Moving right along....

Things are coming along, both in my garden and in my life. I have planted lots more seeds, and the ones we planted a few weeks ago have germinated nicely. I transplanted my cherry tomato seedlings into bigger pots on Sunday. In a couple more weeks it will be cool enough to start some lettuce, cilantro and mesclun; I'm also going to sow some cucumber, bean and eggplant seeds. I made a few planters out of some ceramic/glass things that have been gathering dust around the house. Here's a picture of a little bird house (actually bought this at Goodwill a few weeks ago) with oregano in it, and a watering "can" with ivy. They would be cute on a porch or patio, or in the kitchen. I am now on the lookout for more interesting containers so I can turn them into planters too!

On the personal front, I am happy to tell you that I am starting back to college next month! I will be studying for my Associate's in Science in Digital Design and Drafting, and may pursue my Bachelor's degree in Computer Information Technology. One step at a time, that's how I'm taking things. My nine year old daughter is excited for me, and I am pretty excited too - I have wanted to go back to college for many years and something always seemed to get in the way. Well it's a done deal now...my first class is September 15th at 8:30 a.m. I am still working on finding a job, or earning an income. I am looking at doing a "greenmarket" on Saturdays with my soaps and perhaps some fresh herbs, and possibly my little potted gardens - I'm still working on the plans to see if it will be a good potential source of income. I'll keep you posted. :) Happy gardening!

It's been a long, hard summer so far

Life throws us curves sometimes, and we usually don't see them coming until they have smacked us in the head. That is what happened with my summer garden plans. I tried to take care of my little seedlings, but didn't really have enough time. I tried to rely on other family members (ie: the spouse) to help with the watering but it was haphazard at best. Needless to say they did not survive. So I have been left with my herbs for the summer and that is all. But I'm okay with that. I am experiencing several life changing events at the moment and the garden would still be suffering if it had survived. Event number one will have me as a single parent in a few months and event number two happened two weeks - I lost my job. This was a total surprise to me. Jobs are in short supply here and the unemployment rate is almost 13% so that makes it even harder to find one. I am thinking about going back to college but I am also contemplating what seems like a million other possibilities too. I have written about wanting to have an herb farm here on my blog before and that dream has not died...it never will. I would love to be able to lease an acre or two of land and plant it in herbs, edible flowers and heirloom vegetables. I could have a booth at the local farmers' markets (there are three or four that I know of in the area) or have a selling area where I grow.

Another idea I have is to start a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture). It would be great to offer people fresh, locally grown food on a weekly basis. I have read about CSAs for many years but have never lived in an area where they existed. I think they are great and besides providing good food from a sustainable source, they help develop a sense of community that is lacking in today's society. A lot of people think my plans are idyllic and ask me "how would you be able to do that?" Well of course it would take some planning, and some money for funding the venture, but I think both are very viable options for me to pursue. And I would be following my bliss, which I think everyone should do. "Do what you love" should be everyone's mantra; I think that is a big part of being happy. Until I can follow through on my dream, I will continue to plant all I can in my containers. Soon it will be time to plant cucumbers, tomatoes, greens and all sorts of other garden delights. I can't wait to "get growing" again!