3 Steps to Gardening Success

Starting a project is sometimes a scary thing for me.  I am a perennial beginner of projects. I have a laundry list of things I've thought were amazing ideas, things I have spent considerable time, effort and money on, only to walk away from those projects. Sometimes it's because the scope has gone out of whack and the job seems too big. Sometimes it's simply because I've failed at the task. Other times, I decide that it no longer meets the needs of me and my family. I've become almost afraid to begin anything new, already asking myself "are you going to finish it this time or what?"

Planning this new garden has not been exempt from my project fear and self loathing. I had pep-talked myself, encouraging me to keep the scope of the garden simple, to start slowly and to build this up over several years. And then I sat down with the kids to see what kinds of vegetables they wanted to grow.  I took their suggestions for nearly an hour, discussing all manner of fruit and vegetable, which ones would be tasty, what might thrive in our yard. Where I had intended to have maybe 10 different vegetables, some strawberries and a cook's herb garden, I ended up with over 3 dozen fruits and vegetables plus herbs. And a greenhouse.

And then I got scared.

Scared of failing. Scared of falling off. Scared of losing interest. Scared of just about every darn thing.  Stupid, really, to get scared of gardening. Cultivating food has been going on for thousands of years.  Millions of people were successful at it even before Al Gore invented the interwebs and Pinterest for us to share the tribal knowledge. Although there is a manure-ton of arcane knowledge and best practices around gardening, growing food is really pretty basic, only three steps.

Step 1: Plant seed in soil.

Step 2: Add water and sunlight.

Step 3: Collect Profits.

Surely, I can do those three things, right?  I mean, NOT doing those three things GUARANTEES I will fail. But doing those three things gives me about a gazillion percent better chance of success than not doing any of those three things.  So I jumped in.

I wanted to order non-GMO, Organic seeds but was afraid of the expense. I was pleasantly surprised to learn that SeedsNow.com had 99 cent packs. I quickly assembled an order including some 29 varieties of seed and checked out, waiting for my future garden to arrive by mail.  In the meantime, I pulled out a copy of my survey and drew out a sketch of our yard and began planning what plants would go where.  I also happened to find a hand drawn map left by the previous owners of the house, that details the existing plants and trees.  I was very excited to confirm a large thicket of lilac bushes!

Once the seeds arrived, I waited for the weekend to arrive so I could make a trip to the Home Depot to purchase soil and a seed starting tray.  I also decided to purchase a small greenhouse to move my seedlings to for hardening and maybe to try my hand at some cooler weather fare like spinach and lettuce.

I prepared the seed starting tray by adding water to the fat, squat pellets, marveling as they grew like Shrinky Dinks on my kitchen table. I drew gridlines on a piece of notebook paper, making 72 cells for the 72 cells in the tray, carefully noting which seed was being placed in which cell.  I also made another 72 cell table in which I noted how many days after sowing it took the seeds to sprout.

And then I waited.  But not that long.  It took 24 hours for some of the first seeds to sprout, those of a blue kale that I intend to sauté with garlic and power up my juices with. Each day, I dutifully noted the spouters and mourned the dormants. The longest to sprout were the asparagus, not surprising.

I don't know if this garden will be a wildly successful victory garden that feeds my whole neighborhood or if I will merely be lucky to harvest a single tomato.  What I do know is that just the very act of beginning will ensure a much higher rate of success than not beginning would yield.

Making Changes

I have been absent for a few weeks. A lot has happened.  

I quit smoking over three weeks ago. I had been smoking (mostly) on and off for over 20 years and did it on a lark, because my husband sweetly and softly told me he would prefer I didn't smoke.

I began juicing. I'm not fasting, but I am enjoying some incredible effects.

I lost my gallbladder. I can eat spicy foods and drink coffee again, hallelujah!

I am getting organized for the first time in years. I have filled a brand new file box and created a family chore board.

I registered the eldest child for high school, all honors. I also had the most incredible time doing it with her and will remember it forever.

