I think I’ve managed to get everyone pissed at me for entirely different reasons!

1. Avdi might be pissed because yesterday I got distracted gardening when I should have been sorting out the shopping list, putting in an order, and picking it up.  I tried to make up for it today by doing more housework.
2. Y is pissed at me because I wouldn’t take him straight from school to someplace to watch friends horseback riding without getting permission first, and when I asked where is it, he was all ” Why do grownups always ask for directions?  You have a phone!!”  Also, I did have other things to do for Avdi.
3. E was pissed at me because I asked if he was all prepared for the chicken project with equipment, site prepared properly, and lots of money.  (From what I’ve seen, he isn’t, but what do I know?)  He wants me to drive him to pick up chicks on Saturday.  He said, “You don’t trust me??”  (Later he bought some equipment I had suggested he might need for chicks.)
4. K is more tolerant, but I could tell he wanted me to make a special trip to get more tortilla chips for the nachos he wasn’t, and then was, going to make (on my suggestion) instead of the more elaborate meal he wasn’t prepared to make, so I anticipated by saying I wouldn’t be doing that.  So he asked A to get some on his way home.
5. I’m pissed at me because a job Avdi gave me, selling some used items on Marketplace, isn’t coming together easily for me.  I took the photos, gathered the info, tried to estimate the prices based on eBay, which was not straightforward, then couldn’t figure out the simplest task of adding the G-photos to the listing.  I get so frustrated with the simplest tech.

Avdi is probably more pissed at me for bothering him with all these dilemmas while he was trying to work remotely.  That makes all of us pissed at me for failing to navigate the challenges of dealing with 21st century mishegoss.

Somewhere in there I did manage to do a garden thing: I constructed a mockup of a trellis idea for the new front garden area.

Apparently people aren’t pissed at me after all?  I’m so confused.

K made great nachos, and then made great chicken kebabs.  In between courses, I took the kids’ friend S home, and came in to meet his mother and English bulldog Henry.  We really hit it off, and seemed to have lots in common.  But when I returned to A’s, E told me that was a façade, the mother is usually emotionally abusive to S when others aren’t around.  I guess I still take people at face value and don’t pick up on the undercurrents.  I’m hoping the visit will maybe have a beneficial effect on that dynamic.

I created a whole new garden bed up front in about an hour or so.  It’s adjacent to the little garden with the arch, with the front walk in between.

I layered cardboard, sticks, leaves, and compost soil from the open pile, and watered it in.  It has the cedar in the middle, and the mini-rose on the corner, so far.  Instant garden!  Eventually I want to screen the open side with plants or a trellis with vines, so it will be a private space when you enter.  I’ll add more organic material as able, and plants.

It was amusing to watch each kid walk right by it and not even notice it.  It’s partially hidden by a big bush.  Finally I showed it to Y, who was somewhat interested.

It’s primetime spring now, and I’m binging on beauty and planting things.  I have to make myself take a break to come inside and do housework.  Sometimes the kitchen is such a disaster area that I have to stay clear of it altogether.

Things I did yesterday: dig up some comfrey plants that were taking over the herb garden to give a local gardener; rescue a dying columbine; thin out some ruellia that was overtaking some poppies; have the former owners (Boshart) who designed the whole garden over to take a look around and talk shop; and (don’t judge me) finally mow the front hayfield.  I mowed the section I want to turn into a garden very short, so I can then layer it with cardboard and the rest.  The backyard is still uncut for now.  When my strawberry plants arrive, I’ll immediately plant them in the set-aside bed.

I’ve been starting to bring plants from my apartment to Avdi’s, and bringing some tropicals outside.  I’ve also been sharing rooted tropical cuttings and surplus plants with local gardeners.  For example, I’ve learned that comfrey will take over the world if you let it.

Similarly, the very large native cup plant (Silphium) has aggressively encroached upon the whole side from front to back, and will become a solid wall of tall yellow flowers and thick stalks, pushing out more passive plants.  Not sure what to do about that!

