The peas and beans are in the ground, and the lettuce is looking healthy.
The seedlings that I started inside last month were apparently not longing for the sunshine as much I thought. I put them outside for a day in the bright sunshine and it looks as though I nuked about half of them. So I started another flat of seeds today.
(A second) miniature greenhouse and hooks for hanging vegetables: $36.20.
Red Riv
Last month, I saw a red Riviera going down the road in our neighborhood. Not a classic Riviera, but one of the not-yet-classic 1995-99 ones. What struck me was that it was fire engine red. I mentioned to my wife that most of the ones you see are white, black, or maybe silverish; I couldn’t remember ever seeing a red one before.
Then this weekend, as we were driving around, it seemed as though there was a red Buick on every corner! Centuries, Roadmasters, Park Avenues – I counted six red Buicks in a day and a half. I began to freak out. My wife said “The Lord is giving you a message.” “He’s certainly being obfuscatory about it,” I replied.
I bought and planted five little lettuce plants. So far, the big plastic owl and the aluminum pie plates seem to be doing the trick of keeping the critters away; we shall see.
Add to garden tab: $1.92.
So far this season: $200.49
A nice sunny spring day today and the city had their annual Kite Festival. Not a lot of wind, but I was able to get my horse kite and my big dragon up in the air. It was a popular event; lots of kids and some parents who don’t understand that three-year olds really can’t handle a dual control stunt kite.
Most of us had pretty basic kites, but there was this one dude who brought a special valise filled with those little square paper Indian kites like the kind you see in the movies. Except this fellow could really fly; he made those kids in the movies look like little kids. He was unbelievable fast with those little kites, darting them around my dragon – at times I thought for sure that he was going to slice off the tail of my kite, but he always darted it away just in the nick of time. At one point he got six of his kites on one string. That was a jaw-dropper; I commented that was the sort of thing that really separated the men from the boys!
I had to leave a little early, but there were between two and three dozen kites in the air, about a dozen on the ground, and three or four in the trees.
The first day according to the calendar on the wall, anyway. Partly sunny and in the 60s, not bad, but it will be at least another couple of weeks before it look really springy here, although our daffodils are in full bloom.
I’ve mulched the garden with corrugated cardboard boxes; not terribly attractive, but economical (I can get them at work for free), and surprisingly effective. Just cut a hole where you want the plant. Now I have (in containers) rosemary, thyme, and parsley out in the garden, and about a hundred onion sets in the ground.
Today I planted a buttercrunch lettuce and fear that I might just have well set up a neon sign and klieg lights announcing to all critters in the neighborhood that a mighty tasty treat has become available this evening (Is it just me, or do you just not see kleig light announcements like that anymore?).
Today’s garden tab: new water hose, $16.95, aforementioned buttercrunch plant and English thyme plant, $6.87.
We haven’t seen the big dark rabbit since last Thursday. So I suppose either
Once again time to start totalling up the cost of the garden. So far:
Tiller rental……..$26.55
Edging, seed starter, potting soil, parsley plant, new pair of gloves, fertilizer………….$69.10
Seeds, onion sets from Bunton’s..$35.50
More seeds and seedling pots….$11.83
Hanging planters…..$31.77
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The aforementioned rabbit was hanging around the house again today. It is clearly not a wild rabbit: it is too large and sleek, having a black pelt with a brindled streak; and it is too comfortable around people and houses. This rabbit is a former pet. So I expect he (or she) is used to good food (such as what I plan to grow in the garden) and a lot of it. It is a dark presence over my garden, foreboding doom for my tender sprouting plants before they have even seen the light of day.
I’ll place a “found rabbit” ad in the paper tomorrow.
Today, finally, the last of the snow melted away. The sun came out, and it was about sixty degrees. Time to till the garden. Thank God for tool rental. The gasoline tiller does in less than an hour what it would take me three weeks to do by hand. And since you only need a tiller once a year, being able to pick one up at the rental center down the street allows you to avoid maintenance, storage, etc, etc, etc. So I spent the afternoon spreading manure, tilling it in, resetting the edger blocks, and so forth.
Then, later that night, when I let the dog out to pee, she started barking at something in the darkness. I know it’s that giant rabbit with the bent ear. He was watching me the whole time I was working in the garden, and he’s just waiting, patiently waiting, for his chance at my lettuce. I know he’s out there. I can feel it.
