Maine.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I did need a little 'cleansing'. It really helped to come back to a different perspective. I had been seeing all the chores. Now - the chores are still there, but I know they aren't the most important thing in the garden. Sounds like you had a great time in Maine. I bet it was beautiful, and I hope the weather was wonderful.

      Delete
  8. Sounds like a great vacation! And yes it is the dream! When you word it like that it puts everything in to perspective! Love your blooms!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. All we gardeners have are dreams. When the chores become chores instead of dream-makers, we need a break! :)

      Delete
  9. Sounds like you had such a nice, relaxing and refreshing time! I can't wait until vacation time (which will be in the fall after all of this heat passes!) A vacation is so great at renewing one's spirit.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The fall would be perfect for vacation. The weather will certainly be more gentle. My garden always looks stressed in the hot summer anyway, so I'm glad I got away now, even though I felt guilty about leaving it in such a state of weediness!

      Delete
  10. have almost finished heavily pruning my roses. And rediscovering what I meant that garden to look like!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I look forward to trimming up my plants - it looks like an overgrown mess right now. It really does make the gardener happy to have everything a bit more tidy looking, I think!

      Delete
  11. Sounds like a refreshing holiday! I love living in the mountains but do miss the beach every so often. So will have to do both. Glad to see your garden behaved while you were away!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I love the mountains, but the beach is wonderful, too. I live in neither, so each is a treat!

      Delete
  12. I wondered where you had gotten yourself off to. Sounds like my kind of vacation. But hey the garden is a never ending story. Right?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. So true, Marcia! A never ending story is right! :)

      Delete
  13. Love the analogy...its so very true....

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It really helps to get away for a while. I had been feeling stressed. Now I feel a little less stressed, with the same amount of work. That's a relief!

      Delete
  14. Holley, what a perfect time away! I'm so glad you had a real change of pace--that's what makes a holiday a holiday. "The dream is all that matters." I love that! We're the ones who know our gardens inside and out and the ones who know what it can and will be. Current reality... that's just a phase. (Weeds, however, are eternal.)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I often wonder if my garden will ever come close to what I have in my mind. But I love the thought that current reality is just a phase! I'll try to remember that! :)

      Delete
  15. Yum! It sounds like a lovely vacation and just what you needed. It's hard to believe it is time for the fall garden already!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I know. I am just hot enough and tired enough of picking the spring garden's harvests to dread starting the fall garden, but yes - it's time to start planting here! I think I'm going to wait and just plant lettuces this year. But I'll regret it, I'm sure!

      Delete
  16. A gardener’s work is never done…but getting away for a while might make you look at your garden with a fresh pair of eyes :-) Glad you had a nice time away!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I needed a fresh pair of eyes. So nice to get away. I recommend it to anyone that's bogged down in gardening chores!

      Delete
  17. I can SO relate to the weeds, weeds, weeds. Not to mention getting the veggie plot ready for the fall garden. I don't think our gardens are ever done. It's like trying to eat once and for all. Can't be done.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I hadn't thought of it like that, but you're so right! I need to remember that a nibble here and a nibble there are the way to go in my garden! :)

      Delete
  18. Replies
    1. I guess I was wanting some sorbet (or ice cream) when I wrote this! :)

      Delete
  19. I completely know how you are feeling! If it were perfect at any point, there would be nothing to look forward to - a garden always keeps you looking ahead!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes, but wouldn't it be grand if it were perfect just once? Ah.... I guess I'm dreaming! :)

      Delete
  20. Sounds like heaven Holley to recharge yourself and your garden...love your lemon sorbet...we all could use some!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You're right, Donna - every gardener needs a break now and then! I hope you get some lemon sorbet this year, too! :)

      Delete
  21. Lemon sorbet sounds delicious! Meyer lemon. Numm Numm! Glad you had a good vacation.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I passed up a Meyer lemon tree last year. If I see one for sale again, I'm going to grab it! Funny how I always seem to buy a lot of plants I probably shouldn't have bought, and pass up plants that I think later on that I should have!

      Delete
  22. Great post. I love lemon sorbet. I have a recipe for rose syrup sorbet.... quite good...

    ReplyDelete

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...