Another plant that went crazy this year is redbud, possibly due to the extreme weather changes.  There are tiny redbud seedlings everywhere.  If I do nothing, we’ll have a redbud forest soon!

Those tall plants in the middle of the veg garden?  Those are milkweed, which also popped up everywhere this spring.  I try to leave them in place, to attract their butterflies.

Y had some lupine and foxglove seeds to plant, so I sowed them on the other outer side of the veg garden, so that most of the strip surrounding it is now Y’s flower garden, mostly perennials.

Then I continued to plant veggies: assorted tomatoes, two kinds of zucchini, and four varieties of peppers.  At this point, most of the main veggies are sown, other than the remaining additional space-intensive ones like melons and pumpkins.  Many volunteers of last years’ have come up wherever I used compost.

The strawberry plants are arriving soon, so I weeded that whole area.  The p-pears seem to be surviving all my rough treatment, and the asparagus is a small tree.

I have an idea for the front little garden.  I want to expand it to the other side of the path to roughly the same dimensions as the existing side.  I would use the layered method of cardboard and organic materials to convert grass into a bed.  Yay, less lawn!

This week I plan to go ahead and mow for the first time this year.  The grass is like a hayfield.

E got A to reluctantly approve of his chickens scheme, as long as E does all the work.  So he’s been out there cleaning up the chicken areas.  Meanwhile, Y’s rats may have found a new home.

We had our weekly meeting, and the first of the season’s B&Bs has been scheduled for May 2!  A and E have been working on cleaning up the pool.

This post reads like a farmer’s almanac or prairie home companion!  What can ya do, apparently I’m a midwesterner on the edge of the plains now.  Ya got yer crops, hay, dog, livestock, until the next tornado blows it all to hell.

I gave E the “talk” about passing on the garden torch STS.  I apologized for being so territorial. He understood how it’s my one “thing”.  I gave him a whole pile of seeds to experiment with–flowers, herbs, and veggies.  He immediately got to work on the “secret garden”.  Later I found a covered flat started on a heat pad under lights downstairs.  I’m glad I can be an influence for good, and learn to let go.

It was such a gorgeous cool day, after storms last night.  I hoed the whole veg garden by hand, then planted four kinds of cucumbers.  Loucious played frisbee with E, K, and me.  Avdi went out for the evening with Allie, while I stay late or overnight.

My dreams continue to be disturbing.  I feel like I’m being faded out as I’m aging and dying, while others move on with their lives.  Like I’m becoming invisible and being shut out, so I need to shut down first.  But that’s a trap, and I won’t give in to it.  Even if I’m alone.  I know how to do alone.  I just escape to my dream real life, and be who people need me to be while I’m still around.

Allie has been in town, and we’ve all been shuttling kids back and forth, especially for E and K’s latest theatrical production, the musical Urinetown.  E played Mr. McQueen, and K did spot op.  Avdi, Allie, Y and two friends, and I attended the final night.  It was so well done!

I continue to be more impressed with these kids’ talents.  It’s appropriate that my first time seeing some of these plays has been at WGHS, directed by the infamous Mr. Schaefer (apparently no first name), not on/off Broadway, and it was more than adequate.  I hope some of these kids do go on to become professional actors.

Erev Shabbat was a quick improv, as we were all headed out early, so I made this fish stir-fry with jasmine rice.  I seem to have found the secret to growing happy cilantro!  Start it the fall before, in a sheltered place, and it explodes come spring.

E just asked if he can use some seeds to experiment in the “secret garden”, which is good.  After I got over my initial proprietorial reaction, I agreed to share some seeds (I’m getting better!).  He did ask first; Y is still getting over the remorse of not asking first, even after I happily planted all his plants in a specially prepared flower bed for him.  I realize I need to be passing the torch to them, especially since they’ve shown an interest.  It’s better to collaborate and let go.

Speaking of, time to go get myself back to the garden and pass along some seeds to the next emerging gardener.

