Friday, February 17, 2006

Planting done...

It was really nice being outside all day. The weather was cloudy and a bit cool, but it was still quite pleasant.


My soil is clay - gumbo - horrible. No wonder the poor flags won't grow. My shoes and the shovel would collect so much of that sticky clay on them that the only way to get it off would be to stop and scrape it off. When the weather is hot and dry, this stuff is rock hard. Well, anyway, I picked my spot and dug out the top layer of grass and dirt. I already had some concrete border pieces; so I lined the bed with that. I debated on how big I wanted it, but since it was pretty hard to do, I opted for just big enough for my flags, and later on I can expand it if I decide to. I had to stop and go to M&D to buy some potting soil to fill up the bed, and while I was there asked the lady (she knows everything about planting) about something to plant seeds and she showed me a tray that even had a clear plastic top - a mini greenhouse I think it's called. So, I bought it, and it was big enough for all my seeds, not counting the sweetpeas. She also showed me some little cups to plant seeds in, and she said when they've grown to the point you're ready to put them in the ground, then you plant the cups, too. So, that's what I put the sweetpeas in. If all these flowers grow, I'll put 'em in a basket and stand on the side of the road and sell 'em.
Anyway, a funny thing happened. When I got back home I got the wheelbarrow to carry the four 40-pound bags of potting soil around back. It was too heavy; so I dropped one of the bags in the front yard and didn't go back for it till I was done as I didn't need it. When I finally did go back, there was the bag, split open on the ground, empty, apparently chewed, ragged, and only a little soil in the grass. I scooped up what was there and it only enough to fill a hanging basket - hardly 40 pounds worth of dirt! So, what happened to the freaking dirt! From the looks of the bag, I figured a dog in the neighborhood got to it, but if that were the case, then why wasn't there a whole long tell-tale trail of dirt left as it was drug off. Just too strange! Well, it was only about $2.50 - and I didn't need it today, but still, it's a mystery!

Looking at my new flower bed, you're probably laughing because it's so little - but it seemed like a lot of work to me. I'm not sure what I'm supposed to do with the half dead leaves - cut them off, trim off the dead-ends?

What happened is our weather has been so inconsistent, the things were growing, then we got a freeze again that got the new growth. Even the banana trees had new shoots on them, and they froze, too. So, I even trimmed them again today. Speaking of which, nobody has picked up my trash pile yet. I'll have to call and find out if they ever will or if I'll have to bag all that junk.

This morning when I checked my mail, fotopic sent me a message that my account was reinstated. I put an edit footnote on yesterday's post, but I'll repeat it here. Anyway, the site looks just like I left it and all the urls are the same. So, to the viewer, there's no difference at all.

The job that TC went to take yesterday afternoon wound up canceling, so it looks like I'll be off now till at least Tuesday -- hoping that she will have a job Monday. What I'll do with myself over the weekend I have no idea. Maybe I'll muster up the courage to start my booth. If I do, you'll be about the first to know, I guess.

So, for now, it's time to find dinner and hopefully a movie.

PS at 7:46 After checking my Yahoo Home Page that has the TV schedule on it, I've decided to watch The Man with One Red Shoe (1985) with Tom Hanks and a bunch of other pretty good actors on MPLEX. I've probably seen it, but the good thing about a lousy memory is you can see movies over again and it doesn't spoil the ending.

2 Comments:

At 2/18/2006 10:51:00 AM , Blogger Lumoto said...

Small? Ah, I knew you would think so -- but it's big enough for my flags, and I can expand it when I get the inclination -- or energy!

 
At 2/20/2006 09:52:00 AM , Blogger Luz said...

I like the flower bed. Your little oasis of beauty.

 

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