My 9 Silly Things I Couldn't Garden Without

1.) Lemonade. But it must be sweetened with honey and I insist that it have a splash of rose water (or orange blossom water). This is not for everyone, but for this gardener, it's key to my overall happiness. (Oh, and if you're wondering, yes, it might smell like to soap.) 

2.) Gluten-free snack with Oregon marionberry seedless preserves. It is a type of blackberry but it tastes about 1000x better.

3.) Inexpensive headphones and my loud Indie music. This is so that I don't have to listen to the sounds of the city: public buses, barking dogs, ambulances, police flying by on their way to some other part of Portland, and the random drunk walking down Burnside. (I live one house in from this very busy street and it is sadly still quite loud.)

4.) Heart. Yes, I like to garden with heart. (Since my mother is going to read this, yes, "Happy Mother's Day Mom," I am just going to remind her that I garden with a lot of heart. (It's not intended to be an inside joke, but I guess it might be...)

5.) A place to crash. For years I'd avoided using this amazing vintage chaise but as a converted chronically ill gardener—who is currently in much better health—I plan to use it more now than ever because I'd like to continue being happy and healthy. 

6.) Bling. This goes in my hair so that if no one hears from me for a day or two they'll find me in the garden more easily. (I suppose the same goes too if I'm just ignoring your phone calls or email messages.)

7.) Nail polish. I simply cannot say enough about how much better I feel when I'm a complete and total dirtball, with crisp and dry hands, and then I look down and I think, "Damn, those look nice at least."

8.) Furry companions. For Mother's Day they posed for this group picture. Trust me, this is not something they like to do everyday.

9.) iPhone. I love it because it plays music while I Google plants. Need I say more? (Note the MacBook in the reflection. I love it too but I did hate bringing it outside so often.)