Sharodiya Anjali 2005 - Pujari

__________________________________________________________________Durga Puja 2005
minds were filled with boundless
determination and fervor.
Pulling our sun caps in place, we
started to zeroing-in. At first we
were just able to pull out half the
crab-grass from its fussy roots,
however, with each subsequent tug
our competence in weedelimination
improved. In no time,
we were mercilessly dragging out
the entire tuft after a brief struggle,
just as we pulled out a piece in
clothing from a stuck drawer. It
was all in the technique. Our work
had begun to show some promise.
As the morning sun slowly
ascended the sky, our enthusiasm
rapidly descended our bodies. Hot
& sweaty, we decided to take a
short break. Perhaps unable to bare
our plight any longer Jackie flew
out of her back door with a strange
looking object forked at its end
and a brown- paper bag in hand.
“You can borrow my garden tools
any time” she said with a smile.
From then the magic tool (weeder)
started working wonders. We
started pulling out the weeds in a
jiffy. Half our yard was weed-free
by the end of the afternoon. More
next week we thought.
Luckily a free estimate stuck-on to
our mailbox from Scott’s lawn
service saved us the trouble.
Fortunately, they are taking care of
the weedy situation since
then…………
With the turn of the seasons, the
bright pastels of Moss- rose,
Petunia, Periwinkle and Dianthus
were sending out a summery
message. The vivid orange,
yellows and reds of the Marigold
and Begonia were in galore.
Carrying very little heritage in
gardening (back from India), we
audaciously decided to plant
some flowering plants. Thinking
starting off with a planter would be e
good idea, we invested in a variety of
Marigolds. Being generally hardy by
nature, they successfully withstood our
experiment. Not to mention “these are
beeeeautifull” from Jackie in a very
southern accent, catalyzed our
enthusiasm.
Encouraged by the outcome, we went
for more flowers. Honestly at that
point we had no idea what we were
letting ourselves into!!!!
Standing in the garden center of Wal-
Mart I was lost in a sea of gardening
tools. Tall, short, broad and narrow, a
few with forked tips; others looked like
a boat at the end! Not very sure as to
which one was best suited I picked up
a small light weight one with a
triangular bottom. Just to be double
sure I asked an associate for help.
“This is a kid’s play shovel” , she said
giving me a cynical look. Trying hard
to conceal my embarrassment I ran
back to pick up a bigger one. So much
for garden tools!!!
After finding the right shovel I begun
clearing up the mulch and digging
up the area to commence
planting. A close friend (an avid
gardener with a connoisseur’s
eye) passing by was quick to
point out that first we had to
prepare a flower bed with top
soil and cow manure and then
plant the saplings. Digging with
a giant heavy shovel, with a
steady stream of perspiration
trickling down my forehead I
was not particularly thrilled at
the prospect. Also not to
mention that my supposed green
thumb was steadily turning
purple with bruises! Very soon I
found a convenient shortcut.
Instead of tilling the whole area
I was digging holes a few inches
apart, filling it with potting mix
and shoving the plants into
them!!! It worked most of the
times barring a few delicate
counterparts that soon perished
(for good).
Now there was quite a bit of
color in and around our house. I
was often found mixing plant
food with gallons of water and
panting around watering the
flora and fauna in the evenings.
As Lou Erickson has rightly
pointed out “Gardening requires
a lot of water - most of it in the
from of perspiration”.
After each dose of fertilizer, I
patiently waited for a fresh burst
of buds to arrive. With each new
blossom I went ecstatic with
joy. This was proving to be an
amazing experience. Quite a
rewarding one for sure. The
current routine continued for
quite a while till it was time to
plant the next batch of
seasonals.
One sunny late afternoon,
busy doing my regular
gardening chores I suddenly
noticed a multitude of shrubbery
right next to the concrete of our
patio, at the back of the house.
Curiously I looked on and
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Sharodiya Anjali 2005 58 n¡lc£u¡ A”m£ 1412