My Angel Garden

When I told my boss that I had broken my arm, she immediately said, "Garden." She knows me pretty well.

In January, I first heard the term "keyhole garden". By February, I had done some research and decided they are one of the best thought-out gardens I ever heard of. They are raised bed gardens, easy on the back and knees. You can build them to any height you want. You fill them with "junk" like cardboard, sticks, shredded newspaper, and compost. Top that off with a layer of topsoil and let it sit for a month or so to start the internal composting process. They have a central circle made out of anything permeable for watering and kitchen scraps. You waste nothing.

I had just arranged to get my cinder blocks when I fell in the shed getting stakes to mark out my circles and broke my left arm at the upper end of my humerus. This post is brought to you completely right-handed.

So I'm looking at weed tarp with two chalk circles and a pile of cinder blocks. I also had some old broken bricks for drainage and the trimmings from my neighbor's bushes. It looked like junk and there was nothing I could do about it. That was Saturday.

On Sunday, a strong friend came by and laid out my bricks in two circles. All I could do was watch.

On Monday, a friend from work came over and threw in all of the broken bricks and sticks.

For the rest of the week, this is what it looked like. I couldn't possibly go get the composted manure and topsoil that I needed to fill it and I knew I should have some more drainage rubble in the bottom.

On Saturday, angels - absolutely angels - brought a pickup truck load of everything I needed and laid it all into my gardens.

I was blessed beyond measure! 

On Sunday, another friend offered to wash my hair (which is difficult to do one-handed) and while we talked about the gardens, she said she could give my some good horse manure that had been sitting out all winter. Perfect!

So now I only have to wait a month or so for the weather to finish the work for me. I should be able to plant by the end of April or early in May.

I simply can't believe how this turned into such a community project! Thank God. He's the only one who could have put this all together so perfectly.

Thanks for visiting with me,

Kathi

Still Here

My generation was the first generation to grow up under the shadow of the atomic bomb.  We were all persuaded that we would be dead before we turned thirty.  Well, the world didn't blow up - although there were a couple of close calls (see Bay of Pigs).   

Then we were sure the world would come to an end in 2000.  Either Nostradamus would be correct and there was nothing after 2000, or Y2K would crash all of the computers.  That was supposed to include all government computers, satellites, car engines, personal computers, etc.  Banks would crash, trucks wouldn't be able to deliver food supplies, and probably the electric grid would collapse.

Neither of those things happened.  In fact, my generation has begun to retire after a long and full life.  Who'd a thunk it? 

My baby sister became a grandmother yesterday for the second time.  She now has one of each.  Here is one of the most beautiful pictures I have ever seen in my life.

Not only did the world not come to an end, not only have we - for the most part - survived, we still see wonderful things, miracles even, on a daily basis.  

Thanks for visiting with me.

Kathi