A few weeks ago after a brunch and walk in Central Park, I stumbled into an Earth Day extravaganza that I spent all of fifteen seconds in. On the way in and out of this Earth Day-a-palooza I was given little note cards by an older woman who kept saying “plant these, there are seeds in them.” Well, sure enough they were folded note cards that had actual seeds embedded in the paper pulp. So as directed I decided to plant them today…let’s see what happens!

After watering the house plants, cleaning off the deck, sweeping the walkways and gathering weeds off of some of the property, I got the essential items needed to make the planting successful. Following basic planting principles, I filled the planter with some soil, placed the seeded cards in the planter and covered them with about 1/4 inch of soil. I watered them well and they are now sitting along the edge of the deck. Now is time to sit and wait. I’m good at that and have lots of practice.

While I was outside this morning, I had an opportunity to walk around the property and think of some new ideas that I would be able to do myself (with a little help, of course) to improve the curb appeal and also the functionality of the space that sits alongside the house moving toward the backyard (argh!) that just sits, unused, waiting for a contractor’s demolition and prompt reconstruction. A white picket fence, flowering plants along the perimeter of the house, and grass seed planting for the side of the house are some options. Maybe a garden bed in front on each side of the walkway that leads to the house? These are all easy, do-it-yourself projects that can be done over the course of a weekend or two. Doing it myself would save lots of money in labor and would also continue to put a personal touch into this house, something that has been a slow process but one that is happening nonetheless.

Time to keep thinking and brainstorming, I suppose. Any ideas?