Home Garden Companion

Ilona's Garden Journal

New Year, New Look, New Plans

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What’s Ahead

Christmas Roses

More Video in 2015

The blog has a new look. In keeping with the changes of the internet,i.e. more mobile users, I attempt to create a more functional design.

You may notice the emphasis on including a video gallery. That is the direction I hope to go this year- always choosing the most challenging option possible, I guess.

The important thing for me is to not worry about how amateur I look in the process of the learning curve, but producing something useful and helpful to other gardeners.

Why would I want to make more videos? Probably because I like to learn in that way, and figure that this is true of many others. It is a variation on the “a picture is worth a thousand words” maxim.

While I genuinely love to write how-to and information based posts, perhaps writing is better for musings, inspirations, etc.

Right now, if there is a choice of watching a one minute example of pruning lavender, or reading an article that tries to implement visual aids of clumsy graphics and a few photos… I believe I would rather have the video.

Clean Look

We are all talking about “clean”. Clean eating, clean living, and a clean experience. I am trying to pare down all the junk, in my home environment, my garden, and this blog.
The aim, of course, it to clarify thinking, increase calm ( just like those ubiquitous posters???), become lighter weight in life. We carry so much in the form of belongings, obligations, and distractions, it seems.

Garden Plans

I am so much slower and have less physical resources, so “slow gardening” is a necessity for me. No more big plans that I can slap out in a couple days of exhausting work. Last time I tried that, I injured my knee with long term consequences.
No, now I will garden with deliberation and a smaller scope of goals in tow. My plan is to enjoy my gardening and not allow the work of it to drive me… yet still expand parts of it.
I think I mentioned my gardening partnership. I will expand the food gardening (and hopefully master the harvesting part of it) by working alongside a friend who is going to “community garden” here.
Her enthusiasm is contagious and I could use the motivation to get back to cooking and eating a better diet this summer.

Becoming Calm

I want my garden to be a place of reflection and complement my spiritual direction. I have plenty of space and like the idea of setting up a prayer/exercise walk. The idea is one of encouraging a daily morning excursion around the yard.

Balance

If I accomplish these two main projects:
  • Food garden
  • Prayer walk path
I believe it will balance the tension I often feel between blogging, creative work and the practical daily tasks that tug at me. Sometimes one side tugs and prods, sometimes the other.
I end up inefficient and often dissatisfied. But the balance achieved by changing how I start my days and the time given to fueling my inner being promises to lessen regret and confusion. I think it will help center me, which is my best weapon against distraction.
Plus I will have some nice vegetables on my plate!

The Declutter Lifestyle

Yes, I think it is becoming my lifestyle, now. God knows I need to head in that direction!
While continuing to sort through my home life, decluttering the garden will be next.

Severing Old Links

When I was working on changing the design of this blog over the past week, I found I had linked to many things that no longer were there. Worse than 404’s are the parked domains with spam ads and links.
I severed those links, taking them off the site. I know I will have to continue to sort through even those of some benefit, just to streamline the experience here into one where the utmost of “time well spent” is the aim.
This is so much like my life, in general. I have many “old links” that don’t go where they were originally meant to, or which have minimal benefit to either of us. Something about those links must change. Otherwise they anchor too much of my energy and thinking to what drains me, instead of invigorating or nurturing me. Or allowing me to become that for others.
So this is a window into the year of 2015.
I might name it “consolidating”.
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© 2015 written for Ilona’s Garden Journal by Ilona E. An excellent blog.

About Ilona Erwin

I was a garden blog pioneer, and began writing on this blog in 2003. Before that I had begun a garden website that has been at its own domain since 2006, Ilona's Garden.

I still love writing, gardening, and art after all these years, although travel and grandchildren have become a big part of my life, now.

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Comments

  1. Lona says

    I have been trying to clean things up also and need to check all my links Thanks for the reminder. In my life I have started getting things done way with so there is just not so much stuff. LOL! And in the garden that does not cause me to work all the time and dread that I am not keeping up. With Mom and getting older myself I need to eliminate some of the things in the garden so I can enjoy it more.
    Winter finally arrived with 6 inches of snow here. I am glad for the snow this time because it will insulate my plants from this cold air.

    • Ilona Erwin says

      That’s where I’ve been- and since we have similar weather patterns, am sharing your gladness for the snow. What ideas do you have for reducing the work? It seems so hard to do without this or that, but then the weeds get going and make the whole thing moot!

      One thing I am doing more of is just plodding away at one section of the garden at a time. A more consistent work schedule, but that was last summer when the weather seemed pleasant every day. Wouldn’t do so well with the normal late July and August dog days.