Sometimes there are tasks I just don’t want to do. The worst part is that I bring them on myself. For instance, I dislike working with the drip system in my garden. I know it’s a necessary evil in the spring and I try to get it working sooner than later. The weather has been all over the board lately, but it’s those unusually hot days that warn me not to mess around.

My Florida friend is my drip system expert and I like to leave the brain work to her. But she doesn’t visit until July and try as I might, I don’t water consistently enough to keep plants from drying out. She convinced me of that last summer when some newly planted blueberries were gasping for water when she arrived. I never wanted to have a drip system in my backyard. It was supposed to be an easy-going, drought tolerant space. But as I’ve written in past columns, after I put the rock garden in one corner, my imagination over the landscaping possibilities ran away with me and, well, now I have a drip system running the perimeter of the whole yard because I have that many plants.

I determined not to buy more this spring, because then I’d just have to run drip line to them. I made the mistake of going to the store to buy replacement annuals for a few containers that already have drip on them and, well, everything was so pretty and shiny. I also needed to freshen up my front garden because it’s over 15 years old and showing its age. I pulled some plants out that weren’t working for me, and put some new ones in. The problem with that was the old plants didn’t have drip on them because they were well-established. Rather than put off the inevitable I planted the new plants immediately and ran lines to them. I don’t like things hanging over my head, either. It’s those kinds of nagging issues that wake me up at night.

I was pretty proud of myself for not only firing up my drip system in early spring, but hooking up all the new plants I bought. However, you’d think knowing I had to run drip to anything new would dissuade me from buying more plants. No. The last bunch I bought I was merely going in to Home Depot to find tie-back wire. A woman in the parking lot asked if I needed a cart, I told her no, but I’d take it back in for her. As I walked up to the store, there was a plant I had noticed on a previous trip, but had rejected because I didn’t want to carry it around. And yet here I had a cart. So I loaded up the plant and went in to find the wire. I passed by another plant, because I really did want something more dramatic and faster growing for that spot in the front yard I freshened up. Hmm? I could move over what I had already planted, make a little “purple” patch, relocate the currant to that area and… Well you get the picture. I blame it on the woman who forced her cart on me.

Then recently I had my home computer rebuilt. It was seven years old and as slow as a turtle. Now I’m having issues with some of the programs, which is going to take time I don’t want to spend to figure them out. I brought it on myself, though, wanting my computer to run faster. I hate dealing with computer problems. Maybe I should buy more plants.

Gretchen Leigh is a stay-at-home mom who lives in Covington. You can read more of her writing on her website livingwithgleigh.com, on Facebook at “Living with Gleigh by Gretchen Leigh.”. Her column is available every week at maplevalleyreporter.com under the Life section.