Postdoc Diary: Day 22 - Garden of eatin

We woke up at a much more manageable time today around 7. I know its depressing when you think that sleeping to 7 in the morning is sleeping in. J needed to go grocery shopping sans kids, so she gears up and heads out. We are both operating on a little less than 5 hours asleep. I hang out with the kids, we watch a little tv. I also try and clean up the kitchen a little. A never ending battle. C reminds me this is her special day and we are going to head out to Taco Cabana for lunch and Home Depot so I can get gardening supplies. J comes home after more than 2 hours, apparently she was nodding off in the aisles of the grocery stores. The mystery of HEB explained - that way they can convince you to buy worthless products. After that C and I get ready to head out.

We go to Taco Cabana first. I have no idea why the kids love this place but it beat McD or Taco Hell. After C flirts with old couple next to us we head to home depot. I'm planning a 4' X 4' garden divided into 1' squares. So I need a number of supplies - soil or what is known as Mel's Mix (peat, compost, and vermiclulite). I end up talking to a Home Depot gardener and she mentions that this is wet mixture and in South Texas has a tendency to dry up fairly quickly. So I modify it (soil w/ peat, compost, and a bag of texas dry soil), I was originally going to use boards but decide on cinder blocks instead that way the stuff on vines (pumpkins, cantalopes, and watemelons) can grow out of the blocks. I of course miscalculate the number of blocks I need so we needed to reduce out estimates a little. I need to make two trips so the combo of the dirt and cinder blocks don't bottom out the minivan.

On the way home from the first run C falls asleep. So I get her inside and the boys help unload the bags of soil and compost. I also need some tools and some string. I head back out and get the cinder blocks and go to Wally World for a hose, a sprayer, and a sprinkler. I also remember I need a cable to hook up the upstairs DVD and TV - so I pick that up. Get home put the garden together. X, S, and I have fun mixing the dirt together, until S finds the hammer and goes off to beat random sticks in the back yard. X is super emotional recently, so is getting frustrated. Around this C wakes up and comes outside to help as well. J and L have been supervising the whole time. Get the seeds planted. We are growing Watermelon, Cantalope, Pumpkin, Lettuce, Carrots, Radishes, and Cucumbers to start with. We have three growing seasons so we can experiment.

Getting my hands dirty.

I like this hobby!

My supervisor L with the compost bag. Yes, beauty grows.

After we do that I clean up, take the garbage out. We have had this log in our fireplace since we moved in but never had the need to use the fireplace. So I have an outdoor firepit and I'm male (I like shiny things, explosions, and fire) so I decide to light the darn thing. So I hang outside with a class of wine of the week. A Cameron Hughes Chardonany. I really don't like white wine but J doesn't really care for the tannin taste in red grapes so we alternate, red and white, week to week. Overall it is good and sitting next to the fire while X concots a story of us in the rain forest hunting chubacabras. We stay outside until dinner then go inside. J has made a lovely Filet w/ mushrooms. It is so good. After that lie down on the couch and go to sleep. At some point I take L upstairs, get her to sleep, then C and X, and finally S. Man S's bed is uncomfortable I wonder if we got a frame for it.