Trying to Work Around Work

I've only got 4 more weeks or so left to work; my job only has me working 10 months out of the year. Which means in the summer I have 8 weeks or so off.

My problem is that, right now, I have more than two days' worth of work to do in the garden or at home! It can't all be fitted in. There is soo much to do... most folks don't understand that growing things organically means that you don't stick plants in the ground and dump bags of fertilizer; no, you have to work in the compost. You have to work at what you do. All of the eggshells and organic waste and ashes from the fire and sawdust from Mike's shop had melded into a huge pile; and the deeper I dug into it the blacker the earth was. That all went into the "small" vegetable garden; the garden where the usual truck stuff goes. All those eggshells and horse manure will add so many trace minerals into the soil!

The strawberries came this week , and the little strip along the driveway is where they will go. For that I worked in pitchforkfuls of horse manure and spoiled hay. I soaked the strawberries in my algoflash and water mixture, set them off to a good start. I got a yellow card in the mailbox yesterday, and I just KNOW that it is my blueberries, potato sets, and onion sets, but I can't get them til Monday - so I have to plant them once I get off work Monday. The fruit trees and gooseberries are on their way - I'm tracking them - they will probably be here Tuesday or Wednesday. They and the blueberries will go next to the driveway with the strawberries. And THEY will have to go in after I get off work too. Then the chickens are due next week; they will be inside for at least two weeks, but still. I still have one more row of juniper trees to put in on the hill.

I was so tired yesterday at sunset when I finally knocked off work. All I wanted to do was to take a shower - the horse poop and sweat simply did not make a combination I wanted to sleep in, no matter how tired I was. So I did, and went to bed. This morning I woke up, thinking of all of the things I had yet to do today - and then Mike whispered - "Get the Camera!" and I looked up and there were three of the prettiest little does, their winter fur coming off, standing at the pond in front.

Now I know that everyone around here says that the deer will eat everything, but I've rarely had a problem with it. I might here - the garden will be so much bigger, and I have no cat herd to keep them down. But still... They are soo pretty, and such a promise of food for the fall.

I simply can't wait til my time is my own and I have the time to do what I love to do, what I came here to do. It makes me crazy to be stuck inside on days when I have to answer the phones and get the billing done. All I want to do is get out and get sun and get to sweating and shoveling and digging. I need the money, of course - but I love the outdoors and what I can do in it!