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| My new digs in April this year. |
“They always say time changes things, but you actually have to change them yourself.”
~Andy Warhol
If there is one thing I've learned about life, it's that it change is inevitable. Late last year I made the decision to sell my house. It wasn't an easy decision. Not because of the house. I liked my house. It was comfortable and a perfect size for me. I had lived in my house for close to twenty one years and had made many improvements. But it was time to move on.
I put my house on the market in May, it was under contract in less than a week and closed in July. The months leading up to the closing were crazy busy and they continue to be. In addition to moving the entire contents of my house and three flea bag cats, I moved hundreds of plants, both of my fountains and all of my planting containers and garden statuary. I was fortunate to have the opportunity to move all this stuff. However the move took months and it wasn't easy.
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| The Twerpster took the move in stride |
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| So did the "ferals". |
Leaving the garden was hard. I thought it would be about the plants but in the weeks leading up to the move it turned out to be about the memories. Specifically memories of my dogs. Everywhere I looked I saw them snoozing on the patio and sniffing around the yard, digging for worms, and prospecting for pizza slices that squirrels and birds dropped in the yard after dumpster diving behind the plaza in back of the house.
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| Zak in the garden in the fall of 1999. |
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| Zoe on the patio circa 2005 |
I don't consider myself sentimental so the intensity of these memories took me by surprise. A couple of days before the closing, I went to take the last few items out of my now mostly empty house. After walking through each room, I went outside, stood on the patio and watched my dogs frolic in the garden one last time.
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| Nick's last day in the garden-July 25, 2015 |
Moving is never easy but in my case it has turned out to be well worth it. My new home is located in what I would describe as a rural suburban neighborhood at an elevation of just over 800 feet on two partially wooded acres in north central CT. With the exception of a few neglected and overgrown areas the garden is a blank slate.
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| Bears were frequent visitors to the yard in May and June. |
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| New garden in progress on the front lawn |
A hot, dry summer took it's toll on the gardens I was able to find the time to install. For the most part the soil stinks. We're on a well so running sprinklers for hours a day isn't possible. Once I finish fall cleanup, the gardens are going to get a layer compost and shredded leaves. No garden will do well here unless I can improve the soil.
Going forward I'm not sure what direction this blog will take. Gardening is just one of my many interests. Obviously I was unable to keep up with the blog before and life is even busier now. The new garden needs a new name and the old blog needs a new look.
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| Friends on the Knife Edge at Mt. Katahdin (Maine) in August |
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| On the summit of Mt. Madison (New Hampshire) in July |
Garden season is over in the northeast but I'm confident that the adventures will continue. Stay tuned.
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| No, the new garden will not be called "Green Acres". |
