Preparation ... for gardens and annual check-ups

It has continued to be mostly beautiful lately.  I try to find a few minutes during the day - my "break" from work - to sit on our little back "deck" in the sun, watching the birds feed at one of our feeders hanging off of the garage.

On Mother's Day we planned to work in our "garden" - consisting of a raised bed made by David and another long, thin bed next to the house which David also prepped (digging up the grass, turning the soil, adding top soil and some organic compost) as he did the raised bed.

Here's the raised bed - sweet:

But it rained, if not cats and dogs, at least mice and squirrels.  So we ventured down Route 1 and found a great organic garden center in Waldeboro where we purchased some tomato, pepper and cucumber seedlings (having delayed past the date where seed planting seems to be timely), some flowers - zinnias and some unusual marigolds - a neat thistle plant, some herbs (wonderful basil and thyme),  and several beautiful coleus.

We got around to planting the tomatoes and peppers, the thistle, the coleus and some Black Eyed Susan seed thingys I purchased locally some weeks ago.  We still have more to plant.  But the "garden" takes shape.  Start small this year, maybe more next year.  Here's the beautiful thistle and the coleus.

 Here's half of the long thin bed next to the house, with some of the tomatoes and the peppers.

We also heard form the farm in which we purchased a 1/2 CSA share; they'll be at a local farmer's market this weekend.  I hope to stop by.

Then Sunday I'm driving down to CT again.  I have a tight schedule - a lot of work-related events to attend AND each morning a medical-related event - blood work on one day, a CT scan on the next day, and seeing my doctor on the third day.  All for a routine annual checkup, but it is amazing to me how the knowledge of those tests, procedures and appointments follows me around day and night, over my head like a (albeit small) black cloud of anxiety.  Mostly I ignore it, but I "feel" its presence, dogging my days (but so far, leaving me alone at night).  I do believe all will be well.

Furthermore, I have other people much more firmly in my thoughts and prayers, including a dear friend in the hospital bearing so much pain and now scheduled to go into hospice on Sunday.  What's an annual checkup after all, except a reminder of how very lucky and privileged I am.

Meanwhile Midcoast Maine prepares for summer and tourists.  A beautiful 3-masted schooner I saw this morning across the harbor:

Peace.