My New "Jobs"

It's interesting what you can accomplish when you are the only one who has the ability to do it. I recently realized how lazy I had become being married to Brian. I would find all these things that I couldn't do (more like things I didn't want to do) and give them to Brian as his "jobs"--emptying the dishwasher, taking out the trash, paying the bills, organizing our yard, mowing our grass, dealing with unpleasant people. Now that he isn't around, it looks like until I teach Max and Briggs the finer points of emptying a dishwasher, it's all me.

So these past couple of weeks, I've attacked the yard. Because Brian was the gardener in the family and knew most everything (from all the articles he would read), I quickly realized I needed to educate myself. Instead of sipping ice tea and hoping the little elves would show up to make my flower beds beautiful, I read about annuals, perennials, mulch, compost, seeds, and garden design. I went to Home Depot, with Max and Briggs as my assistants, and asked about good hoses, good trashcans, and good fertilizer. I went to Hartke's and got a quick lesson in tropicals. And before I realized it, I could actually carry on an intelligent conversation about bulbs and flower arrangements.

And when I look down at my hands and see the potting soil deep under my fingernails, I realize it truly is just me. And Brian would be very proud.