The Garden Dawdler – Middle of April

We’ve had two exquisite days in a row. It was really hot yesterday, not so warm today but both days have been beautiful. Good days for photography. Great days just to be outside and perfect days to almost see the leaves on the trees beginning to open.

This is so far the best picture I’ve gotten of the locks between the river and the canal. They are in working order, as are the locks in other places along the river and canal. They are used these days to control the flow of water, filling some areas more and letting other areas go relatively dry.

Are you minimalistic in your lifestyle? A clutterer, hoarder, or just messy?

None of the above. The only thing I require is a reasonable degree of neatness. I hate junk lying around. I expect the other occupants of this house — ALL of whom are adults — to put things back where they came from, to throw away empty containers, to put trash in the bin. I clean when I must, but there’s a lot of dust in this house. I’m too old and creaky to spend my life cleaning. Since no one else has volunteered I require everyone to at least be neat.

I admire minimalism, but I love beautiful and quirky things, so unless I win the lottery and have a much bigger house with cleaning help, minimalism is unrealistic.

Do you prefer to sit on a chair, cushion, bench, floor or something else for comfort and which?

Has anyone heard of a recliner? I love recliners and other “moving” furniture.

What is the most challenging part of your writing process?

Just getting it done.

Do you think you are an addictive or non-addictive personality?

I must be non-addictive. I take a lot of drugs yet have never become addicted to anything, even when the medication was, in theory, addictive.

Do you feel in any way, shape or form threatened by the arrival of AI [Artificial Intelligence] opportunities or welcome the progression into your life with ease?

No. Disappointed, I think. Because people will get even lazier than they already are and probably more stupid.

What subjects or topics inspire you to create the most –concerning your writing?

There’s no specific issue — other than climate change — about which I feel compelled to write. Even that, though I consider it the most serious threat of all the threats we face, is not something I can write about all the time. I get tired of hearing myself, so I can’t imagine how tedious everyone else must find me after listening to me repeat the same information again. And again.

I try to vary what I write about and that might be my biggest challenge: trying not to repeat myself.

When was the last time you walked through a graveyard?

Last October, when the leaves were changing. Our old cemetery in the middle of town has some very old and very beautiful maple trees which turn amazing colors. So we always make at least one trip to the cemetery. We take pictures. And the stones tell stories, too.

What are your top five favourite flowers?

Lilacs. Rhododendrons. Daylilies. Wild strawberries. Violets. And even though I don’t grow them, real roses — not the hedge roses we grow.

I totally forgot to mention my favorite indoor plants, most particularly orchids. They really ARE my favorites these days.

What would you say would be your writing quirk?

Grammar and punctuation MATTER. They aren’t optional extras. Otherwise? Trying to find something new to say. I’ve been doing this for a long, long time. Pretty much anything I think of writing, I realize I’ve already written about it sometime during the past dozen years.

Categories: #BlackstoneRiver, #Blogging, #Flowers, #Photography, #Writing, Anecdote, questions

Tags: #Flowers, #Photography, Blogging, Garden Dawdler, Marilyn Armstrong, writing