It has been nearly impossible for me to sit at my desk and write. The weather has been luscious, and the yard is calling.

So, for the past couple of weeks, I squeezed in some time to get my hands dirty. And boy did it feel good. Well, the next day I was a bit sore, but getting in the yard is so cathartic for me.

My mind just slips into a state of ease and if, by chance, there is any anger hanging around, dropping a post hole digger in the soil helps release the angst.

As a child, I didn’t enjoy yard work like I do now. Mowing and raking the grass was not the way I wanted to spend my time. But now, I can’t wait to put on my garden gloves.

This year, like in years past, I loaded my buggy with herbs and bedding plants for my pots and I bought a few perennials for a couple of my flower beds.

I added in some colorful African daisies I picked up while visiting my son in Austin. I also couldn’t help myself from buying an orange tree. I don’t know what the odds are of it surviving here, but when I smelled the little white blooms I just had to add it to my summer collection.

And yes, I put it in a pot with the intention of bringing it inside when winter rolls around.

My son has also been bitten by the garden bug, and we were at one of his local nurseries for the better part of two hours.

My son and I, along with hubby, had fun browsing through all their plant material and we even enjoyed pondering over the soil amendment selections.

My son’s wife is not quite as enamored yet with the great outdoors of gardening; she prefers the more gentle plants that live inside.

Gardening is not for everyone, but for those of us who like it, this is the best time of year to get outside. While there have been a couple of humid days, they don’t compare to what lies ahead with the heat of summer.

Now that’s when I ask myself why I did all this planting.

But for now, I just can’t help myself, which means I will continue to labor as quickly as possible over my computer — taking a break every now and then to gaze out the window —  and pray that this lovely weather will last a little bit longer.

Terri Cowart Frazier writes features for The Vicksburg Post. She can be reached at terri.fazier@vicksburgpost.com.