The title of today's blog may not make
some of you very happy. That's because
I have little to nothing to say. I sat at my
desk all morning unable to come up with
anything illuminating, entertaining, or
exasperating. That's a first and I'll admit
I'm bewildered. Usually I never lack the
ability to serve up some sort of epistle.
And yet, today I have little, well actually
nothing to share. Which has me worried.
Have a reached a point in life where I've
devolved into a couch potato? Have my
newfound environs left me speechless?
In reality, I spent the balance of my
morning doing anything but what
I should have been doing. Avoiding
my sense of terror over an inability
to spew, I read other people's blogs.
What's interesting is that I found my
peers may be in a similar suspended
state of animation. Several haven't
posted since the holidays or put out
what amounted to pablum at best.
Misery loves company so in a way
it was heartening to know that I'm
not the only one in literary limbo.
Avoiding the task at hand, I dabbled.
My bestie "T" bagged some crystal
goblets at a tag sale. Unmarked it
was hard to know what they were.
However their weight, clarity, and
"ping" indicated quality. Across
the miles we searched the web to
figure out who, what, and how much.
Once again the picker of all pickers
got one hell of a deal! Chalk that
discovery up as the first thrill of my
day. Even if it was a very vicarious
victory via my Connecticut chum!
Next I dawdled. We're planning
the Passion Pit landscaping and
Lewistown is in Zone 4a per the
USDA. Which means, growing
most of what I grew up with is
out of the question. We want a
proper period garden inspired
by Beatrix Farrand and Gertrude
Jekyll. Sadly we are lacking any
historical horticultural survivors
here in Montana. Hence the need
to research venerable gardens still
extant in northern New England.
So I dug deeper. Beatrix Farrand was
one of the most prolific of American
landscape architects at the turn of the
twentieth century. One of her greatest
gardens is on Mount Desert Island in
Maine. Said plot sits in Zone 5b yet
one can still gain inspiration from her
designs and plantings. It's amazing
the species now adapted for colder
climes. Some strains of Wisteria and
Hydrangea thrive and survive even in
Montana. For an hour I copied, clipped
and dreamed. Anything but blog!
Desperate, I shifted my fuzzy focus
to housekeeping. First I planned the
evening's menu. Next I balanced my
checkbook, finally I gave feedback
for some purchases on eBay. With
no literary illumination seemingly
on the horizon, I went out to chip
away some ice on our back stoop.
Standing there in the fresh air, the
sun bounced off the white mounds
that surrounded me. And suddenly
nothing mattered except enjoying
that most simplest of pleasures.
In the end, what is today's blog about?
Absolutely nothing. There are times
when we need to stop and do exactly
that. Do yourself a favor. Waste an
hour or two today. More important,
make sure your dose of nothingness
is accompanied by a total lack of guilt.
Life stinks so once and a while one has
to stop and smell the proverbial roses.
Hence today, nothing matters except
your peace of mind. As Gershwin said,
"I got plenty of nothing and nothings
plenty for me." Enjoy your Saturday!
