Making My Garden Grow

That looks like a lot of work and we are just getting started.

In a previous post, I wrote about building a box for a raised bed and digging out all the weedy dirt. 





We made it 12x12 because my husband did not want to do any sawing. Actually, he didn't want to do the bed at all.  

Dottie Belle is sniffing the dirt for quality control.

So I am happy with what he will do; because I have never touched a skill saw and have enjoyed having 10 fingers.  After the box was made and the bad dirt eliminated, we bought 40 bags of dirt; actually 20 bags of cow manure and 20 bags of topsoil. 

 Don and I worked together emptying the bags.  I spread several layers of newspaper in hopes of discouraging any remaining weeds from sprouting, while Don spread the dirt. I think BS and Dottie Belle were going to turn those boxes into goat manure. We realized we would need at least 40 more.  So I went back to the store, while Don took a break. 

 After I had climbed up in the truck and unload 30 bags and spread them; I could not do 1 more bag.  I went in the house and told Don that I had spread 30 of the second load, could he please do the last ten?  He said, "That's impossible.  You did not just spread 30 bags by yourself."  Well, I was very proud of my stupid, stubborn self.  And he could not believe what he saw. So he was happy to do the last 10. But even 80 bags were not enough for a 12x12 bed. I understand that I could have figured this out mathematically ahead of time.  But I like for reality to descend upon me slowly.  To know how much work and money is involve ahead of time would likely stop the project altogether.  We did all of this on Saturday.

On Sunday, I decided that in order to reach the plants, I was going to have to divide this box into fourths.  I then brought the level of 1/4 of the bed up to the proper level.  In that quadrant I planted 18 broccoli plants, 24 Texas sweet red onions and in the middle sowed spinach seeds. You see I can't wait to plant something, so when I made the second trip to Lowe's for the dirt, I bought the broccoli and onions.

Broccoli on the outside, the onions, and spinach in the center.

Then I realized that I have to solve another problem.  











How to keep the goats, and even harder, the chickens out of my garden? Boy am I glad that I don't think of all these issues ahead of time. With previous gardens, I didn't own goats and the chickens stayed in the coop.  I was too afraid to let them roam around the yard. Now that they have tasted freedom, there will be no going back. They almost knock me over every morning to get out.

Oh look!  They made us a lovely dusting box.

So thinking quickly and using what I have on hand (I was way too dirty to go to any store) I put the cones I use to cage tomato plants and made a barrier to keep the critters out until I come up with something better.

Spinach sprouts after 9 days! Not ready for a salad.

Nine days later the spinach seeds have sprouted! 












I'm still working on a better solution for keeping the chickens out.  Hopefully, I will need the cones for tomatoes. Today Don stopped by Lowe's and bought 20 more bags of dirt. 

 So soon we really will be "dirt poor" if we keep this up.

Be A Perfect Person In Just Three Days

I used the book Be A Perfect Person in Just Three Days in my 4th grade classroom for several years.   After the Christmas break, I would show up with a stalk of broccoli hanging from yarn around my neck.  I told my class that I had found the most amazing book ever.  For my New Year's Resolution I was going to follow this book. That I was in the process of becoming a perfect person.  And today was my first day!  I would read the book to them to the point where one has to wear broccoli around their neck.  The author warns that you can not read beyond this point.  The next day, at least half the students in the class would show up with the stinky vegetable around their necks.  The rest of the school looked at us like we were crazy. But the author warns that you can not tell anyone why you are wearing the broccoli or it will not work. We worked on achieving perfection all week.  Needless to say no one was successful.  I took it as a lesson on overcoming failure. lol 

So this Thursday, my Welcome speech is inspired by this book.

My Welcome speech to be given at the Most Improved Students Award program hosted by the Caddo Federation of Teachers and Support Personnel

Good evening ladies and gentlemen,

 I was elected to represent the citizens of district 4 on the Caddo Parish School Board.  The School Board has 12 members, each representing a part of Caddo Parish.

I am so please to welcome all the students who are receiving the Perfect Student award for your individual schools.

Jackie (Moderator) interrupts:  These students are here for THE MOST IMPROVED STUDENT AWARD.  NOT PERFECT Students.

Oh thank goodness.  Now I don’t feel so out of place.  It was really stressing me out to talk to perfect people.  So these are the students who do better each day than they did the day before.  All of you have worked hard to be better today than you were yesterday, and you will be better tomorrow than you are today.

You are my kind of people.

I have been trying to follow this book I found, Be A Perfect Person in Just 3 Days  for years.

 The first day is not too difficult.  All you have to do is wear a stalk of broccoli around your neck for 24 hours.  Do you know how that would make a person perfect?  Well I can tell you that at the end of the day you smell bad.  I don’t believe perfect people smell bad. Anyway, when I followed this book to try to become a perfect person; I always make it through the 1^st day.  This book makes you wear broccoli because perfect people have courage.  I had to be a brave teacher to go to my 4^th grade class and teach all day with a silly stalk of stinky broccoli around my neck.

  I have never made it through the 3^rd day.  It’s just hard. And that’s all I’m going to tell you.  If you want to try to become perfect, you will just have to read this book.

But the author seems to know a lot about us non-perfect people. And I think he actually likes us.  I’ll read just the part I always have read, since I haven’t been successful yet at becoming a perfect person. See you read one page if you become a perfect person and different pages if you don’t make it.

            Read the following from the book Be A Perfect Person in Just Three Days.

                                                CONGRATULATIONS!

                                                YOU’RE NOT PERFECT!

It’s ridiculous to want to be perfect anyway.  But then, everybody is ridiculous sometimes, except perfect people.

You know what perfect is?  Perfect is not eating or drinking or talking or moving a muscle or making even the teensiest mistake.  Perfect is never doing anything wrong-which means never doing anything at all.  Perfect is boring!

So you’re not perfect!  Wonderful!  Have fun! Eat things that give you bad breath! Trip over your own shoelaces! Laugh! Let somebody else laugh at you!

Perfect people never do any of those things.  All they do is sit around and sip weak tea and think about how perfect they are.

Phooey!  Who needs them?

You can drink pickle juice and imitate gorillas and do silly dances and sing stupid songs and wear funny hats and be as imperfect as you please and still be a GOOD  person.  Good people are hard to find nowadays.  And they are a lot more fun than perfect people any day of the week.

So on behalf of the Caddo Parish School Board, I want to say we love our Most Improved Students. You are just who we want all our students to be.  Better today than you were yesterday.  And even better tomorrow that you are today.

                                                A Great Big Congratulations!!!