First Day Gardening

Today is the first day of the new year, of the new decade.  It was a gloriously beautiful day here in South Carolina.

After spending time in the scriptures this morning I was touched by a verse:  "...will show unto you that the tender mercies of the Lord are over all those whom he hath chosen, because of their faith, to make them mighty even unto the power of deliverance."

When I was reading that I thought about the fact that there are a ton of things for which I need to be delivered such as laziness, procrastination, poor health habits, not the best housekeeping ethic, etc.  Of course, I have plenty of goodish things in my life but I took this scripture to heart, closed up the book and began writing things do on a Today list that could help me be delivered from those negative things at the beginning of this paragraph.

Before 10 AM I had moved a box of dried beans from beside the bed in the guest room where it was a quasi-bedside stand to its new home in the closet. In the living room we had a nice table/stand that I was not using so I took that upstairs to put beside the bed in the guest room. The banker's lamp on my desk moved in onto that table and now the guest room is more or less pimped out for company...except we do need to get a bureau which Dear One has decided on from Hobby Lobby, if you can believe it.  We will go up there some week soon.

So all was going swimmingly until Dear One asked if I had watched the family videos from this year. I had not seen them so he sent the link.  I went into our room, stretched out (since I had been buzzing around for two hours by then...), and began watching the first one. It was so wonderful. Daughter-in-law A is a fabulous videographer!  I can hardly wait to watch the other two movies!

Anyway,  by the time I got back to work (the Today things on the list I made this morning that were to take place in the kitchen only partly happened before I drifted off on the couch) I decided to do the garden work I have been pushing myself to do for a month but never did.

This big plastic clear (more or less) bin is what we used to store compost it. I moved much of it into the other bins this fall but the bucket filled up with water and was really in rather grim shape.  The biggest job I did today was to empty the big blue bin underneath the water/compost bin in the black pots you can see along the back wall.  There were a ton (almost literally!) of river rocks in the bottom of the big blue bucket which needed to be moved into the area underneath the big trash bin beside the house.  That carrying job required the help of Dear One who was happy to do it.

The herbs were moved from the bins where they were scrunched up together into their own individual pots. I think they are much happier now!

The lettuce and the kale are really happy right where they are!  We love fresh vegetables every day.  Not that we do eat them every day, but they are smiling at us volunteering to be our lunch.  So nice.

 The "bagged" lettuce is still going strong. I am so impressed with that particular method for planting lettuce.  It has really done well.

 This empty bucket is ready for new soil which we will get when the basil plants are ready to be put in.  I have heard they will be available late in February or March. I am looking forward to them!

The trash bin is now sitting on its new bed of river stones!  Dear One moved most of the pine straw down to the edge of the pond, a place where I am committed to preparing a spot for one or two zucchini plants and some tomato plants as soon as they show up. I hope they have Black Krim tomatoes, Brandywine tomatoes, and Amish Paste tomatoes ready as started plants.  

The Seed Savers Exchange catalog came the other day. I am really souped up about the heirloom plants...!  It will cost a fair amount to buy seeds for each of these plants.  I think we will need to figure a way to make a nursery for seed starting if we are going to do this....Not sure Dear One will be into that...!

Anyway, now it is nearly the end of the day.  After working the garden I decided I needed to work the kitchen so I grabbed the stroller and headed to Food Lion to get some oven cleaner to take care of a bad issue we had.  It was dark by the time I got back.  It was only 2.4 miles but I am pretty much done it. I think I will now go sit in front of the television to veg out, or possibly fall asleep!

Happy New Year to all!