ACCOMPLISHMENTS BIG AND SMALL

Today was about as nice a day as we've had all year. Days like this make me wonder how anyone could ever want to live anywhere else. Of course, I feel that way about a beautiful day in Western Washington as well. I really think we live in the perfect state! I just got back from my daily walk, where I saw many people outside as the sun was going down, sitting on their porches, or riding bikes, or cartwheeling in the front yards, or babies playing ball with their daddies. I usually walk in the early evening, between 2 and 2.5 miles or 40-45 minutes. I have always loved walking and hiking, but as I have gotten older, I have found my activity level decreasing. This is not a good thing, not for me, nor for anyone else. So for the last several weeks, I have been working very hard to take better care of myself. Life is not about reaching a destination and being done.....it is about constantly being on the move, looking forward, trying something different, seeking new challenges. If your journey ends when you reach your goal, then what's it all about anyway? At my age, I know enough to realize that a lot of morbidity (illness) is preventable or manageable when a person makes healthy life style choices. I watched my dad develop illnesses that, while somewhat genetically linked, were also greatly influenced by the things he did or didn't do during his lifetime. He was fortunate to live in the times he lived in. He was able to live a relatively long life due to medical procedures such as heart valve replacement and cardiac bypass surgeries. I'm certain that his many years of work as a gardener contributed to his recoveries and his "bonus years" following heart attacks and strokes. But being a smoker for over 40 years couldn't have helped him, and his love of rich foods, high in fat and sugar caused him to constantly struggle with his weight, and eventually the challenges of diabetes. He also HATED to do the physical therapy that he was so often prescribed following one of his "procedures." I dearly loved my dad, but I have no desire to have what happened to his body, happen to mine. Therefore, I walk. There is enough information out there on the "internets" that all say the same thing: eating healthy, staying active and a positive attitude can prevent or mitigate symptoms of diabetes and cardivascular disease. Regular exercise and a sensible diet help a lot. And the best news of all? Growing dahlias makes you get outside, makes you bend and stoop and carry and lift. There are so many things that make up the life of a dahlia grower, from something as small as filling out a marker on a cutting, or as large as unloading a truck bed full of topsoil with a shovel and a wheelbarrow. I have to admit that I have been a little frustrated at my progress so far this year. I had hoped to have everything planted by this week, but life is what happens when you make other plans.So far, I only have 24 plants and my seedling bed planted here at home, and 60 plants/tubers in at the Tony DeRooy Memorial Garden on Emerson Street. I will need to wait until later this week to be finish up. I should be able to get two more beds (48 varieties) down tomorrow, because I accomplished these small tasks: sorted tubers, identified viable eyes, confirmed the variety name, created tags, amended and cultivated the soil, mapped out the planting, bought the bone meal, and worked on a plan for irrigation. Tomorrow morning, while it is still brisk, I will be out in my back yard, facilitating the cycle of life of the dahlias in my backyard garden. Is there anyway better to celebrate Mother's Day?