I am (still) ridiculously happy. If you haven't known me a long time, this might not carry the same weight, but those who do know that this statement is a mother-loving miracle.

I feel like I am on a mission or like somehow, everything is just falling into place some more, settling more deeply into the reality that was there, just under the surface. I am so excited for where we are now and where we are going.

The Next Level

I had this wonderful teacher in high school who had two last names. (A last name as a first name and a last name as a last name, for the uninitiated) I've tried to think of a great moniker for him but I can't. He's just Anderson.

Anderson taught me to love jazz and blues, taught me to sing into a microphone. He taught me to own a stage, and to look like I was having a good time doing it. He taught me to always be prepared ("You gotta get to the gig!") and responsible for myself. He called us all "Doctor."

It's been many years since I was in high school and yet Anderson remains a wonderful friend, a touch stone. I call him every few years, we go to lunch, I tell him my news, he tells me his, and then inevitably, he ends up saying to me "Doctor, you're now onto the next level." It has been his way to tell me I was making progress, that I had passed an invisible milestone, that I had gotten to the gig.

Only this time it was different. This time, I was giving a different kind of news, news of hope and growth and change and love and peace and just plain being happy in the face of struggle and challenge and busy-ness. Although all of my news was not good news, even my bad news was being shared through rosy tinted shades of optimism.

Anderson was impressed. He didn't tell me I was onto the next level, though.  This time he said something that blew my mind. This time he told me his work was done. He said it had been the first time in 20 years that he hadn't had to try to bring me to a positive place, to see my own value and to feel confident in making some noise. I was already there, already cheering myself on, already leaning into the downbeat, anticipating the changes rather than dreading them. These had been the true lessons he had wanted to teach me and here I had learned them.

He said his work was done. I said he was onto the next level.

And Then, BAM! Life Gives You a Smackdown

Last week, Thursday night, I was doing everything in my power to try to force myself into going for my 3rd day of C25k. I want to do roller derby this year and I need to get in shape. I got dressed, added power songs to my playlist and laced up my shoes. I just didn't feel right. It started to rain and I used it as the reason I wasn't going. I went to bed at 9:00.

I woke at 12:30, noting angrily that Mr. T had fallen asleep on the couch. I went and got him, annoyed that every light was on in the house. I crawled back in bed next to him and realized I wasn't angry, I was in terrible pain. Excruciating pain that Alleve and changing position would not relieve. Pain that had me wake him at 2:00 am in tears and ask to be taken to the ER.

Several hours later, I was given a diagnosis of gallbladder attack due to gall stones. And the lady doctor who delivers the news, a really sassy lady who reminded me of that one neighbor on 227, she tells me I can't eat anything "that tastes good." No spice. No fat. No coffee. That is, until I have surgery to have the blasted thing removed. A terrible way to live, especially the coffee!

This is a good thing. It explains a lot of how I have been feeling for the past year or so. It can be treated and I will be fine. I know this could be a lot worse.

I can't help but hate the feeling of being sidelined from things I want to do, though.

Gadget-zooks! Too many devices, too much of the time

We struggle with this as a family so much. I find myself referee and litigant in more device and console related arguments than I care to admit. It is maddening for me and Mr. T and it's no doubt detrimental for our kids.

I work with corporate customers to help them understand how to image, deploy and manage their devices and yet I struggle with setting and managing time limits and dealing with the pushback of multiple kids when trying to enforce reasonable balance. It's just plain hard. We have been plugging away, devising a plan that works for us. I've also been working on applying my technical knowledge to craft a homegrown solution for us which I will share when complete. Nothing wrong in fighting fire with fire.

One thing we have found vital is providing the equipment of fun. We received a most wonderful gift for Christmas of a field hockey (foosball) table. That table, with a nice fire roaring in the fireplace, some hot wassail in the decanter and fresh popcorn, are all a perfect recipe for an exciting, analog evening with the kids. Everyone loves to watch the heated games and partake in the smack talk. Mr. T has accused me of being a braggart but he's just jealous because I have yet to be beat!

