Week's end

I made it all the way to Friday in spite of myself. Still hacking away, still moving along, still pretending I feel better than I do.

The new wrinkle is that Steve caught my cold, ooh, not good. He has a stronger immune system than I do, let's see if he can shake it in less than eight days. The two best things are that you get to laze around a lot and no one comments and ice cream goes well against a raw throat. Aside from that... it's just a bad cold.

I drew this handful of little stems in class yesterday. I'm calling it wild onion because that's what it smells like but I don't know if that's the real name. Definitely, it reeks of a strong oniony scent. The little white flowers are sort of bell shaped and so very cute!

Here's the proof that I finally constructed my first four foot square container. What you can't see is that each square is planted, one seed at a time, per the Square Foot Gardening protocol. I'm doing everything by the book -- literally, I bought the book and refer to it about ten times a day when I think of another question.


In case you're wondering, when I set the grid down I used duct tape to hold it in place. Since then I've acquired a staple gun so it looks a bit neater.

Today's project was to get the compost bin in place. For that I used a half wine barrel because I have a few on hand. If I fill one I can start another one while the first one "cooks." Composting is critical to the SFG method.

Next: This weekend I want to build the second 4x4 and start all over again.

I started my new job this morning in Juvenile Hall. Demi was not with me and the boys noticed. So did staff. "Where's your dog?" The artist in charge of the program made it clear that dogs and art don't mix and I damn near cried! But the kids (and staff) assured him that she stays under a table unless I walk her around for a quick pet and he later groused, "Okay, you can bring the dog." I'll be sure to keep her squeaky clean and under control.

My personal opinion is that every unit in Juvenile Hall should have a dog. When I visit with the kids they always tell me about the dogs they've owned, the ones they miss at home, the tricks and skills they've taught their dogs to do. Demi, because she's so perfectly behaved, wows them with her behavior. I see hands under the table ruffling her fur, enjoying her calm presence. I am SO VERY GLAD I can bring my dog to the art program. I know she'll only make a good thing even better.