Tuesday, June 24, 2008
IF YOU CAN'T GARDEN, GET OUT OF THE GARDEN.....
Here it is, Tuesday already. Another day, another dollar as my dad used to say. Actually I feel like it is Monday. Becky and I had a busy weekend and yesterday flew by like a gazelle. One of the “eye-openers” after retirement was that retired people don’t have any more time than the working folks. We keep working and battling for time as we did before, just different. A twenty-four hour day is still a twenty-four hour day.
Becky and I were gone most of the weekend and yesterday I had to finally break loose and go for groceries. I shop at WalMart where the little “happy face” gives you big mark-downs. I was in for a shock. I felt like drawing a turned down mouth on his little yellow face.
I knew groceries were going up because we’d been warned about the domino effect of the gas hikes. I just didn’t think they would jump that quick or that big. Now I will be forced to eat everything on my plate!! Produce is record high here……can’t imagine what it is in the heavily populated cities where it is trucked in. On a happy note I bought my first peaches and bing cherries of the season and they were perfectly delicious. I’m looking forward to eating the rest.
As most small towns across our country we have a Farmer’s Market on Wednesday’s where we can buy home-grown fruit and veggies. It is cheaper and fresher. I praise gardeners because I’ve attempted gardening before. It’s hot, hard work and by the time you come in for harvest the weeds get ahead and it’s just an itchy mess. The first garden I put out (as gardeners say) I asked the lady across the street if I could plant a garden in her back yard. She was elderly (probably my age now) and a real sweetheart.. She gave permission and I couldn’t wait to get to the Feed Store to buy my seed.
Now to get the proper impact of this I had a baby in a baby buggy for transportation. These days a one-car family is considered down on their luck. It is typical to see two, even three or four vehicles per house any more. We were without a car at all to pay for our unexpected baby at the time. It’s a good way to get exercise and wave at your friends as they pass by in their cars.
I got the seed and relied on advice from anyone older than myself on garden management. Daily I wheeled “Punky” in the buggy, park him in the shade and hoe the weeds that were growing faster than my food. When he woke up he would cry and I had a bottle ready for him…….then go back to my hoeing.
As you can imagine, I played out before it ever came to fruition and soon realized it was much easier to buy from farmers who knew what they were doing. It was so cheap at the time I would relish those prices now…….but that’s a story for another day.
Essentially Esther
Becky and I were gone most of the weekend and yesterday I had to finally break loose and go for groceries. I shop at WalMart where the little “happy face” gives you big mark-downs. I was in for a shock. I felt like drawing a turned down mouth on his little yellow face.
I knew groceries were going up because we’d been warned about the domino effect of the gas hikes. I just didn’t think they would jump that quick or that big. Now I will be forced to eat everything on my plate!! Produce is record high here……can’t imagine what it is in the heavily populated cities where it is trucked in. On a happy note I bought my first peaches and bing cherries of the season and they were perfectly delicious. I’m looking forward to eating the rest.
As most small towns across our country we have a Farmer’s Market on Wednesday’s where we can buy home-grown fruit and veggies. It is cheaper and fresher. I praise gardeners because I’ve attempted gardening before. It’s hot, hard work and by the time you come in for harvest the weeds get ahead and it’s just an itchy mess. The first garden I put out (as gardeners say) I asked the lady across the street if I could plant a garden in her back yard. She was elderly (probably my age now) and a real sweetheart.. She gave permission and I couldn’t wait to get to the Feed Store to buy my seed.
Now to get the proper impact of this I had a baby in a baby buggy for transportation. These days a one-car family is considered down on their luck. It is typical to see two, even three or four vehicles per house any more. We were without a car at all to pay for our unexpected baby at the time. It’s a good way to get exercise and wave at your friends as they pass by in their cars.
I got the seed and relied on advice from anyone older than myself on garden management. Daily I wheeled “Punky” in the buggy, park him in the shade and hoe the weeds that were growing faster than my food. When he woke up he would cry and I had a bottle ready for him…….then go back to my hoeing.
As you can imagine, I played out before it ever came to fruition and soon realized it was much easier to buy from farmers who knew what they were doing. It was so cheap at the time I would relish those prices now…….but that’s a story for another day.
Essentially Esther
