Gardening in the Basement...When It's Nice Outside and a Poem

This cough of mine is keeping me in the house for most of the day today. It's warm, but windy. I didn't have a voice when I woke up...(did I see a smile on Joe's face?) I decided to stay in and catch up on a lot of things, because I know that we will have more nice days. Everything has been transplanted into individual peat pots. Now I just have to babysit them till they can go out. My houseplants were given a shovel full of new potting soil. I dumped about half the old soil and added new. Then I gave them all a haircut. The amaryllis are all repotted. I did this now, because some of them are too big for the pots that they are in. There are five all in a row. They like to be pot bound, but these pots were ridiculous. All of them had new leaves coming up. They'll go outside, when the weather is suitable, and spend the summer in my flower garden. I may look for a bench for them to sit on and put it up against the house. I took a long brass planter and put individual pots of houseplants in it. It is going to sit on the bookcase in our breakfast nook for the summer. I can change out some of these plants and substitute flowering plants and bouquets of garden flowers all through the summer.After my "gardening" I had soil all over the place. I hate to clean this kind of stuff up in the house. A very hard job with no hose. The plants are on the shelves and the table in front of the window. In another month and a half...they can go out and be on their own. Now I'm upstairs and there's lots to do. Vacuuming is #1 on my list. I feel like I've done a day's work....maybe I'll just eat lunch in front of the TV and watch some of my cooking girls.
Balisha

Gardening In The Basement by Balisha

The morning went so fast today...I had my hands in dirt...
The dirt was all around me....even on my shirt.
The plants were given haircuts and a potting soil treat..
Seedlings found a new home.. in little pots of peat.
The cactus sat there in their pots.. so very dry indeed..
I checked them out and told myself there really was no need,
To change their soil or water them.. I'd like to leave them be..
They're full of prickly stickers and one could get on me.
The amaryllis, I counted five, were sitting in a row..
They gave me joy all winter.. and put on quite a show.
I changed their pots and added soil and put them on the shelf..
"I'll take them out when weather's warm".. I said this to myself.
The marigolds and asters and forget me knots of blue..
Will make a garden rainbow of every pretty hue.
I came upstairs and found a chair and turned on the big TV..
I'll lunch with Paula, Ina, and Gaida...my favorite three.
While I sit there eating lunch ..my eyes will start to close.
I'll fall asleep and take a nap...dreaming of gardens I suppose.