What a day

I went shopping this morning as planned. I picked up some peas and soybeans at the garden store. I went to the hardware store. The temp raised 10 degrees in an hour and humidity was ridiculous. I took a nap.

When I made it to the garden, there was no one there. I measured and built the top portion of the arbor-thing I've been working on for the big climbing veg. I thought I was being clever, but I had some problems. It sounds easy. In my head it sounded easy, but the uprights kept twisting out of true. A neighbor saw me struggling and came to help. Then another. Both speak English well, but they kept talking to each other in Chinese and I was kind of left out. She spoke the best English, but even standing next to her, she couldn't always hear me speak - double hearing aids.  It got a little ridiculous.  By this time, I'd been in the direct sun for a few hours in 85F+ temps. I was getting a little heat-stroke-y: shaky, nauseous, headache.

We were going three different directions for a while. More neighbors came out, so a peanut gallery ensued.  There was a constant chatter in Chinese about the next step in building, but it did not include me. The wind came up, I felt sick, and no one was listening to me. Eventually everything that was to be upright, resembled vertical. Stakes were planted and tied to the verticals. I just wanted to get on with my life,
BUT
first one, then another neighbor and another came by pointing and made comments in Chinese and English mixed together. Collectively, the nay-sayerss were that the arbor is to tall, "unequal" (crooked), leaning, and that I was a fool for trying to build it on a windy day (it wasn't windy when I started).

As I tried to explain, getting more and more pissed off, Mr Hu came into my garden plot, grabbed an upright and started to rock it to show me how the wind would blow it over (loosening the dirt and rocking the stakes.) He started arguing with another neighbor (in Chinese) about how bad or good the structure was. Occasionally, someone would shoot me a quick translation, then jump into the argument in Chinese. Eight people arguing in Chinese getting louder and louder, trying to talk over each other, not a soul paying any attention to me. Yelling, arguing, and gesturing. I don't speak Chinese in the slightest, but I know the words for yes, no, good, bad, tie, cut, measure, and of course, I recognized my own name.

I lost it.

Speaking basic English "You must stop pulling on that Hu. I know it is not straight. It is OK" turned  into  "You are making me angry! Listen to me! You are really pissing me off! Everyone! Stop talking! No more 'bad Jennifer, no Jennifer, bad Jennifer.' STOP. HU! Stop pulling on that! It's not finished! Stop pulling on it! Leave it!" Zhenfang was laughing at me. I don't think she got it. I pantomimed covering my mouth and pointed at Hu and then at anyone I could make eye contact with.

I was completely soaked in sweat. My head was throbbing. I was pissed. I'd added crossbars to keep the whole thing from torquing. Everything was good enough for me to leave it. I packed up, came inside, rehydrated, and fell asleep in the air conditioning.

Two hours later, I went outside. Hu was there. He told me he thought the arbor was OK. (I think they started to understand how frustrated I was after I left.) Everyone else from the afternoon building saga were gone. I intended to get the planting in, but I spent my time truing up the arbor. Then it was too dark to plant.

Zhenfang came out to water her garden then went home. She came outside again, told me to stop because the sky was black (night). I finished what I was doing (she helped) and put away my tools. She handed me a bottle of water and threw an arm over my shoulder.
"You're a good friend," I said. We came in together.

I peeled off the gross clothes to get in the shower, but there was a knock at the door. It had to be Zhenfang. She brought me food - sweet potato mash and rice steamed in banana leaves. I love her!

The shower commenced and I hung all the wet, gross stuff to dry out. Oversized t-shirt, comfy shorts. Cat asleep on my lap.

I booted my computer so I could share these deep, deep thoughts, but Norton Security didn't work. A very nice man online fixed it remotely (LOVE)

Now, here I am.

The wind picked up. Thunder. Little flashes. I might have sunburn on my face. Rain - it would have been perfect if I'd planted today. The TV is beeping and flashing tornado warnings. Well shit.

I'm going to bed with my dinner, my cat and a puzzle book.

so there

Ooo... it's 1:01a, so it's a new day.

so there

Holy gaint sunflower

Tedious as my scrutiny of my garden has been, I've been trying to figure out what is going on with two beds in the garden.  They are supposed to be soybeans, but they don't look right. I've been online for an hour trying to find a bean seedling picture that looks like what is in the garden, but I've had no luck. Nothing. They aren't beans, they are sunflowers.  When the first sunflowers I put in the ground sprouted so fast, I got excited and put them in a few other places. I didn't realize I'd planted so many.

