Maybe It's Actually a Rug

Gardens are not made by singing "Oh, how beautiful," and sitting in the shade. – Rudyard Kipling

I've had an extended long weekend for the Easter holidays. It's nice to have some extra time away from work, but I find myself trying to do too many things and then reach the end of the weekend and wonder where it all went. It's the same every time. I wonder when I will learn to just chill out and enjoy the time off.

In truth, my body sort of forced me to slow down this weekend. Over the past few months, I've been finding myself really tired by the time the weekend comes around and I end up sleeping quite a bit more than I used to. I don't know if it's just that I am generally more mentally tired these days or if I'm just getting older, but I am certainly not the powerhouse of "get stuff done" that I used to be. Still... I did manage to get outside in the garden to clean up the beds and the deck and empty out pots. I have high hopes of growing potatoes this year in grow bags, and I scoped out the sunniest patch I could find in my shady yard and got them started. I've been peering out the window at them ever since:

I also decided to separate my African Violets this weekend. I have had great luck with them. I'm sure I've managed to get at least eight plants out of the original plant that was gifted to me a few years ago. It amazed me that they do so well, as they are among the fussiest plants I can think of: the leaves shrivel and die if they get soil or water on them, they don't like direct sunlight, they only like to be watered from below... They seem to thrive on top of my refrigerator, and there they will stay until I run out of space and have to give some away. Who knows? I may be the only person in the world who buys a second fridge just so she can have a spot for her African Violets:

I also took the time to get a bunch of meal prep done for the week. My schedule is always so varied that I have to take the time to make all my meals in advance for the week, otherwise, I just end up making poor food choices and feeling terrible. I have also been trying to use up ingredients in the pantry that have been languishing for far too long in there. I dug out some dried lentils, a can of chickpeas, some split green peas, some pearl barley, some dried apricots, a bag of pecan pieces, and some rolled oats. I made Cauliflower, Lentil and Chickpea Curry and cooked some barley to eat with it for my dinner and lunches at work. I also made some split pea and ham soup, as well as three smoothies and three jars of overnight oats. I also tried out a shortbread recipe that uses dried apricots and pecans. That might be the winner of the pantry challenge this weekend:

I am also quite pleased with the progress I've been making on my Midsummer Aran. I re-worked the first sleeve and spread out the increases more evenly along the length, and I am much happier with the result. The second sleeve is working up much more quickly than the first one, and I might have been finished it by now if it weren't for me trying to empty out the pantry this weekend:

And well, this guy also keeps me busy. I swear I only turned away for a moment to go get my phone to take the photo. Maybe he's trying to tell me it's actually a rug. Or maybe he's bored and actually wants to go out to enjoy the sunshine while it lasts:

I hope you had a pleasant Easter weekend and that spring is upon you. Have a good week!