Here's a great article about kids and setting limits on technology use.

http://www.citizen-times.com/viewart/20130102/LIVING/301020012/Kids-technology-How-much-too-much-

Planning a Garden For Shangri La House

My old container gardens with broccoli, 2009

I had to lose a lot of my previous life in order to find this place I am in now. One of the more painful things to me was losing the home at which I had created a raised box garden. I was so very proud of the fact that I had salvaged the wood from someone's trash pile, hauling it to the house in a tiny car stacked to the roof. It was lovely. I have missed it and really, I have missed gardening.

It wasn't really possible for me to garden until now. I know it is possible to garden in rental properties but really, I just didn't want to expend the time investment until I was somewhere to stay. This past summer, we found our forever home, bought it and we are now settled into our future.  It's a lovely home, with plenty of space for our large family and a large backyard that abuts to a beautiful park with a playground, ball field and .4 mile track.  It is truly our Shangri La.

Although it is January and the sky intermittently spits out snow and my breath makes clouds in the air when I go outside, I am already thinking about my first garden here at Shangri La House. Since I've been out of the game for a while, I reached out to my friends at Sow and So for some guidance and inspiration. I'm going to be documenting the process and hopefully my family will be eating some delicious, homegrown fruits and vegetables this season.

Before that ground thaws and I can get my hands dirty, there are a few things I can do to get ready.  The first was setting up my compost heap. My first heaps were made with chicken wire and fence posts and they worked quite well.  This time, though, I will be using the Presto Geobin.  It's a simple and customizable design that is inexpensive and reasonably attractive and it seemed to be the perfect way for me to begin composting here. 

Setup was relatively easy but I would recommend having a second person to assist as the bin is quite unwieldy when you first uncoil it. I opted for a 3 foot diameter this time, securing the sidewalls with the included plastic nuts, washers and bolts. Next was threading the four poles through the walls, which had me cursing at first, but by the fourth pole I was able to do it with ease.

Last was selecting the right spot in the yard and tapping the support poles into the ground. I chose a spot that is next to the fence and will be partially shrouded by the foliage of the bushes when spring hits. I put a bed of leaves, crumpled newspaper and shredded cardboard in the bottom and will begin collecting kitchen scraps today.  I can't wait to get a nice, steamy compost going!  

The Road to Roller Derby Begins With C25K Day One (Could also be titled "Ow! Ow! Ow!")

Although I don't believe in making New Year's Resolutions, I do believe in striking when fancy hits. Recently, I decided I needed to seek out some new experiences and get healthier. I decided to do roller derby. No, I am not a particularly good skater. No, I have never done it before. I've never even been to see it.  But the women I know who have been involved are the most vivacious, wonderful, supportive, incredible women I know and I am drawn to them.  I want to be one of them, a woman who really grabs life by the balls and lives the crap out of it.

But. (I never allow the kids to give me a "but.")

I'm not ready yet.

I've done some homework and it seems there are a few roller derby clubs near me, which is the first requirement. It also seems that those clubs are tryout clubs, which would require a certain level of fitness and skill on my part before I could even think of it.  I checked out the Fresh Meat File over at RollerGirl.ca and it seemed like the best place for me to start was to build some strength and endurance.  Enter C25K.

C25K is a running program that has been around for years.  C25K (Couch To 5K) is designed to take a person from couch potato status to being able to complete a 5K in 8 weeks.  It's done by starting slowly and ramping up as the runner becomes stronger.  Day One consists of a 5 minute brisk walking warmup and then alternating running and walking on 60 second/90 second ratios for 20 minutes, finishing with 5 minutes of brisk walking for a cool down.

There's a bunch of cool app's out there to aid the would-be runner in their C25K endeavors.  I used C25K Free for my first venture onto the track. It worked well, allowing me to use an iTunes playlist from within the app, alerting me when to run and walk. My phone battery died in the last 5 minutes of the workout but by then I was on the cool down walk.

The road to roller derby begins here.