25 May, 2013

It may not seem like much, but a lot of progress has been made on the homestead.  All of the posts are up and all of the posts are supported.  Even though I decided to press forward ahead of schedule and thereby snap the drill bit. 

Dutch Boy had been following after me and securing the braces to the posts after I drove in the braces with a mallet.  Most of them were done, but I was low on posts and braces, and after a quick trip to the beach with Dutch Boy and a subsequent trip to Ace Hardware.... I was ready to finish the rest.  Maybe a little to eager and ready. 

When pre-drilling a hole through a brace I stepped backwards to steady myself with my bad leg, and my knee crumpled.  Causing me to fall and torque the drill sideways snapping the bit in half.  OOPS! Thats what I get for being to pushy to keep moving forward. 

I had wanted to have the posts in before Super-Mom and Chef arrived, seeing as the posts are not only frustrating, but also confusing.  I had other plans at the start, but since the actual bedrock is about 4 inches below the soil in the lower portion of the garden, I couldn't sink the posts as deep.  After dig down as deep as possible, and back filling with heavy rocks and sand, the braces were still necessary.

While on the beach searching for more posts, Dutch Boy came up with the idea of a arched top over the entrance and found the perfect log.  After the ladies showed up,  he held it in place while I tied some sisal rope around the beams to secure it in place. Small Thing, Super Mom, and Chef gathered cut grass from the freshly mowed lawn, and tacked the deer fence into place.

Small Thing sat in the soil and labeled the plant markers as we spoke of irrational fears and crazy emotions.  It was warming to watch her plant the first two rows of onions and her very own pumpkin.  She may grow to love a garden, as I know I did as a kid.

Chef had brought over some lemon cucumbers, and a tomato as a donation to the garden, and we happily planted them in dedicated mounds in the middle terrace. The blueberry muffins however, ended up as a snack, thankfully free of dirt.

All that is left now is to:
*bring the industrial stapler by, properly tack up the deer fence,
*bury the bottom of the fence to rabbit proof - maybe double up? (get some hair clippings from the Power Puppy)
*add another yard of soil/compost
*plant the 'three sisters' area
*start the first batch of lettuce and salad greens
*plant the tomato/peppers 'trellis?
*plant all of the last goodies!!!
* oh.. and maybe tie some reflective tape to parts of the fence so things and people don't run into it.