Planning Ahead

"Observe always that everything is the result of change, and get used to thinking that there is nothing Nature loves so well as to change existing forms and make new ones of them."
- Marcus Aurelius, emperor of Rome (121-180 AD)

I've always had a deep love affair with my day planner. I'm into it. I enjoy recording my day to day events or appointments or little goings on. I like looking ahead, yet I also enjoy sitting with old agendas and reliving the days. Each year I carefully choose a special planner that will record my life in 2 x 2 squares, and amazingly enough, I still have them all.

Now you see, all that planning comes with a drawback. I can become seriously attached to getting things accomplished. Take today, for instance.

I've known since last year (when I failed miserably) that I wanted to plant bulbs. I previously had visions of brightly colored daffodils, crocuses, hyacinth, and anemone dotting the lawn at 403.

Well, that didn't happen. Why? Probably because I didn't write it down.

Knowing that I must adhere to the written word, I looked at my schedule on Sunday night and decided that today, Wednesday, September 29, would be the day for bulb planting. I grabbed my purple pen, and put ink to paper. And just like that, my plan became official. Whew.

After a long day with the 6th graders, I jumped in Jaxie and high-tailed it to the greenhouse. I filled my cart with the necessary ingredients, got myself home, and spent the next few hours digging and digging and digging. I also sprinkled bone meal and minced soil and intricately placed hundreds of garlic-y looking little bulbs.

No one ever tells you these things, so allow me: digging six inch deep holes is no joke. As a matter of fact, it ranks right up there with a solid cardio workout. Blast! Like working all day wasn't enough. Did I really need to throw in a full 2.5 hours of manual labor?

By the time I finished my planting the sun had long since retreated to its peaceful nighttime bungalow. I captured the beautiful sunset and then finished the last of my planing with the helpful illumination of a flashlight.

Alas, my job is done. I'm thankful for my day planner and the commitment it brings me.

Now I'll just sit back and wait for spring. *fingers crossed*