Memorial Log

Long weekend. I took Friday off, for some "me" time, and ended up spending the whole day (okay, granted I got up after 10am) busy working--housekeeping, yardwork, errands, phone calls, weekend food prep--and finally sat down after midnight. Stayed up too late (way--again) and was about two hours late Saturday for what was supposed a day of planting trees with my brother and getting his garden beds in shape, but he totally crapped out on me. That was okay, although at least one of us really should have tried a little harder. Cosmic M rolled into his place unexpectedly on Saturday evening and we had a late dinner with family at my folks' place, followed by some unpleasant but necessary conversation and a bonfire, in the usual style (i.e., big enough to be exciting). Saw a shooting star or two and hunted for roasting sticks in the pitch dark, by the light of my little brother's cell phone. Kids these days, I swear...

Sunday we set to work after a late morning. Cosmic M turned over all the beds in the front while I weeded the turtle garden and turned up the green manure (rye and vetch, red clover) from last year. Mom and dad planted ten thirty-foot rows of potatoes (reds, Yukon golds, russets and purples, all saved from last year) in the back garden, which they'd weeded, edged and tilled on Saturday. Little sister tended to the all the trees we recently planted, giving them a much-needed soak and some hardware cloth tubes for rabbit protection (they've topped a few, little bastards) which we should have done right off the bat. I graded the remaining paths in front and pruned the corner rose while the boys played catch, kicked hack and then built another burning pile out of the downed wood pulled out of the fence row a few weeks back. Seems like we must have done more than that, since it took all afternoon and evening, but you know how these things go... A few of us missed the dance at the neighbors' down the road (even though I'd taken time over breakfast to make a nice quinoa and roasted veggie salad to bring along) but it was important to get things in shape for planting next weekend and I'm glad we did. In the evening I worked on plotting out what was to be planted where, and later middle sis joined us for another fire, under a new moon, listening to frog songs and loons. First firefly.





so this was pretty cool...

there was one branch in the fire

that was maybe twelve feet tall

(you can see it sticking up higher

than the rest) and when the

fire started to collapse

it just gracefully dipped

to the East and balanced there

on top of the burning pile

as we all looked on in

wonder and what's more

amazing is that it continued

to hang there in a perfect

balance while the pile shifted

and sank twice more and

then it just rested on top of it

and slowly reached down

toward the ground in a gentle

arc until it finally split

in two. it was beautiful,

must have been oak.


Monday we got another late start--everyone's been tired. I spent the morning obsessing over the garden plan until it was ready for approval. Dad planted onions in the back (990 yellow sets) and fixed the leaky tires on the new chipper. I staked rows in the back for sweet corn, squash, beans, cabbages, broccoli, cauliflower and brussels sprouts. Sadly, I discovered that my tomato and brassica seedlings got scorched from sitting out the day before, although it looks like they should pull through--we'll see. Just another reminder that I don't know what the hell I'm doing (and that everything usually turns out more or less okay, anyway). Cosmic M tilled a bit of the compost garden and mom got it cleared of weeds, while I fretted more about where everything was going to go and seeded white clover in the turtle paths, covering it with freshly chipped garden scraps (handy tool, that is, but really obnoxiously loud). I could have done a bit more work, I suppose. Ended the day with beer and hackeysack, as is our way (at least when there's time). It was hard to leave at sunset, as it always is, but good to be home at last and able to unwind for a couple hours. After a ten-hour day today I'm ready for sleep, but I know it's too early... I'll be up in a few hours if I go to bed now. If only there were stars here.

So that's the scoop. Hopefully I'll have time soon to write something of interest.