Papa Coyote has been looking at tomato plants because the snow is no more on Cornucopia (a triangular shaped peak in the Wallowas visible from Weiser). According to the earliest settlers here, when the snow leaves Cornucopia, it is then safe to plant the fields and gardens. S0, the Old, and I do mean feeling older, Coyote, plopped down $31.80 to rent a front-tined rototiller. This machine might better be described in the rent shop as a self-flagellating machine. After all, planting a garden is a rather spiritual experience. How can one get any closer to Mother Earth than getting right down there sitting in the dirt and sifting Mother Earth through one's fingers? (Hey, M and G, your Mom really was into the garden thing when she was your age.) After a thorough beating, I did get the soil well worked, raked out with the big four-foot-wide-baseball-diamond rake (the only way to go!), and a plan in mind where to plant what. I returned the rototiller (the shop attendant is still pondering how I got that machine unloaded by myself off the pickup Ha! He does not know I am Coyote!)
I asked him if Bill (the shop owner) included a $45 massage at Sandy's in the price of the rent. He thought I was being funny and laughed. Well, he did not know the state of my body at the moment. Funny!! I was dead serious.
So, I got off an order to Territorial Seed. My Lord, they do dearly hate to part with their seeds. I had to come up with one and one-half day's pay to convince them to give up those seeds! Now, for the best part of the plan which I began acting upon today until my lovely wife offered to take me to dinner at the new Japanese restuarant in Ontario--Ogawas. (It is pretty good). I have a roll of landscaping-weed-blocking fabric that comes in a four foot wide roll. I have a big roll. So, I am cutting it into 16 foot lengths (in two foot wide strips for between rows) and putting it down to cover the garden space. I have already started to put grass clippings over the fabric. I am hoping to seriously cut down on the amount of hoeing and weeding that has to be done this year.
The garden will have cucumbers, yellow summer squash, three types of tomatoes, two types of potatoes (red and blue), string beans, a winter squash, ambrosia melon, and corn. Also, ordered several packets of flower seeds to add a little color around the house. And oh, yes, more sunflowers. Got to love Territorial Seeds sunflowers. Even got one pack of the giant. Can you imagine sunflowers as tall as the garage? Wow, Papa Coyotehas got to see this.
Papa Coyote has to find a place to curl up and sleep. It is 11:22 and the day starts at 6:00 a.m. Yawn.
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2 comments:
Papa Coyote must listen to the wisdom of RasJane. "Early to Bed, Early to Rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise." Perhaps it stems from waking very early for very many seasons. RasJane collapses in a heap by 10pm.
M hand tilled his garden and wants to put in seeds right now too.
Good for M. I hope his garden grows well and the weeds get sick and die. Haha
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