update and Re: [gardeners] Sunday in the garden

lneuru@watarts.uwaterloo.ca (gardeners@globalgarden.com)
Sun, 14 Apr 2002 20:15:58 -0400 

glad to hear about your visit to daughter's and your grand-daughter's 1st 
communion - organized religion is a nice touchstone for many, obviously 
makes your grand-daughter comfortable.

We had a very warm winter, then a cold (still) spring.  I am still fighting the 17 
storey high-rise, and we have got it before the Heritage Committee and 
delayed quite some months now.  This has given me enough time to look for 
another house, and we found one we liked.  Smaller lot, but interesting slope 
in the back yard (will terrace); 4 very aged rose bushes on trellises along 
east side of house and some old-fashioned yew bushes in the front yard.  
They have probably been there since the house was built and are almost in 
themselves period pieces.  I don't particularly like them, but probably will 
leave them until next summer at least.  The back yard is grass, but most of 
that will go in favour of flower beds.  It's a smaller yard, but my present one is 
getting too much and besides it'll get little light with a monolith behind it.  On 
one side of the drive is an aged grape vine, grows up over drive and garage, 
over the back porch and up onto the 2nd storey balcony/porch.  I don't know 
if the grapes are edible or drinkable.  The house itself is 10-15 years younger 
than the one I now have, and with softwood trim instead of hardwood, but so 
what.  It's smaller inside, too, but the space is so much better organized I'll 
have more usable space.  It has a broom closet, plus a front hall closet for 
coats (my present home was built when everyone had coat-and-hat racks), a 
good basement which is probably dry most of the time and a good attic, linen 
closets, and good closets in the bedrooms, more windows, and a fireplace.  
The taxes are about $500.00 less per year because it's smaller; it's still in a 
decent neighbourhood; better, really; I don't think any of the houses have 
been divided.  We are closer to the grocerystore and the same distance from 
a bus stop.  All in all, I am quite happy with the place. 

Now to get rid of this present house (won't be hard; heritage homes stay on 
the market about a week, max), and the real problem is how to get some of 
my plants moved.  The time lag is the problem: we take possession end of 
June, and put this place up for sale 1st of May, at which time I can't really 
very obviously go digging about.  I have decided to pot up much, to decorate 
the front and give it curb appeal, and then take the pots (big planters, 
actually; they'd come in any case, planted or not).   Casualties will be the 
antique roses, but I will have fun buying more to plant (any old excuse).  I do 
have time to pass things around to my neighbours at least.

Lucinda