I’ll cut to the chase.  I saw my first toad here, in the shade natives garden.  It sounds trivial, but it’s not. This is a good first sign of things going in the right direction.

On the way back from the dentist, I just happened to be going past VP and got some snap dragons for Y, who had expressed interest in them.  I planted them with Y’s flower seedlings on the outer side of the veg garden.  He seemed to like it.

My therapist has to routinely ask me if I want to commit suicide.  I used to think about it a lot, but now I want to live for however long I can.  How can I die while there’s so much beauty in this world, despite all the evil people trying to destroy it?  I’d like to live to see them be held accountable for all this injustice and pain.  I guess I’ll just have to stick around.  Sorry if you were waiting for me to give it up.

It rained today, and all gardens and gardeners are happy.  I ran an errand for Avdi, then had to stop by Value Plants, as it was right on the way!  I acquired another major plant on my wishlist, pink bleeding heart, and while I was at it, a yellow mini-rose.  The lady at checkout knows me and my garden creds now, so she gave me three free purple pansies!  Later on there will be all sorts of freebies.  So if you’re a plant nativist, this post is not for you, please disregard!  Sometimes I stray.

Then I happily planted things in the rain!  The bleeding heart went in the hosta garden, appropriately.  The pansies went into Y’s rock garden and one of the porch beds.  And the little rose initiated a project I’ve been planning for a while, a little rose garden for Y out front.  I began the digging process and mulched with leaves.  VP will get large roses soon, so I can add on to it.

I also took some coral honeysuckle cuttings and started a prop experiment for Angela next door.  I think this time I may get it right.

Since it was raining, I re-seeded the bare places in the lawn.  At least there is less lawn and more natives each year.

Irises have begun blooming!  It’s going to be Iris-O-Rama soon!

So I was sitting here on my laptop, with Loucious, when out the window across the street I saw our neighborhood herd of deer grazing!  There were at least three or four large does, happily munching away.  I’m sorry for the poor photo quality, as I was in a hurry to snap pics and my camera can’t seem to make out distance, just like me.  But you can get the idea.  It’s just as well Loucious couldn’t see them, or he may have started herding them!  Deer aren’t as overcrowded here as in MD, so it’s more of a novelty to see a herd practically in your front yard.

Today Avdi helped me set up the grocery list and order process on my laptop so it went more smoothly.  Then I picked up the order at Aldi.  I wasn’t stressed out like the first time.

It was like 90º out.  In April.  But I’ve hardened myself off along with the seedlings, so I’m fine with it.  It’s actually hotter in the house, since we’re cutting back on utilities a little.  But I do that at home, so I’m somewhat used to it.  I spritzed the plants, the dog, and myself.  He loves getting hosed!  I’m starting to bring some tropicals outside now.

Sunday evening charcuterie meeting was out of the ordinary.  After the usual business, Avdi presented a slide show summarizing concerns about the current financial state of the household and business, and laid out more ways we need to cut back, budget, and get on top of it.  There will be more on that later on.

Monday I ran errands for Avdi, and did garden work.  I planted the new raised bed with the “three sisters”: corn, beans, and pumpkins/winter squash.  Now we wait and see what comes of it!

I also planted more globe artichokes in the miscellaneous perennial flowering medicinal herb/veg bed, poppies in the prickly pear bed, and moved Y’s flower flats to their outer veg destination.  I was able to provide Avdi with a salad lunch featuring garden lettuce that wintered over.

Since we’ve had to put off our monthly “date” for weeks, Avdi suggested on the spur of the moment that we go grab a casual drink nearby.  Jess brought over pierogis for the kids.  We checked out Chilanguita Mexican Kitchen on Chippewa, and drank gorgeous margaritas on the windy patio.  Mine was made with fresh rose petals and had an actual rose on top!  Despite Avdi being exhausted and preoccupied, it was a nice way to unwind for a little while.

Back at the house, Avdi and Jess sat out on the patio, while I readjusted blinking light strings.  It was like a summer evening.