This will (hopefully) be short. I haven't packed yet, and I still have to finish my road trip playlist. As usual, there are many, many other things I should be doing besides blogging right now. Oh well.
Yesterday's Seattle Tilth plant sale was awesome. I made the mistake of smelling the herbs and came home with lavender, thyme, mint, and rosemary. I picked up arugula, spinach, strawberries, leeks, and spring onions as well. Next month's credit card bill is going to hurt, but the spring full of incredible salads will be worth it. I arrived at the sale at 8:45, and was still able to get in by 9. The next one is in May, and it will likely be busier -- tomatoes will be on sale then!
I moved the stuff I was growing in containers (onions, oregano, fava beans and peas) to the side yard next to my raised bed. Before I go, I need to put more Critter Ridder down. A (bastard) squirrel has discovered my garden, and thinks that it has nuts buried there. Since this is liberal Seattle, my friend's helpful suggestions of dynamite and Colt-45s won't fly -- there's a city ordinance banning cruelty to animals, and I'm pretty sure that dynamiting squirrels falls under the definition of "animal cruelty." So Critter Ridder it is. All it does is make them sneeze. I figure that, if it's sold at a Seattle hardware store, it has to be legal, right?
This morning, I helped some folks from my P-Patch move dirt around, even out plots, and plant the food bank plots. It was fun. It's really starting to look like a community garden, which is exciting. I put the strawberries in, and planted a row of kale, chard, lettuce, and purple bunching onions. Abby, one of the other gardeners, taught me that you have to dig a trench in order to grow leeks. Apparently, with leeks, the white part (the tasty part you eat) grows under the ground. So in order to get a long white part, you have to dig a trench first, and then slowly add soil back in. I dug a big hole at home, but I'm not sure if it is big enough. We will have to wait and see.
My tomato plants are growing quickly at home. My new roommate will be taking care of the garden while I am gone. I'm trying not to be nervous, but it does feel like I'm leaving my little green children in someone else's hands. He has gardened before, so these are good hands to leave my little greenies in. At last count, I have 23 healthy tomato starts. If each produces 100 tomatoes, I'm in big trouble -- that's 2300 tomatoes! I plan on giving some away to friends, and on planting a couple in the food bank plots. I need to save my money and buy a pressure canner -- that will definitely help ease the overload.
As I mentioned earlier, I am leaving on vacation tomorrow. I'm calling the trip Operation Phoenix because a) that's where I'm going, and b) the meaning of the word "phoenix" makes the title all the more poignant. In mythology, the phoenix is the "firebird." It lives for 500-1000 years before it is reduced to ashes by a fire -- and from those ashes, a new, young phoenix is born. Most of you read this on Facebook (at least the ones I know about), which means that most of you know that I went through a breakup a month ago. It was hard, it sucked, and I cried a hell of a lot. Life has taken its twists and turns since. At first, I felt a little bit lost, but now I'm actually starting to feel excited about all of life's new possibilities. I am once again starting to throw myself into life with passion, as is my habit. I am finding joy in places both familiar and unexpected.
I need this trip, still. I think it's going to help me feel grounded. I'm going with a good friend of mine. I get to see a number of wonderful friends I haven't seen in years. I predict that the next week will be filled with a lot of laughter -- the kind that I love, which leaves me out of breath with a sore belly. And I get to drive across the desert, windows down, Springsteen blasting, singing along to "Born to Run" at the top of my lungs. (Well, more like Dixie Chicks blasting, singing "The Long Way Around" at the top of my lungs.) I will stop on top of a butte somewhere and have a spontaneous dance party just for the hell of it. I will come back stronger, happier, having taken full possession of all of my joy.
Maybe it's no coincidence that I'm going to Phoenix. The trip is purportedly to go see the Mariners at Spring Training. But I know that the God I believe in has a wicked sense of humor, and a way of clubbing me over the head with a 2x4 until I get on the path I'm supposed to be on. (Hello Balkans!) I think that, like the firebird, I need to be renewed.
OK. This was longer than I thought. See you in a week!
Love,
Anna
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