I read up more on beans to try to figure out what happened. Since I put soybean seeds directly in the ground instead of starting them first and hardening them off, it seems as though the cool weather stunted them and may have killed them off all together. 

I'm going to get more seeds tomorrow. I'm torn between putting them right in the ground and babying them with a clear plastic cover for tenting and humidity, starting them indoors and moving them out, or just putting them in the ground.  It's supposed to be in the 86F tomorrow (after 42F a few nights ago) and if the ground warms up, it should be pretty good to get the seeds going. The temps are supposed to be over 55 at night and over 75 during the day all week.

The other bit of trauma is the reality that I'm going to have to pull up the sunflower seedlings. I didn't do a good job of researching the sunflowers I planted before I put them in the ground. I just picked a package and planted the seeds. Giant Russian sunflowers get ten feet tall (as pictured in an earlier post.) Neat, but the bulk of leaves the plant will need to get that tall are going to be too much for my little garden - too much shade for anything else to grow.

I have to be careful of the neighbor's garden too. Alexi put pepper plants right next to my sunflowers (mine were there first and he knew they were sunflowers) just over his side of the line. More excitement for later I guess.

Rainy storms tonight and maybe more in  the morning.  It's supposed to turn temps so fast tomorrow, severe weather (aka tornadoes) may hit Minnesota again. Last year, tornado-ish winds spun my green bean plants and pulled them out of the ground when they were over a foot tall.   Keep your toes crossed. I'd like things to stay where I put them.

Happy Memorial Day, all!

Love grows. Tell someone.

Sweet And Kind Of has really cute and fun stuff. This is my favorite card so far.

I like. I want. Gardenwatch Cam.

I know I can usually find something to love at ThinkGeek.com, but I wasn't sure about garden stuff. How dare I question it? My favorite, yet unrealistic, purchase would be the Gardenwatch Cam . It is programmed to take pictures and specified intervals and is nifty for making time lapse videos of the garden.

Our friends at ThinkGeek made their own time lapse video for demonstration purposes - snow where snow isn't really supposed to be.  See it here.

Perfect Timing [updated]

There isn't much to do in the garden until the volunteer plants are big enough to identify. I got squirrly and went to the Mpls. Farmer's Market and stopped by Pflam's booth. They had pickling cucumbers I was looking for. I also picked up two more pepper plants - these are early bearing. Pflaum's only had yellow beans so I searched elsewhere. I bought an "asparagus bean" seedling (aka Asian longbean).

When I got home, I planted the stuff just as it was beginning to rain. The thunder rolled in and I finished just in time. Now we've had a nice downfall. Rain for another day or two so I don't have to water anything.

I'm on the couch with my favorite blanket. Chilly but not cold - just right. Cozy.

[Update:]
The storm passed quickly and blue sky followed. I took a sun nap. The sun is setting with wispy high clouds showing gaudy orange, pink, purple and blue. I could go outside to work on my latest construction project, but I'm not gonna. xoxo

Katya Update - Three out of five.

Katya hasn't backed off. She's more pushy and nosy than ever.
It's as though our heartfelt conversation about her repeatedly insulting me has opened a door to intimacy that translates into her getting into my personal business even more.
Today I put a final stop to it. She didn't take it well.
She made it through denial, anger and bargaining. I don't think 'depression' is really going to happen because I think she's some shade of sociopath. Acceptance comes after that. Maybe not if she's a sociopath.
Until next time, America.

Un-cloched

The covers are off the plants from last night. I've brought in the containers that still have bottoms so I can cut them off (sunlight and ventilation). They'll go back to the garden to protect the little plants. They make a nice windbreak, keep the soil damp, and keep the plants warm. I've seen nearly everyone else use them, but I wasn't really clear about the purpose.

I found an article. Thank goodness Google can turn "plastic plant cover" into "cloche". Google "cloche" and french bells, hats, and plant covers turn up. I just happen to be watching a very old movie and I've just about decided I need to make a cloche hat for myself made from knitting I've fulled.

I've also started a mental plan to make the climbing frame sturdy. It's OK for peas and cucumbers, but the squash will tear it apart and pull it down from the weight.

