Causerie

Lettuce Begin...

At work I'm responsible for three gardens.  Initially, my job description did not include tilling, planting, watering, weeding and the harvesting of vegetables and fruit, but you know how these things go. 

On Friday, I'm rolling up my sleeves, throwing on my hat and helping a group of "high-risk" youth get down and dirty in soil that will produce tomatoes, peppers and herbs for them and their families.  Out of the 15 kids who are to participate, only one is familiar with gardening and he has a broken hand.  This is funny to me in an ironic sort of way.

Meanwhile at home in my back yard garden, I've harvested enough lettuces to make a delicious, cruncy , beautifully green and organic salad.

 Believe me when I tell you that you haven't had a salad until you've pulled off those leaves yourself, washed them in cold water and then placed on a salad plate from your cabinet.

Ummmm.

 

 

 

 

Good Neighbors

When we moved in to the neighborhood, I was pregnant with Sir Richard. The guy across the street was single, childless and a member of loud, local band. Seemingly, his only responsibility was the care of two large Akita's that growled and barked ferociously as they stared out the front window during the day.

Over the years, he played hard, worked hard, and entertained his friends by hosting the most elaborate, and scariest Halloween party the block had ever seen. He mowed his front lawn on Sundays (when people were at Church or at least awake and reading the paper) and he never hesitated to converse with us about local politics, the prostitutes one block over, and whether or not Miracle Grow was a good choice for house plants. 

As time went by, we couldn't help but to notice the dark-haired girl in the hospital scrubs who began to spend more and more time at his house.  He started to smile more. And he lost a lot of weight. He also got a motorcycle.

They got married, the band broke up, and their first daughter was born.  A couple of years later, the second daughter was born. Only a few months ago, another baby girl was born and the "For Sale" sign went up.

One morning as we both were headed off to work, we stood in the middle of the street and talked. "You know," he shrugged apologetically, "the schools... the stuff we deal with here... my girls..."  I nodded. 

Today, they sat on the Zoysia grass that had crept over into their yard years ago, poised and smiled for one last photo in front of the house they once called their home.  They're happy even though they'll miss us terribly, she told me.  "It's bittersweet."  I nodded.  Then sighed.

The new neighbors will move in soon. A young couple, I've been told, with no children.

What I'm Doing

1)   Project Manager for the construction of a new playground for physically-challenged, as well as able- bodied children.  The first of its kind in our city's urban core.

2)   Watching and loving "Once Upon A Time"

3)   Planting (and harvesting) in my back yard garden lettuces, spinach and carrots

4)   Making arrangements for another business trip

5)   Trying to lose the six pounds I gained during my vacation

6)   Planning Miss P's high school graduation celebration. (!)

Going Home

Sleep

 

In gardening terms we call it "Putting the Garden to Bed."  It's at the end of the growing season when you cover your garden area with compost, mulch, and/or fertilizer and you let it "sleep" through the winter months.

I'm told that during this time of rest, things are happening beneath the surface that will either help or hurt your garden when you are ready for the next planting.  If weeds had been present during the summer and fall and had not been taken out by the root, they will return only stronger and more resiliant during your next growing season.

And if you have put down a good organic blanket of live matter (manure, leaves, compost, etc.) microbes and organisms and worms and all kinds of good things will work extra hard throughout those dark, cold months to create a soil mixture that'll feed your plants what they need, when they need it, so that they'll be able to make through the wind, the rain and the summer heat.

I'm an insomniac - have been for as long as I can remember - and while I've known how important it is to go to bed and go to sleep,  I've become much more aware of the need for a good night's rest as I've gotten older.  Lately, my mind has been demanding that good things need to happen beneath the surface as I sleep. My body is telling me that it can't take any more weeds.

So, from now on I'm going to try to be in bed by 10:00 p.m. (central standard time). Now, I might not be asleep, but least I'll be ready.

Down and Out

Still here...

Feels like I've been beaten with a baseball bat.  Runny nose, horrible cough, sore throat, chills.

I think I'm sick.

 

Vinyl

 An album.  By Sting.  Fifty-cents.

What a wonderful world.