A New Normal

I thought I was just going to slap up before-and-after photos of my front yard and call it a Hair Wash Day. But I was thinking about Nadine, yoga gal, & author of one of my favourite blogs. She's going through some life challenges & I've been reflecting that she is where I was 2 years ago; leaving a relationship & moving to a new home.

This is the view of my front yard, my first visit to the house just to take a look:

This is what the yard looked like last week:

A bit shaggy.

The photo doesn't do it justice, because you can't see all the wild olive bush-trees that are along the perimeter of the road, obscuring the view for anyone driving or walking. Just in the 2 years that I've been here, they grew from scrubby little bushes to over my head, becoming a habitat for deer, skunks, & other creatures. It was so gradual. Like a lot of things are, that you don't notice; until it takes over.

So Neighbor Dave very kindly bush hogged:

That strip in the center of the field is my asparagus. The rest of the weed garden has been bush hogged. If I get adventurous enough, I can create a garden a bit smaller. Altho, I've been blessed by the bounty of other people's gardens. Zucchini is the most prolific for all gardeners, it seems. [Note to self: future post on the Awesomeness of Zucchini].

When I first moved here, I lamented that I didn't have a proper sunrise. I was used to getting up v. early & watching something like this:

Bay Sunrise.

It was my Normal. It was the start of my day, and I missed the ritual of it.

Remi peering in.

The funny thing is that when I went back to the bay earlier this year; same sunrise, completely different. I have a new normal. Not better . . . just different. It's what we get used to, and then we think that that's the way it's always been--or supposed to be. The truth is that I clung to those bay sunrises & my yoga classes because they gave me a peace that wasn't present in the rest of my life. This is today's sunrise:

My new normal.