A few weeks ago I declared the end of gardening season and thus the end of my weekly gardening posts. Ha! What was I thinking? Just because I am not outdoors in the garden doesn’t mean I am not thinking about the garden. That’s how I ended up writing last Sunday about gardening and climate change. During the week I found a great blog called My Climate Change Garden. It’s by a UK blogger but still relevant. One of his recent posts is about how important it is to plant trees and another about how gardening can have a positive effect on climate change.

But wait, I am getting off track, burbling away.

Just because I am not in the garden doesn’t mean I am not gardening. Reading about gardening and making plans for next growing season are all a vital part of the process. In other words, I am making up excuses to keep writing about gardening stuff every week or so! Do you mind?

Remember how early this year I wanted a pond and Bookman said no way? And then I bought a solar frog fountain to sooth my no pond sadness. The fountain was a lovely addition and the sandy beach I made around it was a popular bird destination. They even held a beach volleyball tournament on it one week in July. And the gentle splashing of water from ceramic froggy’s mouth was a pleasant sound while outdoors. But darn it, it was no substitute for a pond.

Well next spring I am going to get my pond and I can do it without Bookman’s help. I discovered a video on how to make a small pond using a plastic storage bin. See how easy it is?

I love you internet!

I have even already decided where to put it. It is going to go on the side of the garden that still has some grass (but not for much longer will the grass be there). We will be adding a rain barrel at the downspout on that side of the yard this spring and I am going to place the pond in a sunny spot not so very far away from the barrel and the barrel’s overflow will be directed into the pond and then if there is pond overflow, that will get directed into a small “wetland.” The wetland probably won’t happened next year, the pond will be enough and I will need to see if there is enough overflow that I even need a wetland. As much as I want to go all out, even I have to admit that patience and one-thing-at-a-time is a good idea especially when it comes to “big” things like a pond and a wetland.

Yay pond!

Can you also say slippery slope? Because, don’t tell Bookman, but you know as soon as I get my little pond going it will be good for a year, maybe two, and then I will decide it needs to be bigger. Maybe by then I will have been able to convince Bookman what a great idea that would be. But for now, let’s just keep that bit of intel on the down low. I don’t want to scare Bookman.

Last week on Tuesday I got the first 2014 seed catalog in the mail. Bookman got the mail from the box and put the catalog on my book table next to my reading chaise. How exciting! I am not going to look at it until January though, I told myself. Yet I left it on the table. And every day I told myself I am not going to look at it until January. Friday I thought, well if I am not going to read the catalog until January, I had better put it away somewhere. Imagine my surprise on Saturday afternoon when I sat down to read and the catalog was still sitting on my book table on top of all the books!

I picked it up. I’m not going to read it until January but it won’t hurt to just flip through it. A little over an hour later I emerged from “flipping through it” with all kinds of ideas buzzing around in my head. New plants to try, different varieties of things we’ve already grown that might be good, and lots of “I wonder if we could…” and most of all, “where could I plant …?” And it quickly became clear that I am going to have to dig up part of the backyard belonging to my neighbor-of-the-perfect lawn in order to accommodate everything. Do you think he’ll mind? What if I promise to share? And he won’t even have to weed or water, I’ll take care of it all. Yup, I’m sure he won’t mind.