Wednesday, May 8, 2019 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon
Of a certain
AGE
Sue Stafford
Columnist
I feel the most whole, cen-
tered, and peaceful when I am
out in my yard. The constant
chatter in my mind is stilled,
the to-do lists fall away, and
my focus narrows in on the
wondrous marvels of nature
that occur each season,
whether I am paying attention
or not.
My move to Sisters 15
years ago this month came
at a time when I had been
immersed in tending my gar-
den in Kirkland, Washington,
where everything grows eas-
ily and profusely.
Upon arrival at my new
home, with the bare bones of
a yard, mainly lawn and pon-
derosa pine trees, my enthu-
siastic gardener-self tackled
the new challenge with great
enthusiasm. I ripped up sec-
tions of lawn and established
new perennial beds full of
iris, lilies, delphiniums, lav-
ender, native grasses and
scented geraniums.
I planted aspens, autumn
blaze maples, vine maples,
flowering crabapples and a
paper-bark birch. For the first
eight or nine years, my garden
brought me tremendous plea-
sure. I could spend entire days
weeding, transplanting, prun-
ing 4 tending nature9s gifts.
Of course, the deer were
constant competitors for ten-
der green shoots and color-
ful blooms. Deer fencing and
spraying foliage with repel-
lent helped moderate their
carnage. Additionally, I have
been fortunate over the years
to have several very capable
gardeners to help with spring
and fall cleanups, but dwin-
dling finances have kept their
visits to a minimum of late.
With less help, more years
on my body, and less ability
to devote long hours, all the
results of my devotion and
care of the yard have slowly
faded away. The birch appears
to be dying, after reaching 30
feet in height. Last year some
critter worked its way through
a perennial bed, decimating
all the flowers (they just dis-
appeared) and devouring a
majority of the roots on my
favorite crabapple tree, which
fell over with no anchor to
hold it upright.
The deer fencing had to
be replaced every couple
of years and I finally said
<uncle= and just removed it.
Consequently, I surrendered
most of the remaining peren-
nials and shrubs to the four-
footeds. The iris, lavender,
Lydia broom, and grasses
have survived because they
aren9t high on the menu of
local deer.
Last summer I spent
almost no time in the yard,
simply despairing and feel-
ing defeated when I looked
out on it. Besides, I had kept
myself overly busy with the
launch of a new organization
and didn9t have time to spend
in the yard.
As I9ve mentioned in an
earlier column, circumstances
have conspired to encourage
me to slow down, reduce my
responsibilities, and focus on
what is important in my life.
Relationships with long-
time friends and family have
taken on a new immediacy.
Quiet time to reflect on my life
and what I want to do with the
years left has given rise to a
sense of peace. I feel a release
of <shoulds= and <oughts=
and <musts.= My thoughts
have slowed down. The hustle
is gone out of my daily rou-
tine. My breath is slower and
deeper. My sleep is sounder
and more restorative. The
piles of clutter are shrinking
and, with each bag of recy-
cled papers, I feel a release
and lightening in my spirit.
The sudden burst of reju-
venating spring weather is
perfectly timed with doors
and windows thrown open
wide. Each morning brings
more green to the branches
and shoots reaching toward
the warming sun. The birds
greet each new day, hopping
from branch to branch, chirp-
ing to announce the reprieve
from a long, hard winter.
I, too, am a tender shoot
growing toward the sunlight.
I have just finished having a
thorough clean-up done in
time for the annual spring
yard waste collection this
week. As I have relinquished
21
a busy schedule, my enthu-
siasm for gardening has
returned and I am eager to put
shovel to soil and thought-
fully restore the barren flower
beds 4 perhaps with hardier,
deer-resistant stock and fewer
expectations.
I know from years of my
own experience, and that of
my clients, that time spent
connecting to the earth pro-
motes a feeling of well-being
laced with gratitude, hope,
and a sense of place.
Take the time to feel the
sun on your shoulders, lis-
ten to the birds chirping, and
nurture a living thing, be it
a simple flower in a pot or a
yard bursting with new life.
If you nurture nature, she will
nurture you. We are all seeds
stirring to live.
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