Late last October, I unexpectedly had to say goodbye to my sweet Moby, who was my best friend, companion, and garden buddy.
He was laid to rest in the garden, in the shade of the lavender bush, where I can pretend he is always still with me. I miss him dearly, but life has to go on, and so does work in the garden.
My raised beds were in dire need of being replaced this year. Not one of my favorite garden jobs, and a lot of hard work. But untreated wood only lasts four to five years and was literally crumbling and splitting open.
I saved the raspberry bed for last, and it was definitely the hardest since I had to remove the rotten wood, but retain the arbor holding up the raspberries.
March weather was actually colder here in Ohio than it was in February. But even with the cold days, I wanted to get this project out of the way so I could “hit the ground running” at planting time. Not much is blooming here other than the daffodils, but I was able to plant cold weather seeds of lettuce, kale, and onions this week.
It’s a relief to have this project done and ready to go. I love the look of new wood, indicating new beginnings for the garden.
And although in my heart, I can never replace my beloved Moby, at Christmas time, I got a new dachshund puppy. Meet Molly, my new garden buddy. She’s a bundle of happiness and endless energy. She enjoys playing in the garden and tries to be my helper.
But unfortunately her favorite part of gardening is digging in the dirt. She doesn’t understand boundaries yet, especially outside . . . but we’ll get there. Everything starts with a “new beginning”.
You never cease to impress me with the way you jump into difficult projects, Cindy. You new beds look great. I’m sorry you lost your Moby. Our furry companions can never be replaced but welcoming a new addition always brings joy. I’m glad you have one to enjoy time with you in your garden, even if she’s a little too exuberant on occasion 😉
Thank you Kris. My husband and my father were both carpenters, and although I wasn’t trying, I did pick up a lot about carpentry along the way. Being single now, I have no choice but to apply the skills I learned from them to get the things finished that need to be done around here. It does get harder as I get older, but I’m not ready to stop trying, and as long as my health holds up, I’ll keep building what I can. It is both challenging and rewarding.
Hello, Cindy, I haven’t seen your blogs for awhile but somehow I found my way back. I love your backyard beds and especially your new 4-legged tiller!!! I’m sure in time Molly will learn the house rules. It’s nice to have a garden buddy again. My sweet Tucker loved our backyard oasis in N Linden but found life in Az very prickly everywhere. We still miss him daily.
Hi Cathy, I’m sorry I didn’t respond sooner, but I just now saw this comment. My email doesn’t always notify me when someone leaves a comment, and I don’t know they are there.
Have you replaced your Tucker with a new companion? I wasn’t sure what I would do if I ever lost Moby, but the pain and hole in my heart was so great at his passing, that I almost immediately went on a hunt for another dachshund. Although Molly is not Moby, or the same, her surgery and our time rehabbing together have drawn us much closer and made us more dependent on each other for companionship. There is nothing like the companionship and friendship of a dog, and I can’t imagine my life without one.
Cindy
Cindy, I decided to check up on your page, just wondering if you had decided to continue on with it. The first thing I quickly found was that Moby passed. I’m so sorry to hear this, but happy you now have Molly. We, too, recently got another dog as our Mazy passed last summer. I still have Brody, of course. Your garden beds are beautiful as is everything you make. I now need to go read the rest of your posts here. Glad you went back to doing them. I’ll be following you again. Your friend from Maryland, now in California.
Hi Barbara. So nice to hear from you. Time flies by at such a rapid pace, it is hard to believe we haven’t talked in that long of a time.
My sweet Molly is my new companion, but she has come with a set of her own problems. I took her to be spayed in early May, only to find out her heart murmur was much worse and her heart enlarged. Off we went to see a cardiologist at the OSU Vet Center and last week, she had heart surgery. She has a patent ductus arthrosis, which is a congenital heart defect and is fixable, at a large price of course. She did well in surgery where a device was inserted in her femoral artery up into her heart to block the duct that did not close at birth. Her murmur is now gone and her heart is the regular size. But the challenge now is to keep her calm and quiet for the next 30 days so the device doesn’t dislodge and kill her. It is an all time consuming responsibility to watch her. Fortunately, she is on two sedatives that keep her quiet some of the time, but not all of it. Needless to say, my life revolves around her, where she is, and is she being calm. I really just need to bite the bullet, and crate her for more of the day, especially when the meds wear off. It is really hard to do, but her life depends on staying quiet
Nothing else new other than spring has finally arrived. Not much gardening will get done in the next 30 days and the weeds unfortunately don’t take a break. So, by the heat of the summer, it will be catch up time.
Hope you are well!
I was so sorry to hear of Molly’s issue, but so glad you had people in the know who could fix her up. I don’t like crating dogs either, but I would if it meant helping one of my best doggies get better. Hope she recovers well. Our new little rescue dog is a bundle of energy. We’ve only had her for a month and learning more about her every day. She is now copying our other dog and becoming a good watch dog. With all of our rain, we are still having to mow and weed wack. This year was very unusual for us. Hopefully, the mowing and wacking this week will take care of it for the summer and we will be well protected during fire season. Good to hear from you. I think of you often.