It's supposed to rain most of the weekend so my chores are few as long as it stays warm enough.

It's 49 degrees

I covered/protected almost every plant before it got dark. I picked up some free plastic containers last week that work just right. maybe

Tornado Cleanup Day 3 [updated]

[UPDATE] Here's the 360 video:

I wasn't able to go help today. The plan for this morning was to tear up the deck in the backyard. At 5p, I went to check out the progress. It didn't look like M&M were home.I took another 360 video in the back yard to record the progress. The deck and mud room/porch is completely gone. All of the tree debris was gone.

I never saw this house before 2 days ago. In that time, the change has been stunning. I can't imagine what it's like for M&M seeing their house/yard/etc. wrecked less than 3 months after moving in. They were both handling it like champs when I saw them. We talked about all the great changes that would come because of the storm - new fence, yard, deck. New roof, windows, kitchen floor. The insurance appraiser came by today and though the adjuster agreed that some things were total write-offs, they were under-insured according to her blog, so I'm not sure where the balance sheet settles.

FEMA was in the area today evaluating the amount of damage to determine if there is enough damage to be considered a Federal disaster. So there may be some hope for money there. Also, a utility pole with a transformer fell on the garage and put a big hole on the roof ridge, so I hope for them the City or the utility company will cover that damage.

The blur of trying to make everything safe is over and I think the Big Wait is coming. I know we'll have a great time later this summer replanting the yard.

bed...must go to bed...

Torndao cleanup Day 2

I just got home from yard clean up followed by grocery shopping. I'm tired, hungry, and still chilled from the breeziness.

I have video and photos of it all, but I'm pretty tired right now. Everything has to be edited, tweeked, and resized and I'm not up for it right now. Until then...video from about 3pm 5/25/11

Front yard pile for pick up end of day 05/25/11

Tornado Teamwork!

M&M - Tornado squashed 'em [updated]

[ Update: M&M are looking for people with chainsaws, wood chipper, and/or willing bodies to help clean up. Also looking for someone who can do body work and replace door on the squashed car. Please let me know if you can lend a had or know someone who can do auto work.  Thanks]

My friends M&M decided to buy their first house earlier this year. They found a fantastic foreclosed property, got the loan to buy it and some extras to fix-er-up. Walls and ceilings were re-rocked. New appliances for the kitchen. They moved in the first week of March.

I haven't been to the new house so I don't know exactly where it is; M and I only talked about the location once before they moved in. I didn't realize they were in the danger zone.

The tornado got their house yesterday. One giant tree on the house. One giant tree on a car. The roof was cracked open a branch blew into the house through a wall. M runs her business out of the house. M couldn't get to work today - they stayed at his dad's house last night. M&M+cats are looking for a hotel or something. They are under-insured as I understand.

M took all of the pictures. He's a freelance photographer.

The walnut tree in the backyard.

Walnut tree - deck - house connection.

Roof on the back of the house after some rearranging and a tarp.

This is not the walnut tree. This is a loose branch that came in horizontally through the wall on the second floor.

M's car on the street in front of the house.

Please keep them kindly in your thoughts and 

in your prayers if you're into that kind of thing. 

Hug your people and your pets all the time.

I missed the tornado. It missed me.

The constant rumbling that I thought I heard when I was napping today wasn't my imagination. About 13 miles away, in North Minneapolis, 100+ homes are damaged, 30+ people are injured and one is dead from tornado winds.

"North Minneapolis", also known as "Near North" is not to be confused with "Northeast" Minneapolis, or "Camden," the furthest north. North Minneapolis has a prostitution, poverty, drugs and violent crimes in greater quantities than almost anywhere in the city.

More than 100 years ago, Washington Avenue was one of the only places Jews were "allowed" to live in anti-semetic Minneapolis. Folks moved to the western suburbs when they could, or to St. Paul, where Judaism was better tolerated. In the 1950's as transportation changed and interstates were built, more and more people moved to the suburbs for big houses and green lawns. White flight and aging homes brought real estate prices down. In the last 20 years, 'slum lords' bought apartment buildings and the big, turn-of-the-century homes, renting places on the cheap, but failing to keep the properties livable. People who had to, stayed. Businesses closed. The main shopping corridor dissolved. Dropping property tax values and the increase of absent landlords just continued to make things worse and crime has gone out of control.

