Back on Track

I am so thrilled it’s Friday. I have been having one heck of a week and the weekend looks like one of recreation and relaxation. Plus, the stress at work will be waylaid for a few days.

So far my plan of taking care of myself is working. I am writing more, reading more, getting more done around the house and playing with the puppies more. And I have been eating very well and back to exercising. My addiction to LOST is actually working in my favor as I use each episode as a reward for completing my listed daily tasks. As a seasoned procrastinator, I love to dance around what must be done and skip to the worrying phase when it nags at me. This has now given me quite a bit of chores to do to catch up and get back on track.
Last evening I played in the garden with my new grow boxes. I had to fill them with dirt and get my plants in place, though I need to get more PVC for the watering holes. I have two green and one purple box (I will get more with each paycheck) and am growing two types of tomatoes (little cherry ones and yellow plums), two kinds of peppers (one pepperocini and the other orange), and 8 different kinds of herbs (basil, lemon basil, Thai basil, curly parsley, flat leaf parsley, mint, rosemary, cilantro). Ronn came up with the design and constructed these three, but I think I can make the rest. I want to grow cucumbers, beans, squash and maybe even melons. I also have considered arugula and other lettuces so I can have a whole salad.
I love working in the garden and the fruits of my labor are much appreciated when they all get moving. I had a garden the first year I lived in the house and it was so much fun. I planted everything in the ground and though the back neighbor told me it wouldn’t work, it did. (It was a different neighbor, but with the same know-it-all sensibilities.) Then it all got out of hand, but with the new boxes and Ronn providing inspiration on farming, I am excited to frolic among the fruits and veg.

My father is a fabulous gardener, growing lots of trees, vines and earthbound species on his little plot of land. Retired, he has all day to make his special concoctions (all organic) and grow his lot of onions, tomatoes, herbs, oranges, grapes, figs, greens and such. I envy his diligence and green thumb. I may not have inherited my father’s prowess at working with plumbing, but maybe a touch of the gardener rubbed off.

Also working in the yard gives me a sense of accomplishment and pride. Afterward I had a perfect meal cooked just for me (it’s sometimes hard to cook for others since the critique can be brutal) of chicken, broccoli and couscous. All healthy and within points. I actually feel so much better being in control of my eating again and with my newly sprouting plants, I can feel even better.

Next on my list, plan the front yard and recruit volunteers to paint the house.