The most difficult task in writing a post is coming up with a title. Sometimes that’s all I’ve got – a title and nothing. Sometimes I start with a title and then write something unrelated to the title. Sometimes I start writing and then say, “what is this junk?” and delete the whole thing.
This post has little to do with a garden or gardening. Oh, well I guess I could make the metaphorical leap from writing to gardening. Ideas are seeds, a story grows and publishing is like a harvest. I’ll let you write that essay.
Speaking of planting: A couple of months ago I sent out a few of my poems to some lit magazines. So far I’ve had two rejections and I’m still waiting to hear from two more. I do need to send these to more publishers. I do wonder why they are taking so long to respond. Perhaps they’re just busy or just maybe I’m moving up the editorial chain and am seriously being considered.
It’s a new year, let’s go with optimism.
Speaking of a new year – it’s the time when I review things I’ve done and think about plans for the year. I’ve been thinking about what to do with this blog but first I went and checked, turns out this will be my 853rd post since I started this blog in the spring of 2011. If I keep my current posting rate, I might make 1,000 posts by the end of this year. I don’t have plans to change how I post here, but I’ve randomly thought that it might be time for a change.
One change that has been going here in our house is actually about gardening. Recently Heather and I discovered Monty Don, the UK gardening guru. He’s best known for hosting Garden’s World and has a large following. We’ve also watched his series, Big Dreams, Small Spaces, where he goes around helping people create gardens in very small spaces. I have to say that I’ve been quite inspired by his approach to gardening.
So inspired that I’ve been researching how to grow tomatoes and I now know more about mulch than I’ve ever known before. We decided to do more in our garden this year and I’m looking forward to being more active there. Yesterday I spent most of the day assembling a rotating mulching bin and testing the shredder. Next week I’ll install the rain barrels and if the weather holds, might start building the new raised beds.
There is one interesting thing about Mr. Don that I’d like to mention: He’s a self-taught gardener. He has a degree in English from Cambridge and describes himself as an “amateur gardener and a professional writer.” He has published a number of books.
So maybe gardening is good for writing …
I’ll let you know.
Andrew's View of the Week 
Your view is so true about deciding a title of the post
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Me and titles don’t always get along.
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I like the idea of gardening improving writing! But there’s no gardening to be had here at the moment – we got about 2 feet of snow this week and everything is buried. I guess that’s one way to increase my writing time… 😉
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We don’t have snow, but it is cold and rainy so I’m just writing about gardens too.
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Wouldn’t it be marvelous if the reason those two magazines are taking long is that they think you’re worth the time? I do hope they decide to publish your poems.
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I hope so too.
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I was planning on scaling back the garden this year – it got away from me last summer, way out of control! But now the seed catalogs are arriving and hope springs eternal.
I wish you well on your poetry, as well as your blog musings. Always a work in progress, right?
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Always a work in progress. Seed catalogs – I’m going to get me a stack of those …
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I’d like to think that the publishers taking some time means they seriously review. I’d hold onto optimism as well. And I discovered Monty Don a few months ago and only wish there were more episodes for me to watch. I binged through everything I could find, and I keep looking to see if there are more. I start thinking serious spring/gardens every year about this time. Keep gardening…and writing!
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I will keep doing both.
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I love Monty Don! Both shows you mention are great and I’d recommend watching his “Italian Gardens” and “French Gardens” on Netflix. They are fascinating- full of garden history and beauty. Good luck with your submissions!
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Those are on our list to watch!
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Keep watering those words, Andrew.
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I will!
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I can really relate. I have not written much lately. Just no urge. Perhaps it will come back maybe not. Time will tell.
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I goes that way sometimes.
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Gardening is great. We have flower gardens and a vegetable garden here on our 2.25 acre plot of ground as well as some blueberry bushes. But here’s the rub — weeds! Ack, I do not enjoy pulling those nasty things and they’re like rabbits, they multiply in droves.
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I don’t have anything close to that much land or rabbits, but we do get weeds and raccoons …
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Your English side is showing, Andrew. Spot on, isn’t it?
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It is showing!
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I’m a huge Monty Don fan and I have one books which is about gardening but also oodles of philosophy and about his own life … it’s wonderful! Happy Gardening to you both! 😀
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We just ordered his next gardening book which I think is to be released next month and we bought his book “The Jewel Garden.” I like his way of talking about gardens.
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Gardening can become addictive, take that from someone who is seriously hooked on the activity.
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I’m hoping it will be for me. I’ve always enjoyed seeing a good garden – time to build one of my own.
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👍🌺🍃🍀🌻
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🙂
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It always sounds rather sour to say so, but it seems that most people in this country get a considerable leg-up when they go out into the world: Wikipedia says:
“he is descended from the Keiller family of Dundee, inventors of a brand of marmalade in 1797. On his maternal side, he is descended from the Wyatts, who were a prominent dynasty of architects”.
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Same happens here in the states.
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Good luck, Andrew, with your poems and the publishers. Gardening is a relaxing and healthy past time and I admire all gardeners. My mom is one. I have the opposite of green fingers and seem to manage to kill plants so I stick to baking and writing. .
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I’m not the best gardener either, we’ll see how we do.
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you had me at garden! the self taught ones are the best gardeners.Every gardener knows gardens evolve over time, teach you patience
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I thought that might get your attention!
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How I admire your many interests! Now gardening. Gardening I think is good for the soul. I just never got into it since even my plastic plants die.
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Likely you were watering them too much … 😉
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