The City has installed "ShotSpotter" to help the police determine where gunshots have been fired and get there before a 911 call. In the really bad areas, they've installed cameras. In 2009, an article was written that pointed out that the foreclosure crisis was actually helping North Minneapolis. As homes were foreclosed, the City and other organizations flattened and removed problem houses. Some buildings were rehabilitated, but not many could be saved due to their poor condition.  Driving through this part of town you can see big stretches of grass on city blocks with few houses. The worst areas have become quiet and green.

What remains, are homes people have been working hard to keep. Families that have lived North are trying to keep the infrastructure local. There has been a big effort to keep North High School open even though attendance and graduation rates are low and crime is still a daily problem.

[see also: Pastor suspected in shooting death of Minneapolis' North High staffer]

The tornado completely destroyed some people's homes. It struck late afternoon, but had been sunny and unexpected. Thankfully, the warning sirens saved a lot of people and they rode out the storm in their basements. The mayor ushered people from a rally to shelter when the sirens started. Some homes have roof damage and the floors below lost their ceilings or have other serious water damage - standing, but unlivable.  But not everyone was home and they had a terrible time getting back to see about their homes and their families.

Streets in the whole area are blocked by trees and fall out. According to the news, getting around this area is very dangerous even by foot. There is no electricity in the homes or for streetlights at night. There is debris scattered everywhere. There are also downed power lines and potential gas leaks.

The police department decided to impose a curfew for the neighborhood. Barriers prevent road traffic. Police have saturated the area. No one is allowed in from 9pm to 6am, and then they will only be allowed in if they can prove they live in the area.

It's not just the debris that make the streets dangerous. People's belongings are scattered everywhere and houses that may still be intact have broken windows letting the outside in. Looting and other violence are a major concern.

Renter of a single room. She was in the shower when the
tornado hit and had to borrow the clothes she's wearing.

 I don't condone looting, but I do understand it. Poverty is a big problem in this area. Desperate just got worse. It's near the end of the month, so cash can be low until the first and food stamp funds don't come in until the 7th. Many poor folk don't use banks, so the cash is kept at home. With no renter/car/health insurance, anything that's damaged is going to cost money to fix. If you rent a room or an apartment the landlord hasn't declared to the tax people as an apartment, their insurance (if they have any) will not help you. Bus routes will change, but how do you know where they are now? What about work clothes or school clothes? Will the place you live need to be closed for repair and you've got to live somewhere else? How far away are you willing to relocate? How many friends and family can sleep in your place while they wait things out? Fear? Anger? What do you do with those? You'd be surprised at how much living poor in the city is like living in the jungle. If you've done it for any amount of time, you know that once you lose your resources, things get bad fast. Add others trying to get the same resources and you might have war.

Ambulances made their way in and centralized emergency care. The Red Cross brought in emergency response trucks. Police directed traffic, closed the dangerous roads and brought their ATVs and automatic weapons.

The people are generally safe from each other. The "stuff" is kind of safe. (Pray for no more rain). But the people may not be safe to survive. 

The community is going to have to pitch with clean up, food, housing and funds. I hope they will, but I'm worried they will be afraid to go into that neighborhood and be afraid of the people who live there. We don't love our poor the way we could.

Be brave together. Nurture hope.
Love each other. Help children feel safe. 
amen

Photos are from Startribune.com and MPR.org

Photo Credits: David Brewster, Kyndell Harkness, Jerry Holt, Marlin Levison, Tony Webster

What Character: Katya

Katya (aka Katie) has a garden plot at the far south end. She's very chatty, and spends a good amount of time in the garden. Since she's on the end, she's got to fence three sides of her plot. Her husband doesn't want a garden this year, but she went ahead anyway and he's not helping her.

Some of us have stepped in to help her out as much as we can, but her ambitions are high. Today is the first day she's accepted that she's going to have to stop planting and only keep what she can manage on her own. Her personality has drifted from humble, to needy, to emotional blackmail. She's been caught stealing things from other neighbors, claiming forgetfulness, then confiding to me she knew what she was doing all along. It turns out, she's the 'mean girl' of the garden.

Today I pointed out that she was insulting me (again). She responded with a spectrum of reasons why she was insulting, but eventually, she said she knew it bothered me. She promised she'd never do it again.

She's made me dread going to the garden. I think it will ease up now. We'll see.

