Seeds are being planted

Again, it’s been a while since my last blog post but at least my hiatus was not as long as the last one! Not much has been going on, other than work, but here are a few tidbits of the last two weeks…

Work at the newspaper has been steady. As life is getting back to a somewhat more normal state businesses are stepping up their advertising and the legal ads are picking up as well. That, on top of wrapping my head around the Graduation section and doing the prep work for it has kept me pretty busy during the work day which means my last few remaining weeks there have flown by. It’s hard to believe that I only have five more working days left. What, already? And we still haven’t found my replacement which means I have yet to train anyone.

I have been shocked at what has taken place during these last few weeks in trying to hire someone. Three no-shows for the interview; one hired on the spot (long story, don’t ask) then messaged the boss in the wee hours of the morning the day she was to start (three days later) that she didn’t want the job; then another girl that was hired on a trial basis got sick and was unable to start (I’m hoping she’s well and will be there in the morning); and as of last Thursday, there’s one other candidate. What shocks me is the number of people that took the time to send a resume, said they would come in for an interview and then they don’t show. No phone call, no nothing. It’s very disconcerting. Makes me glad I don’t own a business that requires employees.

At any rate, I have been able to get the Grad section almost completed. I just lack 1/2 page and am waiting on content from the school system to fill it. Then it’s on to proofing the pages, making corrections then distilling (exporting) them and they’ll be ready to send to the printer first thing Tuesday morning. With that out of the way I will be able to concentrate on training whoever shows up.

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It is now Monday evening and I received no content from the school to fill up that last page so I went online and found some filler from the public domain such as graduation themed images and a quote about education. I finished the section just before noon and it was sent down to the printer this afternoon. whew! Am I glad to have that off my mind.

A week ago Friday I spent the day cleaning downstairs. It sure needed it after months and months of the fireplace burning non-stop! The vacuum bags I ordered had come in so it was time to tackle the dust build-up underneath the furniture. I even mopped. I was feeling pretty pleased and satisfied with the outcome. I love those kind of fulfilling moments of accomplishment!

Last Friday I attempted to start my new flower garden. CountryBoy was playing golf so I decided to literally ‘dig in’ and get started on the hardscaping. I began by removing the grass/weeds then removed enough dirt so that the top of the stone would be level with the ground at the backside. However, the stones I had intended on using were much taller than I thought which made it extremely difficult for me to handle and try to relocate. It also meant I needed to remove more dirt than I had originally intended. I did manage to get one shorter stone relocated but that was it.

So now I don’t know what to do. I’m thinking it is going to be a much larger job than either of us can or should handle. I really hate to do it but I think my next step is to put it all back the way it was so that we can at least mow. Looks like the new garden bed will have to wait for another year when I can find a landscaper.

After I wore myself out on that failed attempt I decided to just wander around the farm and enjoy the beautiful day. I headed down my favorite path beside the barn…

The fence is in even more disrepair since I last walked the path. I sure wish the fence guy had come through with the job of re-fencing the paddock. Myself and these girls and guys sure would’ve appreciated it..

The wild blackberries look promising this year…

Heading back down the path to the farm…

I’m really please with the way the garden is coming together.

Speaking of garden, this past Saturday we spent the entire day outside working in the garden. It was another beautiful day! We planted a row of cucumbers, two rows of corn, two rows of three different types of tomatoes with marigolds sprinkled between the plants, one row of yellow wax beans, and we laid down several more strips of weed cloth. I hoed the potatoes and planted four jalapeño plants while CountryBoy spread some more garden soil.

As I carried the trays of tomatoes and marigolds I had started from seed outside in preparation to be planted I felt like a proud mama…

… and I wouldn’t be truthful if I didn’t admit that I was a little nervous about ‘letting them go’. I mean, it’s a big world outside the protection of the greenhouse!

By the end of the day we were sore and tired but oh-so glad that we had accomplished so much.

Yesterday CountryBoy relocated some more asparagus plants that had come up in their old location and today he got a few more rows of corn planted and laid some more strips of weed cloth. Already planted are radishes, carrots, potatoes, broccoli and green beans. The only thing left will be a watermelon patch on the far left and flowers on both sides of the garden.

It has been a LOT of work. Our aching bodies were telling us that we may have bitten off more than we could chew and that we should probably have a smaller garden next year but I know that when we start harvesting the fruits of our labor all the pain will be forgotten and we will, once again, have grandiose plans for next years’ garden.

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It seems I do my best ‘writing’ on the drive in to work with thoughts and wording coming easily as I admire the beauty of my surroundings. However, by the time I’ve made it through the day and back home again all those thoughts are gone. Instead, the events of the day muddle my brain and by the time I sit down to blog in the evenings I wind up struggling to put any sort of words and thoughts together in a meaningful fashion. Maybe with a little more free time I’ll be able to get it together.

Other than several guests coming and going over the last two weeks not much else has happened other than the usual day to day stuff. And that’s quite OK!

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It is now Tuesday evening. CountryBoy is cooking breakfast for dinner and I am trying to wrap up this blog post. I now have three more days of work but since I’ve yet to train anyone it looks like I may be working from home until someone is hired that actually shows up to work. At that time I will go in to train them (praying and hoping they catch on quick) then I’ll be done and on to other things.