my bit of heaven

8.15 p.m. and I'm aching from head to foot - not from the 'flu but the garden. My gardening friend Scott arrived at 9 and left at 2, the two of us working almost non-stop for 5 hours, pruning, bagging, weeding, planting. We bought 10 bags of fertilizer and Scott dumped it on every bed, and I followed with the hose. I can hardly move right now, but the garden is spectacular, better than it has ever been. And after Scott left, I got out my twinkly Xmas lights and rigged them up on the deck. Magic. The gardenias, the roses, the new nicotiana, the basil and lavender and jasmine and mint- it smells so good, as I sit here at dusk, that I am drunk on scent. (Well, and also a nice dry French rosé.)

Besides Scott, I have another new helper - John, the husband of a friend from the Y, arrived in my life 2 days ago as the answer to my prayers. John is calm, quiet and competent; he does everything, plumbing, construction, hauling stuff to the dump ... We spent the morning together, including an exciting trip to Home Depot, and after he left, I had to call my mother to tell her the good news - "I've got a new handyman!" She was as thrilled as I. Only another solo woman can understand what it means to have a nice, calm man who lives nearby, who is reasonably priced and who fixes everything. Welcome, John.

After today's efforts, it was so beautiful here, I wanted to share it with a loved one so I called, of course, Mr. Ch*y. He came over with the program from convocation at Sir Wilfred Laurier University, where he received an honourary doctorate. So he is now Dr. Ch*y, thank you very much. He was asked to give a very brief speech, and he told the crowd three things he needed to learn before he turned fifty.

1. Failure is the best teacher. It never lies.

2. At the bad times, don't forget that this too shall pass. Imagine what's coming next.

3. At the good times, look behind you - because something new is on the way.

We dined on the deck, deafened by sparrowsong and flooded with flowersmell. And soon we are off to see "The Secret in their Eyes," which won the Oscar last year for Best Foreign Film and which is highly recommended. Even though my limbs don't want to move after their 5 hour marathon, this they can do.