This is today's work. I think I was out there for about 3.5 hours, building the beds then spreading pine straw. It still looks a little like a junk pile because I'm afraid all the pine straw will blow away before it has a chance to settle in, become more compact. I also still need to put some inside the frames, temporarily, to help block the sun from the grass and weeds underneath until I can get a load of compost to fill 'em up with. I guess I could have managed it this afternoon, but why kill myself? This was hard enough for the old body. And....I found a nice little pile of black gold way back in the trees at the rear of the property.
Compost! My neighbor said he cut the grass and Miz Adair had him pile it all here for compost. It's kind of rooty and has some grubs in it, but it's black as can be and crumbly and just wonderful. I'm not sure enough of it to put large quantities in the beds, mostly because of the roots and the grubs, but I'm putting a small layer in each bed under the pine straw, and trust me, a 5-gallon can of this stuff is a haul from here to the garden area! I still don't have a wheelbarrow. So, I only managed one bed today. Tomorrow I'll finish all this up and it should look halfway decent. I also got a good start with my worm bin today -- it's almost ready for occupancy. Now, I just need to find some occupants. There are a few in the compost pile that'll probably end up in the bin.
Here's a little different view -- from the compost pile looking at the house. See how big this yard is? The property line runs from the left of where I'm standing here by a few feet. On the other side, you can see my car peeking from the right side of the house, and the line goes a few feet to the other side of the car and back. More or less. The back here is nice and shady, which makes it perfect for chickens, compost, garden shed and all kinds of uses other than growing things that require sunshine.
I solved my transportation problem this morning -- paid my neighbor $10 to pick up 10 bales of pine straw for me. He said he'd do it for 'a couple of bucks for gas', but it was well worth $10 to me and I know he needs the work right now.
I had a bit of a meltdown last night, and I'm not ashamed to admit it. All over $$, of course, and the way it's been flying out. I don't plan to spend much more once I get this garden bed finished, but I worried about every possibility -- emergencies of all kinds -- and basically got myself all in a dither and couldn't go to sleep for a long time. I ended up trying some of my Buddhist techniques for staying calm and accepting a situation. It'll all work out, I said. I told myself I'd worry about it tomorrow, because I sure couldn't do anything about it right then. Finally, I got up and swallowed a big mouthful of brandy, and that did the trick. Today, I got a check in the mail from my landlords in Brookings for $333, which is about three times what I thought it might be. Can you spell r-e-l-i-e-f? That's not a fortune, but it's certainly enough to make me feel much better -- keeps my reserve at a more comfortable level. As the folks around here would say, Thank you Jesus!
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