Grief is grief. Grieving is what keeps us human. There is really no scale; our efforts to compare it are part of just trying to make sense out of what can't make sense, and hurts.

OH:

I'm getting nice compliments in the garden forum, on the antique woodstove repurposed as a patio planter. It holds just a few pansies and mums now... Just imagine when all the doors and burner openings are stuffed with spreading annuals this spring! I am! My laptop in the kitchen gives a great view already, off to my right thru the open kitchen door! Sunshine, flars, doggehs. If only hubby would retire so we could live here year 'round-- it would be herbs!

The bulbs are in, just in time to look like a fresh grave for Halloween. I have several more inches of topsoil and mulch to add, and bricks all around to prevent dirt creep-- the adjoining grass gets lasagna layering in the spring so this daffy bed is mounded accordingly. Haha-- lasagna in the cottage garden. Makes sense since the odd veg here and there goes in too. Green peppers. Leeks. Carrots for kids-- this IS after all on the children's side of the front walk.

The 65 big bulbs up the middle are mixed Daffs, loosely clumped (with a few 'escapes') by variety. The 45 little ones at the edges and lower end are grape hyacinth. In the cleft left when sellers tore out a bush or small tree and its long, reaching root, all that remains of the hole is held open by a big black bin-- that will be filled in Saturday with white rock for the wishing well to go on, in the spring. I'll add some garden art after I add the rest of the topsoil-- my back hurts. Enough for today-- they're outta the bags and IN THE GROUND!

TBTG for the huge plastic nursery pots I got from a Free Cycle several years ago who became a friend. I used them for the last 6 bags of topsoil, setting one at a time on a child's chair at the hatch to pull a bag into it, slit and empty the bag, then 'deliver' the heavy, full pot to the ground (less lifting). I sat to sprinkle the topsoil onto the placed bulbs. Much easier than digging a new bed!

~Susan