Sunday, April 13, 2014

How does your garlic grow?

Well, my garlic is growing mighty fine. Especially since I don't know what garlic should look like while it grows. 

Yesterday, The Rock Star and The Firstborn Child were sent to play with cousins so Momma could do some home management. Gardening, laundry, napping, catching up on dvr'd shows, dishes, etc. - I felt rested and accomplished by the time they returned.

Anti-depressants and psychotherapy help the emotional weeds of my life. There are plenty and if I'm not careful, I get stuck in the muck and mire of it all. Weeding the garden is an endorphin rush for me (this was not the case as a teenager with Mom giving directives). I was a girl who loved to make mudpies and we had good sandy clay in Central Texas to keep me busy. It feels great to sit in a dirt mix that I created - that anyone can create - one half Miracle Gro Garden Soil, one quarter bagged compost, one quarter bagged top soil. Next year, I will buy that stuff in bulk instead of bag. And I'll have my own compost! 

Bugs in the garden - I'm still learning - this pest is more difficult to detect because they can be chameleons. At least weeds stand up to proclaim their presence. There is something that eats holes in my basil leaves, I haven't found it yet. I spread garden insect dust last week. I use Miracle Gro LiquaFeed once a week. Bugs are my next project. 

But the garden is growing very nicely. Foliage is getting larger, heights are being increased, buds appear. Life is good. 





Thursday, April 3, 2014

Name calling

I am Tescille. I was Tescille Cole for 31 years. I have been Tescille Riser for 11 years now. I am Babe, Momma, Cille, Mrs. Riser, Aunt Cille, a cook, a reader, a singer, a musician, an overchiever, a mentor.

Today, I was Farmer Riser. 

Choir directors spend so much time indoors that we create a world that is much like Seattle. Overcast, humid, drizzly, chilly, and seriously lacking in Vitamin D. The past three weeks, I have tried to get outdoors. I'm successful on the weekends. Every weekday, I've been trying to make it home before the sun sets so that I could work in my garden. Home before the sun sets......very rare in my line of work. 

I finally achieved it today. I got home at 5pm and had a couple hours of daylight remaining. I got my work clothes on and climbed in the garden. Ok, I swung a leg over the 24 inch tall fence we built to keep the dog out of the garden. That was money well spent. The Firstborn Child played with the dog while I worked - listening to endless chatter. 

First, I weeded the garden. Ummmm....this is SERIOUS psychotherapy. Better than any adult beverage. No shoes or gloves, just me working in the dirt. What an amazing feeling. Then I cultivated the soil with my Garden Weasel - the dog barks at this tool for some reason. I found some black ants, cultivated some Sevin Dust in that patch, then began planting onions and garlic. Afterwards, I felt like a million dollars. It felt good to get dirty again. 

Finally, compost. Oh, how I love compost. I researched composters online since I have no skills to build one. I found a $25 piece of heavy duty plastic called a GEOBIN - a composting system. A roll of plastic that takes less than 5 minutes to set up. I took the neighbors yard clippings (2 big bags worth) and dumped them in. Oh, how they stunk from sitting in those plastic bags for 5 days. Stinky, sweet, and moldy. Good compost. I've been adding kitchen scraps tonight. I'm going to let nature do the work from here. 

Growing stuff, making compost....Farmer Riser. It feels GOOD.