Three inches of rain

Three inches of rain in two days is too much. Overnight, it rained. This morning, things were OK as I went to church, but when I came home, it rained so hard it was difficult to see. It must have been worse for the people heading in the other direction. At every bridge there were 5 or 6 cars pulled over, taking cover.

The wicked weather makes for wicked pain in my joints. I fell asleep when I got home, but I could hear the rain and a near continuous rumble go on for hours.

The rain stopped and I went to check on things. One of the trenches I dug between the beds had 3 inches of water in it and some of the little plants were flattened. The peas seedlings (bought and gifted), however, were standing up straight and were taking advantage of the full western sun. They've sent their curly climbers off and growing, so I hope they'll find the netting and take off. The peas I planted as seeds are above ground and clusters of leaves are ready to unfurl. I'm glad to see them.

At church, there is a room of giveaway stuff the turned up when the crannies were cleaned up. There was a box of 2 quart white, plastic containers, but no lids. I decided to bring the whole box home, use what I want, and give the rest to the neighbors. Other garden neighbors shelter their tomato and pepper plants with old plastic pots, milk jugs, pails, and other containers with the bottom cut out. The container is put over a plant and sunk partially.  The roots are undisturbed, and there is room for the plant to grow up through the hole. One man told me the containers make the plants grow tall instead of wide at ground level. One told me it's helpful to keep rain and/or wind from hurting the seedlings. I wonder if the shelter doesn't create a heat well around the plant.

I cut the bottoms and placed about 25 containers. I decided that every other plant would he covered and the in-between plants would get shelter and reflection from the containers on other plants. I focused on the tomato and pepper seedlings and one or two brussel sprouts. Since I don't actually understand why I'm doing this, I left big patches without containers and exposed to the elements - my control group (says the 6th grade science fair geek.) I asked the only other neighbor in the garden, and she told me they should come off in about a week.

When I planted the soybeans, I noticed that they'd surface after a couple of days (no sprouts) and the seeds would roll around in the wind. I'd make the holes a little deeper, put the seeds back into rows, and a few days later they'd be back at the surface rolling around.

Now that the soy beans are sprouted, I can see where they've landed. At least 10 had rolled into Anatoli's garden, across the plot line by about 5 inches. I dug them up and replanted them in my plot, but I was afraid someone might think I was taking Anatoli's plants, so I worked quickly.

I left the garden with a bit of chat. It's started to rain again, so I took some pictures of the land, and came in. The sky's blue again and is warming up the apartment. More progress for the plants tomorrow. Time for another nap.

God's Polaroids

I've been watching God take Polaroids for a couple of hours. Far off in the west.

The TV has been beeping and flashing with warnings of all kinds for near, but far away places.

Quickly, the thunder came close to mumble along with the lightning and now it is raining steady.

I bought a cat tree for Emma yesterday. It's next to the windows, so I opened them a crack to give her some outside air. It hasn't done much for me, but now that the air outside is musical and churning, it's stirring the air in the apartment a bit. Nature is coming in.

Things are really rumbling and the sky will crack open very soon. It's going to be a fabulous storm. The papparazi is here.

Calendars and clocks exist to measure time, but that signifies little because we all know that an hour can seem as eternity or pass in a flash, according to how we spend it. ~ Michael Ende

My cup runneth over

It was so foggy and rainy this morning, I didn't think I'd get any garden time. There was a peak of blue sky this afternoon, but before sunset, the clouds had rolled in and more rain is coming.

I decided to check on things before dark. Everything that was still in the soda bottle seed starters were completely soaked and many overflowed with water. According to the rain gauge, we got nearly 2 inches of rain last night - too much for my containers.

I planted everything from containers - tomatoes, brussel sprouts, peppers, and squash. In the ground, it looks like a lot of plants. Zhenfang brought me some sweet peas to fill in a gap where the seeds haven't sprouted. She's got a 20' fence with sprouted peas so far. *envy*

Everything already in the ground looks good. The carpet of weeds that are coming in are actually dill. They've grown just enough now to let the feather leaves loose. It grows wild here. Once it gets about 3 feet tall, it goes to seed. The seeds drop, and repeat several times per summer. Like last year, I'm sure we'll have continuous harvests of dill, so if you'd like some, just let me know.

