Gardening 2024

[cineater]

We can grow nuts in the Fruit Arboretum:

Botanically, nuts are a type of dry fruit that have a single seed, a hard shell, and a protective husk. They are usually high in oil and enclosed in a leathery or solid outer layer. Some examples of true nuts include acorns, chestnuts, and hazelnuts.
However, what we call a nut in the kitchen or supermarket may be different than what is considered a nut botanically. For example, peanuts are actually legumes, and almonds are surrounded by a fleshy coat like a plum. The fruits of the cashew, almond, and pistachio plants are also not true nuts, but are rather classified as “drupes”. A drupe is a fruit with a single stone or pit, surrounded by a husk.

I'm thinking the nut tree should be the responsibility of the overall lead.   

[cineater]

Sandy and I talked about it.  Not really worth it to rebuild the lawn mower.  Let her have it to see if she can sell it to a guy for parts.  I chickened out on learning the circular saw too.

We have another week of extreme heat and humidity.  I soaked all my beds and they are going to have to get by on that.  Damn, it's dark by 8:00 now.

[cineater]

Open up our Monday morning news, big picture of Marsha in your face.  Was not ready for that.

Dawn wants to do something like a scavenger hunt called geocachers or letterboxers.  Not familiar with those and I don't have the time to set it up but I've got somebody who says they want to do it so I'm squeezing it in.  It's suppose to bring people to the gardens.  I'm worried about them digging through our beds or ants in the check in box.

And the head of the property said something to the facility management team about paying for some of the work we need done for the garden. Wants them to walk the property with me.  Is she talking about fixing the other drainage problem or the herb beds?  I'm tried of trying get the funds for shit or scavenging for it.  And getting dragged into all these projects and meetings.

Yeah, that picture of Marsha just knocked me on my ass.  My sail fell on my head.

[cineater]

Holy shit!  She didn't even flinch when I said $700 a bed times 6 beds.  Problem is she's running out of money in that pot and needs the information now.  May not be able to do it all this year and have to pick up the rest next year.  Are you fucking kidding me?  We've always paid for this stuff out of our pocket.  Says I should have talked to her sooner before they spent it on other things.  Er, wasn't I just in here a few weeks ago talking about where to get grant money for this project?  Wonder if they would consider concreting the greenhouse floor or our paths?  We'll talk about that after I get my project.   

This is why I am no good at sales.  I'm always watching other people's pocket book and not letting them spend money.     I'm kind of your direct opposite of a used car salesman.

[cineater]

Promised the write up to her by Thursday on the renovation and costs.  Submitted before noon today.  Woohoo I'm coming in early.  The team pulled it together.  They got the price down to $3300.

And it gets better.  The Fruit Arboretum is going to use those new steel beds they have been advertising for the blueberries.  Very easy to install, anybody can have a raised bed without a lot of work.  I've been wanting to demonstrate those.  The Herb girls didn't want to use those.  The blueberry beds were a next year project we can move ahead of schedule since we aren't doing the boardwalk.

Keeping my rep for bringing those projects in early and under budget.  Truthfully, I'm the kind of person who wanted those things done yesterday but I'll settle for scheduled and funded.

[cineater]

Oh no, somebody called and they are cleaning out their father's house and wants to give us all the garden tools.  I'm going to let Kevin handle this one.  Hoarder house and Marsha's stuff, I've done my time.

[cineater]

Ran into Tilden this morning.  He starts work on the bridge next Friday and is the kind of guy who plows through until it's done.  Scheduled the cinder block pick up with Leslie while collecting a few seeds to grow for the parks next year.  And gave a tour to the ladies from DAR.  I was only supposed to be dropping by to water the pots.   

We're cranking up our fall work with an eye on next year.  Leads finished off their plant orders from the plants we'll have this fall and are sending me in their orders for next year.  I was far too idle with the gardens these last couple of months.  This is the pace I like to run at.   

[cineater]

God, I'm an idiot.  I informed the demo garden team I'm willing to be their overall next year.  Beka is going to step up to replace Marsha.  Beka's one of those people who is good for your soul.

You know, that's my baby out there and I can't let it go.  I'm beat up, I'm old, I'm tired and I'm just going to ignore all that. 

[cineater]

Tom and I finished off the large rack with shelving.  The Arbor group installed the new steel beds.  Shit is moving along except Tilden got called out of town and can't work on the bridge for two weeks.  Kevin is getting into finding stuff for free.  He brought us boxes we can use for the plant sale and these cute little shovels.  He still has to go check out the other, this person died and we want to get rid of their shit.

[cineater]

Shit!  Long story short but I'm going to be on facebook live with a St Louis celebrity.  It was suppose to be a simple tour with pictures of the plants.  Now it's going to be a possible 170,000 viewers.  Okay, stop talking to me.  The other people are freaking out.  I was cool with it, okay fine, I can talk to anybody and ignore the phone.  Stop freaking out, you're freaking me out!     My real concern though is how many of my former clients are going to see that and know where I hang out?  It's been a very long time but some of them might just be getting out of jail.  For the most part I got along fine with my clients.  They might want to stop by and say hi but some of them have serious mental health issues.

We're burning up out there.  Fortunately we cool off tomorrow for a little while and I can water all my beds.

[cineater]

And shit again.     We got another $500 donation for the Fruit Arboretum.  (Finally spelled that word right!)  That's great, but they accept the donation but, don't add it to my budget and continue to show the expenses coming out of my budget.  My budget this year is going to show I'm over.  Hate that but I'm spending that money.   

