Raised Beds Part 1 - Answer to the Quiz

Last Wednesday I posted a quiz. 

The correct answer was all of the above. 

I hadn't been feeling well for the first part of the week, so by the time Wednesday came around and my energy came back there were 10,000 projects calling my name.  As soon as I got home from school, I headed out to the garden.  The Woodsman joined me soon after and we built six raised beds.  They were constructed out of 1x8 cedar boards (8 feet on the long sides and four on the short ones).  We first screwed the corners together, placed them where we wanted them to be, pounded 2x2 posts into the corners and screwed the boards to the posts.  It took about 15 minutes per bed (I had everything pre-cut), and cost about $30. 
A note about the video:  This is my first attempt at posting a video.  It is just the first part of what we did, and it was taken by the Reading Girl.  Sorry if the quality is poor. Umm... and someone who knows me in real life obviously needs to teach me how to edit.            

After tucking the kiddos in bed, I walked out to shut the chickens in bed too.  I realized that it was a gorgeous evening, there was still some light and that I wanted to  HAD to plant something.  I decided that cukes and squash would be the easiest, as I was using some bagged soil to help form the hills.  The planting was going great until... ughh...I could no longer  read the seed packets.   Umm... was that zucchini I just planted?  No?   Maybe pattypan?  Ah, nuts!  I just planted the Laundry Fairy's mystery squash.  Bah...   

But I really, really, really wanted to finish.  What to do?  A flashlight?  No - too unwieldy.  Ask the Woodsman to come hold the light for me?  Nope - the Celtics were on - he'd think I was crazy anyhow!  Wake up one of the kids?  Nah... that really was crazy.  The kids?  Eureka!  I had a solution.  Farmer Dan got both kids light clips for their hats (Go here to see what I'm talking about.  They're dead useful.) to use when we're back packing and camping.  Ah... and The Reading Girl always put her light away in the closet.  Girl after my own heart.  I was set.

Armed with light, out to the garden I went.  I finished planting three full beds - all of the squash, cukes, gourds and even a hill of watermelon - in the total dark.  I think perhaps gardening is an illness.  Does anyone know?  I think I'm addicted.

The severely neglected deck flowers, dumped on the porch on Sunday, were staring at me accusingly.  They looked so forlorn and thirsty.  The only solution was to plant them.  This time I just used the porch light  - no head lamp necessary.  I planted to the rhythm of the June bugs hitting the screens.  Whirr... Thud!  Whirr... Thud!  I could almost hear their tiny brains shouting, "Let me at the light!"  I know the Woodsman though I was a complete nutter at this point.  I kept tromping down the stairs, past the T.V. and into the planting room to grab more dirt, another pot, more dirt, a hanging basket, etc. 

One of my personality traits, which is sometimes a blessing and sometimes a curse, is that when I think of something I want to do... I mean really, really want to do... then I almost always do it. I suppose some people call this being stubborn as a mule - I prefer to think of it as reliability.   Wednesday night was certainly a good example of my "reliability".  There are just some parts of you that will always be true - no matter how old you get - some of them even grow stronger! 

Aside - for a great poem about not being able to break out of your own mold - click here to read  James Hall's "Maybe Dats Your Pwoblem Too".  It's funny and so worth your time.  Scroll all the way to the bottom of the page and then be sure to read it out loud - like Elmer Fudd - preferably with an audience.  I'll wait right here.

So, after planting everything and cleaning up (leaving a mess in the kitchen is a suit I can't seem to "buin"either).  I realized that I had yet to send the Laundry Fairy a Mother's Day card.  So, off to Woman to Woman International to send a donation card.  Then, finally, to bed.  Oh, wait, a post to write first (Could writing also be an addiction?)    Sure, I was a bit tired the next day, but it was totally worth it.  I love, love, love crossing work off my to-do list, that's another suit I own, but I don't think I'll "buin" that one anytime soon!  How in the world would I ever get anything done?