Oh, I've got gardening on the brain.

Yes, I also have a deadline today and need to call one more person for quotes before I can finish the story I'm working on.

So naturally I'm procrastinating, dreaming of gardens.

The condo I'm moving into (next week, if all goes well) has a good-size deck. I wish I knew the exact dimensions, but all I can say is that there's more than enough room for a large patio table and chairs, a garden bench, a wicker rocking chair, a side table and a bunch of plants. All but the plants are currently on the deck.

In the last couple of weeks I've glanced at pictures of patio/deck gardens, and scanned tips on feng shui gardens. There's so much to learn! Why learn it at all? Well, when I had my apartment, pre-baby, I had a small balcony. I'd envisioned being able to relax on the balcony with all my plants, but I never got around to making it a hospitable place. It pretty much stayed a mess, with old astroturf and a few dead plants, although I sporadically tried to grow one or two things from seed out there. Hey, I had other things to do, and I was depressed (although I didn't understand that at the time).

But the deck at my new place is right on the entry level — the front door and the patio door both open right onto the deck. This is the first thing visitors will see when they come to visit. And since we won't have a yard, per se, the deck will serve as one. This means that before I do any aesthetic altering of the deck, I've got to make it safe for my little one. The vertical rails on the deck are set too far apart for safety. Apparently the building code was changed a few years ago, and railings built after that had to be no more than four inches apart. The vertical railings (or whatever they're really called) on my new deck are at least eight inches apart — maybe more. All I know is that when Grant stood next to them I could clearly see his body would easily fit through them. This is not good, seeing as the deck is on the second floor of the building. (My garage is on the first level.) We'll be making a trip to Home Depot for some substantial screening or, more likely, plexiglass, as it won't ruin the view and won't attract attention from the other homeowners. That is, I'll be dealing with a homeowners association and I don't want to start with an argument over what to put on the deck.

After the safety adjustments, though, I can start to beautify the deck. The possibilities are numerous. What I know for sure right now is that I don't want to just have a bunch of little potted plants scattered willy-nilly all over the place. I want variations in height. Some kind of integrity. Some non-plant ornamentation, too. The sellers are leaving me a wishing well that I plan to refurbish and set up. One thing I also want to include: a door. No, the door won't exactly go anywhere; it'll be just for decoration. But it'll give the illusion of going somewhere, and that'll be worth the price of admission right there. :-) I may even ask my mom-the-artist or one of her artist friends to paint a few faces to peer into the door's windows. (Yes, I have my door picked out in my mind!)

Mmmmm. My deck. There's a quote from Return of the Native: "Pleasure not known beforehand is half wasted. To anticipate it is to double it."

Color me anticipating...

- Beth