Poverty Is Not an Accident

Poverty Is Not an Accident
Nelson Mandela

Wednesday, April 28, 2004

I knocked off early today

You are reading http://livinginthehood.blogspot.com

Well, half of the 25' square bed is weeded. ugh

I sewed some seed today: garlic, flowers, melons, fennel.

I have three huge piles of weeds drying in the yard. I'll compost them, once they reduce in size.

I'm watching Martha Stewart. I really like her. She just explained different types of chopsticks. Now, she's explaining differnt types of rice, their histories and uses. I think stuff like that is fascinating...now, they're showing how rice is grown.

Where else can a poor woman, with only a set of rabbit ears on her tv, learn stuff like this in the middle of the day?

I really like Martha. Damn shame...

I hung a shade tarp in front of my bedroom window, from the horse fence lattice I put up for gourd and morning glory vines to climb. The "tarp" is actually 2 shower curtains: a pea green, plastic one I found in the alley and, under that, an ivory, fabric one with a French looking design on the top and bottom. I put the plastic on the outside, to protect the inner one from sun burn. The plastic will direct water run off better, too. The light in my bedroom is muted, but cheerful and it's much cooler in here than it normally would be at this hour. This will save a fortune on air conditioning. My lawn furniture is all covered by it now. The morning sun can't fry my bedroom this summer.

I still have a lot to do out there, building beds, weeding, planting....

But I'm off to a very good start. I think I'll be done next week.

I've put in about fourteen hours, already. The cats and dog love helping me. Miss Thing helps pull weeds. I pull with one hand and put the weeds in the other, until I have a substantial bundle to throw out. The weeds are talll and boingy and she loves to attack the bundles and run away. It's not really helpful, of course, but it makes the task more entertaining, at least...

My poor belly really hurts from thsi menses. It's pretty bad.

So, rather than work myself sick, I stopped around ten this morning.

I have to remind myself: I can do a little every day. I don't have to do it all at once.

I need to terrace the big garden patch again, so water won't spill into the alley. It'll happen.

Actually, I'm surprised how quickly I'm getting stuff done, anyway.

I'm looking forward to fresh, home grown produce again.

And I love the intimacy of working at ground level in the garden. I can easily judge the health of the soil, potential problems, etc.

It's meditative. It's soothing.

And, apparantly, it's very unusual, any more, for a person to grow her own foods, without chemicals.

On "Bioneers" today, a man was discussing how we no longer have "relationship" with our foods. We don't know where they come from, how they lived, how they died, etc.

I'd have to agree with him that this "one night stand" relationship with our foods is dangerous and unhealthy.

So, my little revolution of nonGMO seeds may not mean much in the larger scheme of things, but it makes a difference to me. And the cats.

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