Hmm, Weird...

The strangest thing just happened to me.  About an hour ago, I went out into the sunshine, puttered around the garden, pulling weeds, moving my pots around, etc. and I decided to actually ACCOMPLISH something (no, that's not the weird part).  A friend gave me some reclaimed wood quite awhile ago to make raised beds, and I have been too lazy to do it not gotten around to it yet, so I decided now would be a good time.  I rounded up all my tools and the deck screws that I need and started working.  Picture it, I'm sweating like . . . well, a virgin at a prison rodeo and I've almost got the darn thing put together, and I hear this loud noise--it's like a train.  Or an airplane or something.  I stop, look up and in the distance I see a torrential rainstorm blowing toward me.  Literally, the sun is shining on me, and about three streets in front of me, over the roofs I can see just a sheet of rain, and I can hear it coming.  Before I can even get my tools and stuff together, I'm soaking wet.  Weird.  It was like buckets pouring out of the sky.  Very weird.

Cue elevator music...

Now it's later...the raised bed is built, and it's filled with my special recipe soil mix.  (Not so secret--approximately 1/3 peat moss, 1/3 vermiculite, and 1/3 super duper special compost.)  I also mixed in a little bit of dried grass clippings and leaves at the bottom, along with cardboard boxes--they really kill the weeds.  The peat moss and vermiculite help the raised bed hold water better than just the dirt.  Key in Florida.  

Please ignore the messy yard around it, and the horrible steps up to my front door.  I'm going to fix the steps next weekend, and trim the grass as soon as I get done here.  I swear.  On the positive side, I got a lot of use out of the beloved wheelbarrow that the boys got for me for Mother's Day.  I ADORE that thing.  

I think I'm going to try to start tomatoes from seed.  It's time to do so in Florida, and I've wanted to do so for awhile.  In a few weeks, I will plant green beans in the new bed, and I've been thinking about making a natural trellis with some old narrow branches I have around.  (My inner hippie coming out again.)

I'm enjoying my four day weekend for Independence Day.  I've been reading a lot and gardening, doing a few little projects around the house.  I wish I could hug my sailor (Brett), but since he's being making sure we are all free, I will just think about him, smile and remember that our freedom isn't really free.  I hope everyone did something independent yesterday.