I find I’m always on the prowl to find Maisie’s next adventure. Sometimes I get so busy looking for the perfect thing that I forget to look in my own backyard – literally.
I bought some pansies for my yard and decided to let Maisie help plant them. It turns out, she’s quite the gardener – or well at least she loves getting dirty anyway. Ever since we planted that first flower, I’ve had a tough time keeping Maisie out of the yard. All she wants to do is be outside, dig in the dirt and scoot on her butt down a hill. I have a whole new appreciation for stain removers.
Of course, the only problem is that Maisie really doesn’t help all that much. In fact, she seems to undo everything I do. When I put dirt in a pot, she takes it out. When I rake one direction, she rakes all the crap right back to where it started. But does it really matter? Of course not. She is having fun and the two of us are spending some quality time together. To be fair, Maisie is getting better. She’s starting to actually put dirt in the pot.
I do admit, I worry a bit about her in the yard. She eats dirt. She falls down steps. She scrapes her knee. Then again, isn’t that part of growing up? That kid is sporting some serious bruises, but she never cries. She just bangs herself and keeps on truckin’. Our poor dog Digby is probably more tortured than Maisie since the kid chases her around the yard for hours when she’s not digging in the dirt.
The older Maisie gets, the more she’ll be able to do. We can plant seeds, watch them sprout and then transfer them to the garden. She can help me plant some vegetables and harvest them later. That will lead to cooking and – well – the list goes on and on.
Truth be told, I’m a pretty crummy gardener, but I try darn hard. Growing up in the desert of West Texas didn’t really prepare me for a grand garden like so many in Westchester. But hey – I try – and so does Maisie. I used to be so damn proud when I looked at my garden. “I did that!” I’d think. Now? I remember all the smiles and giggles as Maisie dashed about the yard and my heart feels like it’s going to pop.
