April 16

Sunshine peaked into the windows of our room and into the window of my soul. Another gorgeous day in the Okanagan. Blue sky overwhelms the senses with a majestic morning view. Over my morning cup of aromatic wonder, I sip on my honey sweetened coffee and decide; Today is a perfect day to rototill the garden.

My good buddy and neighbour drops off the rototiller and I proceed into the garden. It is a very satisfying job to do. Turning the soil purifies the mind. I look at the strawberry patch and decide it is time to transplant. Digging up a strawberry patch evokes a myriad of emotions including sadness for the damage done to the plants. Removing the overgrown grass and weeds and moving the strawberries gives them a fresh start. They suffer now in the short term yet in the long term they will thrive. I chuckle quietly as I consider the irony; nature has many ways to regenerate itself.

I called my buddy who I got the tiller from and ask him where he wants me to drop it off. He explains to me that he needs to go do his parents garden, but I can leave it with him. Getting the address of his parents I decide to do the job for him. He is slammed at work; I have the time, happy to work with my hands in the soil again. Working the earth is very rewarding to me, like never before. Another task complete; home and a cold cervesa is calling.

The deck is an excellent place to end the day. It is made even better by hanging with a friend, my wife, and a cold beer. My beautiful teenage daughter and her friend dutifully avoid us adults and I get ditched again by my kid. I remember back to fourteen and I don’t think I spent much time with my parents.

We hook up with our friend from across the street again and head down the hill for another walk. His wife is too tired from work; she’s already in bed. We talk and agree that not everyone is slow right now. The neighbourhood nursery is so busy they can barely keep up; everyone is in their garden. It’s restaurants, bars and tourism that are really hurt. Money is being spent, money is being saved all at a distance. We may have to keep our distance for quite a while longer.

Looking across the lake at the sun-drenched mountain tops, the gleaming rays drop down and the shadows rise. We can see the snow receding upward, another sign that spring is in full bloom. I look forward to tomorrow. I look forward to digging in the garden and planting some seeds.