The gals from Ukraine have collected what they call Russian dill seeds and they've offered to share them with me. They've told me that American dill doesn't smell the same. I've kept some seeds from last year, but I don't know what kind they are. I'll clarify the kind I've got when it comes up.

Leaving the garden tonight, I really don't have room for anything else in the garden. I have maybe 2' to keep my gardening tools and stuff. All is well.

Grow baby, grow!

Don't judge each day by the harvest you reap but by the seeds that you plant. ~Robert Louis Stevenson

Grown with love, acceptance, and freedom

It's like magic!

Seedlings in the garden (transplanted and still in the starters) are growing well all of a sudden, it's like magic. For a month, CP1 didn't make any progress, and some of the seedlings died.  Then *poof*! One week outside and they look like real plants.

CP1 April 18, 2011

CP1 April 29, 2011

CP1 May 19, 2011

Katie and Ayden's Garden

 

The plants and herbs that are planted in Katie and Ayden's garden are doing well.  Yesterday's big surprise is that the sunflowers have sprouted! 

These sunflowers are called Russian Mammoth sunflowers and are supposed to grow 10 feet tall, so I'm not sure I'll be able to get them in the picture in a few months.  This is what they look like all grown up>>>>>

I have rows of these planted at the front and back of my plot. I'm pretty excited.

No garden time today

Nothing to report.

Success!! The water well is done! (I think) [updated]

Since the whole lot of us share one garden hose, evening watering sessions can lead to lots of waiting for one's turn. It's nice time to chat with the neighbors, but no fun if you're in a hurry, or worse, you didn't water the day before and you're in a hurry.
To handle this, many keep really big containers of water in their garden plot so they can water when it's convenient and fill the bin when no one is around. The container of choice is a large garbage can. Like everything in our garden though, you must have a place to keep it. Not only in the garden, but over the winter.
Since my garden is short and wide this year instead of long and narrow, I thought I'd give it a try. I buried a collapsible recycling bin I bought at IKEA, lined it with black garbage bags, and filled it with water. It's about 8" above ground - not so high that it will block sunlight to anything important and settled enough that the softish sides won't fold, I can't knock it over (dumping all of the water) and no one can steal it. I've put 4 foot tall stakes around it so I have something to hold onto when I'm walking by  and won't fall in (I hope).
I hope the black bags will warm up the water and keep it water tight. It's got a lid so the city won't be upset about it being a mosquito breeding spot.
I watered tonight. The seedlings are so small, it's hard to tell what's there. Onion sets I put in are sprouting really well, but I don't think any of the seeds I've put in the ground have done anything. It's hard to tell since so many weeds are coming in. I have to wait until things get more leaves so I can tell them apart.

Katie and Ayden's Garden

The ground is really sandy and dry, so it's reflecting the light. This is the progress so far. More sun and more water will keep it going.

How long was I out there?

Last night, I didn't sleep well and woke up with a lot of disturbances. I got to bed around 5a, so getting up  only a few hours later was a bad sign for the day. I went to the garden straight away to take pictures. Then I did one little thing, and another, and just kept going. I stared to correct a failed project from a few days ago and couldn't stop.
When I walked in, the clock said 3:33p. I thought the clock was wrong and had to check the cable box and my computer. How the hell did that happen? I thought I'd gotten up around 10a.  Five hours in the garden? It couldn't be.
I had to grab my camera and check the time stamp on the pictures. 12:55p. So actually, I was only there for a couple of hours. *phew* I'm not losing my mind (or have been abducted by aliens causing the time loss).
 I slept until almost 1p! Yay! Much less to worry about.
So here are the pictures of Then Land.

There isn't much to see in my garden. Since the soil is very sandy, any rain or watering brings the sand to the top, it dries and turns to hard, grey, crust.  The seedletts are struggling a bit and still aren't more than an inch tall.  All of the plants I bought are doing famously. Climbers are definitely looking up, so I gave them some yarn to follow to the fence. Go peas! So no pictures of my spot now. I'll do some after watering so the little plants actually show.

Such a nice day!

Today's weather was so nice! Blue sky, puffy clouds, lots of sun and little wind. I was really tempted to go to the garden today, but I was too busy (mostly napping). I'm really excited to see it tomorrow. I watered with plant food the other day, we've had nice rain, and two days of nice sun. Nice weather for growing things, I'd say.
Pictures tomorrow I'm sure.

