Tuesday, April 17, 2007

hard labour

DIY unto others as you would (nt) unto yourself. rather like other people's children (people you share 1-2 degrees of separation with, not random stranger's screaming offspring at the supermarket checkout) it is significantly more gratifying when you have a nice time and then hand the toddler back, or leave your friend's freshly painted living room, knowing that you do not have to wake up tomorrow (or ever,) and be confronted with flourescent avacado. i enjoy not owning the responsibility (a statement i use with some frequency) of a broken window or a 5 year old's femur, of course the associated guilt is balanced out when there is no shared blood type or mortgage.

in the past month i have dug and planted grass (which as of yesterday actually looked like it grew), painted a garage, painted an office, and glued and nailed trim. today i mulched a garden; i am queen of mulching, practiced in the fine art in fact. what better way for an adult to look like a mature, responsible individual (gardening is the work of old people and married couples) than to dig and squish in the dirt? however an obsessive compulsive (myself) who mulches, is not an efficient worker. following the mulching i was put in charge of potting and planting a colourful assortment of pansies (i think it was assumed my possession of ovaries qualified me for such a task). i have realized that those individuals who are talented and creative in the kitchen (not me) also possess green thumbs (again, not me). if i had a dog's ability to hear i am sure i would have heard those pansies screaming in agony at the abuse being meted out by my clumsy hands.

one day i will own my own home; the garden will be a desert wasteland of cactus, surrounded by a border of weeds. the interior decor will no doubt have martha stewart rolling in her grave, as it will be that long until i get one of those mortgage thingies.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

You should consider moving to Korea, particularly Seoul. Everyone lives in high rise apartments which effectively means no gardening .....

No mortgage? Think of it as one less financial outgoing to to think of.

When do you hear about your recent job application/interview ?

Anonymous said...

Fluorescent avocado? Couldn't you have said something before it got put on the walls? Heeheehee
I hear what you're saying about not having the responsibility of a kids and or a mortgage,,,,, I bet your opinion would change if you had one or both (it would have to),,,,, 'They' tell me that having your own children is much different then holding someone elses's,,,,, I'm sure you've heard that,,,, Shared blood type has never crossed my mind,,,, but loving someone enough to have children has,,,, The mortgage, I always thought, was just a good investment,,,,,, if you find yourself with a job that you enjoy (and holds you down). I know first hand that there's a sh1t ton of work that comes with a mortgage (I can only imagine the same holds true with a child),,,,, it can be more then the work task involved,,, the end result can be very satisfying,,,, like a beautiful fluorescent avocado room?

Anonymous said...

You know Diseer, talent is sometimes taught...I have a collection of 25 cookbooks...you are welcome to them anytime. Don't write off a garden...I wish I could have one myself...there is something rewarding about growing something yourself.