Blisters, Buff Arms, and Bargains
Saturday was a great day. I needed a great day.
Jeremiah couldn’t come home this weekend, which sucked, but it also meant that I got to sleep in uninterrupted, which was very nice.
I had asked Rachel the night before if she wanted to go to the farm and garden with me and I was psyched when she excitedly agreed.
Rachel and I spent 3 hours in the glorious weather digging trenches to create raised beds for our garden plot. It was hard work, but it felt wonderful. We weren’t sure what we’d be working on so we didn’t bring any gloves, which led to a nice big blister on my right thumb, but the manual labor made me feel strong and capable, something I feel the opposite of quite often.
We were hoping to get most of our planting done yesterday, but it was rainy and COLD again, so the planting has again been delayed. Friends of my down south are already harvesting some crop for goodness’ sake!!! Can’t we at least get ours in the ground?
We are still figuring out what veggies are going to go in our plots. Here’s what I’ve got so far: Green and red peppers, jalapenos, acorn squash, summer squash, water melon (the little kind), cantaloupe, cucumbers, zucchini, peas, lettuce, and ???? So many choices, such a short growing season. Any suggestions?
Okay, so on the way home from gardening Rachel and I stopped at a multi-family garage sale and I found some incredible treasures including a brand new “Cars” comforter for Jeremiah, a beautiful wooden marble maze (which Gabe has not been able to put down), a Carrom game set (a childhood favorite), VHS copies of “The King and I” and Shirley Temple’s “Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farms”, some Christmas music, a cute outfit for a special little friend, a beautiful platter and ceramic hot pad thingy, and a playstation game. ALL FOR $21!!! YAY!!!!
Kaleb was very proud of “his little bargain shopper”. 
I am really loving garage sales this year, especially since I have purpose now in the things I am looking for. I love being able to look through the kid’s clothes and actually find things that will work for our little guy. It’s a joy that I didn’t know I was missing. Now, if I could just find a decent couch.
4 Comments
I’m going to live vicariously through you regarding the garden. Jealous!
I am living vicariously through someone else’s farm, so why not!
Your climate matches ours… the raised beds are an EXCELLENT idea, as it allows “warm” air to be on 3 sides, and allows for an excellent root zone and drainage. Except for your peas and lettuce, most of what you listed have tropical origins and require warm soil. Bring a thermometer with next time, and check the temp 4 inches down. If it hits 60 degrees, the plants will transplant well. An easy way to raise your soil temp and retain moisture is to cover the raised beds with clear plastic… black works almost as well and serves as a weed barrier. Just plant your transplants through the plastic. You did not list any root veggies (carrots, beets, potatoes etc.) but they should do well in your beds. Broccoli and cauliflower and cabbage also do well in the cool season we are having. Just some ideas…
We are planning carrots too…I forgot to list those. Potatoes and onions are in our “group” garden as well as the broccoli and cauliflower and cabbage.
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