Saturday, June 04, 2011

A Dirty Dozing Dog and Smudged Soiled Shoe


A dirty dozing dog and a smudged soiled shoe. Posted by Picasa

"Gardening is about enjoying the smell of things growing in the soil, getting dirty without feeling guilty, and generally taking the time to soak up a little peace and serenity." ~ Lindley Karstens
I have a pair of old sneakers that are worn through and soil stained with compost and dirt, stiff with repetitive soakings, and ragged with open cracks; yet they are sure and supportive where I need them most and they feel good on my feet. Usually, I pair them with white long pants, white shirt with long sleeves, a garden hat to cover my face and neck, white socks with the ends cut out to cover the hands and wrists before topping off with gloves, and long white tube socks to pull over the bottoms of the pants.

Of course this brings several questions to mind that you might have.... WHY? Why white? Why long sleeves in hot weather? Or WHY on earth would you go out where someone might see you in a giddy-up like that? Or even more likely, WHY haven't you posted a picture of yourself in this outfit? This last question is the easiest to answer... "Because I wouldn't let ANYONE get a picture of me in this outfit, as I know how strange and ridiculous it looks. Only Daisy, my dog would be allowed to take a picture... and since she hasn't a clue about how to work the camera, I am safe.

As to the other questions, I have to go out in this outfit because I MUST dig in the dirt and I MUST garden.. for sanity. Hey! I'm not looking for a knight in shining armor to show up anytime soon, my hair frizzes in the humidity and heat and I get smudges all over my face as well as all over the clothes... so basically, I don't care if I look like a golfer from the 40's. Or you could say, I care more about the flowers for butterflies and caterpillars and the plants for the birds and bees than I care that my neighbors see me as ridiculous. Besides... my garden and beds are way better than theirs are... so ... na-na-na-na-na-na... there! The long sleeves and pants and coverage from head to foot are a bother in hot weather.. but necessary. Since we are at the edge of a wetland forest preserve, we have a major tick population; everything you can do to cover up any entrance point they have is prudent... and this year they seem to be even worse than usual. We have them all.. those with Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, Lyme's disease and even a new one that carries something they call Tidewater Fever. It isn't as severe a disease but the tick that carries the bug is centered at the Great Dismal Swamp... just five miles or less from us... so.. there you have it. Oh, yes... why WHITE? For a similar reason... since it is a given fact that anytime you work near the preserve, i.e. in the yard or behind the fence, you WILL be exposed to ticks... the white shirts and pants and socks and such are much easier to examine for ticks. The tick shows up against the white background better than dark blue jeans... easier to remove and squash. Of course, with this get-up on, I usually dose my clothes with a thick spray of Deep Woods Off in an effort to limit the number of ticks that take the plunge and hitch a ride on my white shirt. At the end of the day, a close examination gets rid of most of them... then the really, really dirty clothes go in the sink and another search before hitting the washer. Even with all these precautions, you still have to check all the nooks and creases for any strays that might have gotten through the defenses.... they are the most sneaky of bugs. If only there were a bird that consumed them by the millions. (sigh!)

Daisy tries to help garden, she sometimes even digs (until scolded); but she prefers a place to snooze in the shade on the patio or even better, in the air conditioned sunroom. Yes, she gets dirty...her ears hang low and drag in the mulch... and she does rarely get a tick but her Frontline takes care of them. It would be nice if they could formulate a Frontline product for us... once a month application to kill and sterilize those critters; then we could shed those strange togs for more fashionable sleeveless chiffon tops and light weight shorts while gardening... but we would still get "dirty".

(end of post)
Carmi's theme ~ "well-aged" ~ both shoe and dog.
Saturday Photo Hunt ~ "Dirty"
Camera Critters



22 comments:

Ginny Hartzler said...

Oh, this is all just horrible!!! You are a brave person, I would never set foot in the dirt! How many to you find on yourself and the clothes at the end of a session? Do any ever get through your clothes? Our aunt got Lyme Disease and sill suffers from it even years later.

Sandra Hangey said...

the photo is priceless in my book, it says it all. Our Jake loves shoes, he does not shoe or destroy, he likes to say on them and carry them around and deposit them in strange places. sooooo all our shoes that are any good at all, reside in boxes on a shelf out of his way. either that or look for the other shoe each time we want to wear them. he has 4 of m old flip flops that he carries from place to place. EEK on the tick thing and i would not be out there gardening, but then I don't garden at all. the closest i get to that would be push a lawn mower, and i stopped that 10 years ago. you are brave and industrious and that is a lot of work just to prepare to garden.

Beverly Whitcomb said...

Oh, I love Miss Daisy's photo.  How is she doing? You are so good to cover up.  I'm paying for the years of sun exposure.  Knowing you, I'm sure you don't care what the neighbors think.  Lovely post.

Nikki-ann said...

Aww, sweet :) I could do with a doze myself!

Kay Davies said...

Ticks. Ugh. I remember ticks. We'd find them on our dog. Examining a long-haired collie for ticks is a time-consuming process. I like the idea of the long sleeves (photosensitivity) and a big hat for gardening.
— K

Kay, Alberta, Canada
An Unfittie's Guide to Adventurous Travel

Faith said...

Daisy is so cute! I love dogs!! I wish I could grow a garden, but where I live in Florida there's lots of sand in my yard, but not much dirt.
Here's My Photo

jams o donnell said...

That is a great phto and a great take on the theme. Miss Daisy is so sweet

jams o donnell said...

err I meant photo!

Ewok said...

Oh yeah that is some dirty shoe.

Susanne said...

Yes, those lovely long ears would get the worst of it wouldn't they?  

magiceye said...

beautiful take!!

Credman said...

I think the picture is more suggestive, letting us imagine the outfit, which is more fun.   I feel bad that you have to wear so much to garden. I usually do it barefoot and in a sleeveless sundress.  http://looseleafnotes.com

Kenju said...

I can't imagine gardening in sleeveless chiffon!!    LOL

chubskulit said...

Beautiful critter shot!

Late visiting for CC, hope you can take a peek at my Camera Critters too.  Thanks!

Florida Furkids &Angel Sniffie said...

Great shot!  Our Daddy gardens in an outfit a lot like yours.  He wears long sleeves because he's had some nasty things taken off his arms and he wears SPF clothes outside.  We  think Daisy has the right idea....snozze while your human works!!

The Florida Furkids and Angel Sniffie

Luna Miranda said...

terrific shot! i bet this dogie loves the smell of the old shoe.:p

Bmanousos7 said...

oh my word! 
EXQUISITE shot!!i'm really impressed! first time here. i love your blog! :)bettyvisiting via camera critters.

Eileen3600 said...

Great photo and a cute dog!

Gattina F said...

I am sure that you wear white so that everybody can see that you actually WORKED in the garden and not only taken a sunbath, lol !

Yvonne Teh said...

Woah, I think that's the longest post for Photo Hunt this week -- at least in terms of amount of text on it! :O

YTSL said...

Hi there Melange --

Please delete the post above from me.  Thank you.

Isolated Existence said...

Nice entry! Love the fur of your dog, beautiful :-)