Labor of love

Now that I am feeling strangely settled in our new life here, I have become a bit restless. Restless not in a bad way though. Just restless to move and to create. Lately that desire to create is being fulfilled by work in the garden. We have inherited a magnificent garden to love and nurture and care for. Although we did see the garden last summer, we really had no idea what joy and hard work we were in for. The beautiful mature garden cultivated over the last four decades by two seasoned gardeners has been left in the naive hands of two city slickers from Brooklyn with no gardening experience to speak of. What we lack in knowledge though, we make up for in enthusiasm and a sense of responsibility in maintaing this amazing garden. We are learning so much everyday.

Each morning I walk around the garden systematically to see what has happened over the last 24 hours. I am continually surprised by the difference a day makes. Plants grow, new buds form, and new shoots poke their heads out of the soil everyday. I am learning to differentiate between weeds and flower shoots.

We spent hours and hours raking out all the dead leaves from the ground cover and the flower beds, cutting back all the old growth from last year, pruning, and weeding. The bare partially frozen ground looked barren and uninviting. I never imagined all the activity taking place just under the ground. Now, just a few weeks later the garden is alive- with flowers, bees, earthworms, and children.

So far the brave snowdrops and crocuses have come and gone, the proud daffodils and hyacinths are just past their prime. The forsythia and azaleas and still blooming, and the dogwood seems ready to burst into bloom any day. The vibernum is working hard on new blossoms and the peonies get taller every day.



Maintaining a garden requires  hard work and dedication. I don't yet have a green thumb, but do have dry chapped hands caked with mud and dirt under my fingernails and a real feeling of accomplishment.

Ila turns three!

We decided not to have a birthday party for Ila this year.  In part because we don't know many people here with children her age yet, and in part because well, she's three.  In my experience parties for three year olds never end up being a ton of fun.  Of course three year olds don't get dropped off, so the party tends to end up being about  food and wine for the "grown ups", popcorn and cake everywhere, and over-stimulated, over-sugared kids who are unable to focus on a game or activity for more than two minutes!

So, we decided to have an Ila-led family day.  This entailed oatmeal for breakfast, outside playtime, puzzles, family swim at the Y, out for cupcakes, home for a nap, and pasta for dinner.  Both sets of grandparents as well as her great-grandmother came the next day for cake and gifts.


Ishaan made her an awesome wooden ship which he designed and made completely by himself.  Ulka gave her a wooden gingerbread man which Andy cut out and she sanded and painted like a flower.  I made her a floor length cloak with owls on it.  But of all the gifts she received and fun things we did, the one thing she remembers and talks about is going to the store with Andy and getting to choose a chocolate treat.  A reminder that it is the simple things they remember most.

It's hard to believe Ila is already three.  She is still petite and sweet and full of mischief.  When she does something naughty, she just looks at me with those big dark eyes and it's almost impossible to be angry.  She is becoming a puzzle master, is our most polite child, loves people dearly, and melts my heart everyday.  I love that girl.