Fourth Day

I just woke up and it's the fourth day of pain. By now, I know it's fibromyalgia. I can't always tell right away.
I woke up with pain, nausea, and anxiety. Part of the anxiety is my body's natural reaction with a fight/flight reaction.  The other part of anxiety comes because I know I can't make it go away and I don't know how long it will last and I don't want to do anything that will make it worse.
I dread the commitments I've made for today. I'm supposed to tutor English this morning for two hours. My student and her husband asked me to help them switch their checking accounts from one bank to another this afternoon. I feel bad about cancelling.
I was at the garden yesterday. I had woken from a nap and felt really good. I needed to water since the plants are so little and the seeds haven't breached ground yet. It was sunny so I thought I'd get too warm, but it was really windy.
It's sunny again today, but it was supposed to be 38F last night, so it's not going to warm up until this afternoon. I'm going to go cancel tutoring, take some Oxycontin, and vegetate.

Cold and windy again

I really do mean cold. It was in the 40's this morning when I talked to mom. The air is damp and windy. It's a tough change from the 80's we had earlier in the week. It's OK though, because the garden plants won't (probably) die unless there is a hard freeze or their stems are broken. I'm waiting. Waiting for the seeds to sprout, waiting for the weeds to appear. Waiting for something to do out there. It's easier to stay indoors when it is so cold outside, but this isn't going to last.

What Character: Valentina

Valentina is also my garden neighbor to the south. Alexi is her husband. She was not too thrilled about this picture being taken because it was cold and windy. She'd been outside for quite a while working on rows and rows of her little tiny sprouts, and trying to save her larger plants from the cold wind. I think she looks great. She's teaching me the Ukrainian names of the vegetables I'm growing. I love my neighbors!

Katie and Ayden's Garden

Katie and Ayden are my niece and nephew. They don't have a garden of their own, so I promised them that I would label two plants and post pictures so they could watch them grow. I decided to give them a whole row instead. This is the first of many pictures to come.

Aunt Jenni loves you!

P.S. To make the picture bigger, click on it.

Zucchini! I forgot the Zucchini!

It rained last night and might rain tonight, but I decided I would water the garden a little and check on the planted seeds. All was fine and good until someone mentioned how much they love zucchini and yellow squash. I totally forgot about them! I love them but apparently not enough to remember to start seeds. They are high maintenance when they are growing fast. Actually a pretty big pain. I'm going to plant more butternut instead. I don't have to harvest those until after the frost. Lazy fruit! Yay!

Growing Details May 10 Map

Facing East

Facing West

What Character: Alexi

Alexi is my next door garden neighbor to the south. He's from Ukraine, used to work in construction and is presently a Lutheran deacon. Alexi is the most fit and most fluent in English of the gardeners. Alexi is has tools, wood for walking paths, and stakes and miscellaneous bits to build with (ski poles, hockey sticks, etc) I love being his neighbor. He has 1.5 plots that he shares with his wife, Valentina.

I should just blog.

I've been tracking my garden and garden process in Facebook with photo albums and notes, but Facebook really isn't the right place.  I want links! I want tags! I want non-Facebookers to see too.
So,
I'm moving everything from FaceBook to this blog where I can ramble to my heart's content. Following are the older FaceBook posts.

The Land May 10

South end facing northwest

South end facing west

Middle end facing northwest

My plot is right in the middle

Middle facing southwest

North end facing southwest.

Cut Off

 OK, I'm pretty much cut off as far as garden spending goes. There is only a small square of unplanted space, and I still have 20-30 seedlings, some of which I'm sure won't survive. Since everything is pretty much done, I just have to wait and watch things grow whilst watering daily. The weather is coming along nicely, and I appreciate the rain. "They" haven't fixed the water spout, so we have no source of water on the outside of the building. We're all making laps in the front door, water from the craft room, out through the back door to garden, and repeat. It smells like rain tonight. Pictures to come.

A Big Day

Today was a big day as the garden has actually become a garden with plants and everything. The fact that I'm the first person to put plants in the ground has caused a certain amount of anxiety for myself and my neighbors. None of us are confident about the weather. I installed 24 plants from my favorite grower (Julie Pflaum) and some seedlings from the apartment. I'm hopeful.

The Land May 6

This is the shed where everyone shares all of their structure bits and tools over the winter. It's packed back to front, floor to ceiling.

 

My Plot