Raised beds.

Raised beds does not mean I've put cinder blocks under my bed, Jessica. No, raised beds are for gardening. Vegies next summer! I purchased 100 cinder blocks, a big pile of dirt, 3 bags of peat, and 5 bales of hay. Now I'm attempting to construct raised beds. No one ever accused me of being a carpenter or a gardener. I could be drinking a glass of wine and writing on Facebook.

I took twigs, rope, yellow spray paint, and a tape measure and blocked out the plan. 3 beds: 4 feet by 15 feet. Then I started to dig, to set the blocks into the dirt a bit so they won't move. It's hot but breezy. I dig and set blocks. Eewww, I'm sweating. I frequently lay on the ground to absorb negative ions from the Earth (yeah, that's why). I wonder if I'm alarming the neighbors. Are bugs crawling on my arms? Oooh, look at that cloud. Am I getting muscly and slimmer? Do these shoes make my calves look fat?

Too low. I think I'll need another level of blocks: another pallet, 90 more blocks. Digging them in means they're almost level with the sod and I have a big pile of dirt to load in there. And the peat moss. The hay is for between the beds. Yes, from this angle, (prone on the lawn) I can see I'll need another row of blocks. Note to self: call landscaping place. And get up and back to work. Cab Sav awaits.

Well, one is done. It is a sad, sorry looking thing. Somehow it came out 4 feet by 12 feet. Hmm. Maybe it will look better with plants spilling lushly over the sides. Pumpkins or cucumbers. Anyway, my reward after all that work? A shower and some chill time.

how's the mowing going?

What is it about mowing the lawn? I really like to mow. Perhaps it's the sense of accomplishment. I like how you can see where you've been and where you're going. I like the concrete objectivity: you know you mowed.

I recently purchased a self-propelled push mower. You know, the non-gasoline type. It has a different sound. It requires human energy. Pine cones bring it to a halt. Neighbors guffaw.

I like the gas ones too; they keep the bugs at bay. And I like the smell of gasoline. But the whole purchasing and transporting of gas puts me off. Also the question of mixing with oil, so purchasing oil too. So complicated.

Is it the sweat, toned biceps, and cardio? Hmm.

Does mowing put me into a meditative state? Yeah, probably. And I think that's it. Mowing = meditation. Very Zen, very good.

July 2010

Here's my fav pic from my trip to Rochester, NY. Crazy, huh? Just bricks. Buildings and no people. Yet I love this pic. I love the composition and the way it reminds me of Dublin.

So I'm back in Maine and doing tons of reiki. Way fun. Reiki sessions, reiki classes, & reiki shares. So why am I not having tons of psychic phenomena & amazing visualizations? Too scattered, too busy, too many friends, too hot, & staying up too late. That's my theory. Too much fun and not enough abstemiousness. Right. Will work on that.

Maine!

Back in Maine and we are having a heat wave. It's been 90 and humid for a couple of days, no end in sight. I installed an air conditioner in my apartment, screw drivers etc; what a treat to be able to cool off. I have one cold room but the rest of the apartment is like pea soup, like hot fog, like a sauna. The plants like it anyway.