I was wrong about the honey bee.  It doesn't detach it's flight wing muscles to buzz pollinate.  It's the Bumblebee, Carpenter and a few others.  The honey bee only pollinates around 5 percent of the flowers it visits where the native Mason bee does 90 percent.   I've got my vision back so I can explore my interest in bugs. 

[cineater]

Oh fuck    Greenhouse has decided to put down a floor.  Currently we are all rock.  They are going to cover it with ground rock, screening, and then cover it with plastic.  Jim tells me it's going to be a thousand wheelbarrows.  Probably not that much but it's going to be a lot plus we have to take everything out of the greenhouse.  My jammed packed September has extended into the middle of October.  And my nice empty storage racks I just did are about to be filled up.  When they plan to do this, the Extension is having an open house so we have to hide all the shit from the greenhouse.

We cooled way off over the weekend but headed back up there again next week.  The native plants are happy little campers with the heat and no rain.  The ornamentals are suffering.  The grass doesn't need mowing.    I'm thinking were not going to be looking our best for facebook live.  Now they've got me all jumpy about that.  My intro narrative keeps running through my head.  I'd been fine if you just put me on the spot but now they've made me think about it!

[cineater]

Panicked and emailed Kevin.  I've had a scratchy cough for a week now.  Woke up at 4 and coughed for an hour and a half.  Probably shouldn't have slept with the window open but I can't do Facebook live coughing like that.  Kevin looks good on camera and can also talk his ass off about the gardens.  Hope he can do it.

[cineater]

https://fb.watch/uwjmI84Z1y/

I ended up talking until the coughing took over.  That's me in the green shirt and Kevin.  God the gardens are dry.  We would have been so much prettier if it had rained.  I got off on my soapbox about native plants and bugs, good back up from Deana on talking about pollinators.  Elliott has one plant, a palm tree, he has gone to great lengths to take care of this plant.    It's growing concern for everybody who watched the news.  1.2k views already.  Nice guy.

Tie my hands down and I can't talk.  

I did follow up on the money for the Herb garden renovation.  She forgot about it!  But she does still have the money.  Jim on the other hand is on vacation half of October, he's the builder.

[cineater]

Well shit.  They installed the sigh in my bed right by the main door to the party this weekend.  Trampled all over it.  I'll probably grab some big mums and mulch the area.  The plants in there are perennials so they will be back.  I was planning on renovating that bed after the sign went in.  Little bit more to the left and not as tall would have been my preference but I'll garden around it.

Tom didn't show up today so we didn't work on the remaining shelving.  The guy never misses so I was a little freaked but he had emailed I saw when I got home.  Tomorrow we shop for Marsha's life celebration.  That's this weekend.

[cineater]

Trampled under foot when they put in a sign in my bed.


Little bit of mulch to cover up the plants, add some potted plants, like it never happened.


These are the flowers for Marsha's life celebration and the bed right out by the door everybody will come in.  I have a bigger pot of red mums by the door.  Looks nice.

[cineater]

Sigh, the room is set up for Marsha's life celebration.  It's tomorrow.

We didn't get shit for rain from the hurricane.  At least the cloud cover keeps it cool.  I have the kiosk scheduled to go up in time for the open house. 

We're at the beginning of a turf war.  Extension is wanting more approval of things that go on in the garden.  My fault, I've been trying to get them more interested in what goes on out there.  I didn't think that meant another source of funding, so good there.  It adds another step for approval slowing things down.  I'm getting the impression they don't feel they need our approval of things they want to do out there which isn't much and I have ears on what they are thinking.     They also don't really know what goes on out there unless I tell them.  I know some people are going to feel they are sticking their noses in when they don't do any of the work.  It is their property, back to why they need to approve what goes on out there.

[cineater]

We did good.  About 100 people, enough food for 200.  I got there before everybody else and cut the flowers for the big floral displays.  Bob and the family were happy.  Kept saying it was more than they expected.  I kept busy the whole time.  Did lots of garden tours.  I think people enjoyed it.

[cineater]

I feel like there's something more I should have to say about Marsha.  Bob left without all the cards so I have to text him tomorrow.  We hardly talked today except for things around running the party.  I did see him point at me once when he was talking to a guy.  The guy came over shortly there after to tell me he tore down decks and wanted to know if I needed any composite.  No Marsha and the boardwalk any more so, no, but I so wanted to run to Marsha and say we'd just scored.  I guess that's it, no Marsha in my life to accomplish things with or that person who takes joy in what you accomplish. 

I did meet one of our new trainees who just show up to announce she was in the online training class, Jane, old farmer.  She wants to be with like minded people, plant people.  She's good with fruits so I assigned her to Marsha's team.  She smokes and earns the holes in those jeans she was wearing, doesn't wear makeup, talks a lot.  Okay, mini me and Marsha?     And today of all days.

You know, I got through the day.  I'm due at the gardens tomorrow to water for a few hours.  Nobody should be around.  Not a day I would be expecting Marsha to drop in.

[cineater]

Not as quiet at the gardens.  Two of my leads were around, Bob came up to collect the cards for Marsha, we had a visitor and I had to call two other leads.  DJ called, I ignored it.  Then she texted to see how I was doing.  "I know you had a hard day yesterday."  Stop annoying me.  I don't need help identifying my feelings and dealing with them.  Hopefully that was closure for everybody.  Me, I just want some quiet.  "There's a feeling in my heart I can jot share."

Bob was so funny when he picked up the cards.  I had them in a cat basket.  Asked him if he wanted the basket.  He did.  He's been getting rid of a lot and not wanting any more but he looked at that and said yes.  I knew he had a soft spot in his heart for those cats they took in.  It wasn't just Marsha.   

We had a nice storm cloud come over.  A lot of noise but not a drop of rain.  We're burning up out there.  Going back in the 90's later in the week.