Stream of Consciousness Saturday -A Snooze

Gardening on my hands and knees is getting old, but I have no desire to give up gardening. So, the raised beds elevate even further. The newest one is a large bed thirty-two inches high. Last year, I experimented with beds this height and found that weeding was an easy task, if not a joy. Head out to the garden with a cup of coffee, check the herbs, and pull the weeds as you see them—no bending, squatting, or kneeling.

I used a “lasagna” method to fill the bed – branches, leaves, compostable cardboard, garden waste, and other goodies piled halfway. On top of this foundation went the soil saved from the previous beds. The very top is a layer of finely chopped leaf mulch, compost, and wood ash. In the weeks before I plant, it will settle, and decomposition of the contents will start. Last year, I did very well with these beds. There is a significant soil column beneath the plants you are growing. Moisture retention seems much better than the old, lower, raised bed.

But there I was yesterday, piling, shoveling, and pouring. A running, jumping, joyous dog was supervising all of this. From the window, my cat supervisors were attentive to the process. By the time I finished, I was dirty and tired and in need of a shower, a change of clothes, and a snack. My supervisors were also exhausted from all that supervision and demanded a snack.
After the shower, I pulled on my old wool shirt and went to inspect the work. I went alone because the dog and cats were now lying in front of the wood stove, enjoying a well-deserved snooze.
Supervising humans is hard work.