There are lots of ways to spend a day that will sap every ounce of energy you have and leave you headed for the couch and the advil bottle. My all time least favorite is a day spent at Boston Children’s hospital ( where my daughter is a patient), followed by any trip involving amusement parks, air travel or clothes shopping,  That’s a pretty wacky list, but we are who we are.

Today I got my energy sapped by spending 3 hours volunteering at an historic house in my town, where I am re-doing the gardens, then coming home and spending 5 more planting bare root roses, a few shrubs, dividing  phlox, moving  a few clematis, and trying to make a suitable bed for iris ensata  which wants constantly moist soil, a tough trick for those of us who garden in sand.

Already exhausted, my downward spiral  started with the roses that arrived yesterday and needed to go in the ground ASAP. David Austin Roses sends these bare root roses that first make me laugh at how ridiculously large their bare roots are and then make me cry as I try to dig a hole big enough to fit them. After they were all planted and watered I hit that state where you are too tired to effectively do any task without calling on every muscle you have to pitch regardless of their sutability for said task,   resulting in very awkward digging indeed.

 In that  reduced capacity, I figured why not go for broke ? and dig another hole deep enough to accomadate a large ( 3ft diameter) pan meant for a small fountain to hold soil and water for the iris.

Then on to the phlox, which might as well been welded into the ground for all the effort it took me to dig them out and divide them. Moving the clematis was not so bad because they are just babies, but along the way some more grass had to be taken out and more water lugged and that was when CJ showed up and told me to go shower he was taking me to a movie for Mother’s Day. Sweet sweet CJ, thank you for saving me from myself.

When we got to the theatre ( to see Thor, which was great BTW) CJ was standing outside the car waiting for me to get out and he turned and said, and I quote, “Why are you moving like an old lady today?” Good thing I was too tired to even try to take a swing at him. And I guess the fact that it is a time to celebrate being a mother,and by” celebrate” they don’t mean  “attempt bodily harm on your offspring”  contibuted to his escape as well.

 Now I am home , and evey muscle in my “old lady” body is T I R E D. I want hot tea, a book about anything but gardening, and my comfy bed with 20 pillows stacked up high around me. I want to sleep late, awake to breakfast in bed, and gifts (lots of gifts).

Being exhausted on a day when you have done something you didn’t enjoy, followed by the fact that you may or may not get enough sleep, and may or may not have another horrific day in front of you, feels much different than exhaustion caused by doing your favorite activity on the eve of the only day you are not expected to get up and do anything except open a present or two ….although .it better be more than two, and it better not be plants!