Thursday, March 11, 2010

Groundbreaking News!!!

Again, this morning, when I woke up at 6:30am, I was ITCHING to get out there and work on the garden. But Ryan was still snoring away. I didn't want to wake him because he almost NEVER sleeps in and I want him to stay healthy. BUT, I also didn't want him to wake up and find me gone and freak out, either. So, I just dozed and watched the news.

Then I saw that there were tornadoes down where my mom lives, so I called her to check on her. She was fine. While we were talking, Sam called me on the webcam, so I talked to both of them at the same time while Ryan ate his raisin bran. But, while I was talking to my mom about the Camry and gardening and all that, I was standing near the front windows and saw the most beautiful and HUGE red-headed woodpecker! I called Ryan over to see it. We even went outside on the deck because--and I didn't know this--they must travel in flocks. There were at least five of them out there all knocking on the trees. It was AWESOME and Ryan LOVED it. As my mom and I talked (telling Sam I'd talk to him later), beautiful birds kept popping up on the deck. What a great way to wake up!

After I dropped Ryan off at school, I was torn. Should I go straight home and start the tomatoes in the peat cups? Should I go to town and get a spade and start digging into the ground and get my freakin' Dream Garden going? Should I drop all of that since it looked like it was going to rain, and just go get the Camry? Should I at least go get my driver's license?

I went to town and got the spade. (I also found a cast-iron skillet at a GREAT price! AND I bought my rubber boots, but we'll talk about that another day... Maybe when I actually start to use them.) I came home and went directly to the garden.

When I started digging, I positioned these concrete border stones I had found in the yard, into three places--beginning, middle and end of the rows. Then, I just, well... I TORE in!

The first row, I worked right to left, crossways and though it was really fast, I ended up losing sight of the edge of the row and had a PILE of sod all along the row.

So, with the second row, I dug LENGTHWAYS until I got to the end, but still going crossways and not trying AS HARD to lift the sod, but rather just get it up enough so I can tear through it later with one of the forked cultivators.

By the time I got the second row done, it was already time to eat lunch (and my bellybutton hurt, LOL). So, I gave it a rest, but I went right back out after lunch and did a third one. Then, I went to get Ryan. And after I got him, I went right back out there and did another one (he started out helping me with his new tools, but, again, about half an hour later, he was more interested in playing with his airplane... I didn't take it personally).

At the end of row four, my whole body was screaming. My back, arms and neck were all tired. And my hands were riddled with blisters in spite of my LEATHER work gloves, LOL! It was VERY physical work, so I'm tired like I was last night, but it is so worth it. It's really starting to come along.

I do with I could have gotten more than just four rows done before it rains (supposed to happen tomorrow and all weekend) but I won't sneeze at what I've already gotten done.

So, then, after we came in, we milled about for a short time (he played while I surfed the net) and then finally took our peat cups out onto the deck in the light sprinkle and started our tomatoes.

I have my doctor's appointment (surgery follow-up), so I won't have much to report garden-wise, but MAYBE my post will be more interesting and colorful than the simple play-by-play. I'm sorry, but it's all I seem to be able to turn out before I PASS out!!!

Here are today's pix:

New spades:


Hoss spade!!!




Row ONE!!!


Two rows!!!



Water break!!! (I don't remember WHO gave me this Igloo drinking cooler, but DUDE, I was SO thanking them today when I was using it!)


Three rows (you can tell I started to simply CUT the sod instead of trying to lift it, since I'll go back over it with my cultivating fork...this will save the lives of MANY earthworms):


Four rows!!!!


Tools I didn't use today, LOL!


Out Front (we were going to start out maters Out Front, but it started to sprinkle so we put 'em on the deck so they'd be closer to the guest room--that's where we're germinating 'em). But I couldn't help but take some pix Out Front, real quick.









Starting the maters!!!!

Peat cups:


Organic starter mix:


Seeds:


Sidekick helping:





Dirty cups!


Watering:





Time will tell:




Oh yeah, forgot to say that before I started row number four, I had to move the big flat rock that was in the middle of the garden. Underneath it was two little salamanders. Ryan LOVED watching me relocate them. I don't know why that doesn't SOUND as exciting as it absolutely was. *scratches head* Guess I used all my mojo on the garden and now I'm just plum tuckered out. Sorry 'bout that.

Anyhoo, good night! Sweet dreams!!! Mine'll be about a certain Dream Garden... FILLED with bright red veggies and PERFECT tomatoes. LOL!

1 comment:

  1. You go so much accomplished on this day! I am so excited for you! Before my visit, I will bring my own gloves and I will bring tools so that we can get a lot done! I am a really good worker and very much a morning person. Coffee at 4am! Let's go!

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