Remember when California was this mythical land where everything was just better. I've got the Beach Boys on the stereo, sitting on the back patio on a cool sunny day a light breeze blowing. It rained last night and there are some mustard greens popping in the new raised bed. The large sparrow family is at the bird feeder and splashing in the baths. In short it's just another crappy day in Oklahoma.
It's funny isn't it no one thinks of Oklahoma... I was going to finish that sentence but really Oklahoma is on no one's list of about anything. OK, maybe a list of Meth problems, stray dogs, and tornadoes but nice things well I don't know maybe church women. Yet here I am enjoying an absolutely gorgeous day not a tornado in sight. Deb has just returned from one of the 41, or is it 51 churches here in our little town. She of course looks beautiful and has a smile of peace on her face. Cooper I have to mention is one of those strays that was 'saved' from Oklahoma. So I don't know 'guess I can listen to the Beach Boys about anywhere and be happy happy, happy.
Yeah I mentioned a raised bed - did you catch that, did ya?! It's barely anything to brag about just some alfalfa bales staked onto the southside slope of our house. It was a couple of hot days of digging out the grass and setting things up. Sweat but honest sweat. Hardly living up to my ideals of no-till but a beginning.
I've decided that beginning is every bit as important as knowing what I'm doing. I'll still be asking lots of stupid questions of locals. My garden will never be some ideal show piece taught at landscape school. Thus mistakes are OK. It's really more in-tune with who I am. 'sides havin' planted two pear trees (on sale!), a fig (on closeout), a basil plant from Walmart's grocery section (cheaper than the gardening section ones), and potting a tomato plant ($1.50 @ the extension booth of the farmers market) no sense pretending. A bit of a thin lie to claim I'm just a man who likes a good deal. I'm started!
Speaking of lies, clever fellow that I am the day after planting out the raised bed I told Deb to come quick and see what had sprouted. Being a good and trusting sort she dutifully walked to the side of the house. I had a good laugh telling her "April Fools I just put the seeds in yesterday". My shoulder still has a bruise. Ah but the fool was me. A big rain that night and I was out checking to see the next day if the whole contraption was still there. Still there and a ton of sprouts poking up, Mizuna I think.
Don't know that I've ever had anything sprout so fast. In my questions to locals I'd learned the growing season is more of two seasons with a doughnut hole in the middle. In previous gardens September was more of a throw away season. You were usually tired from harvesting and putting up the bounty of August. Sure I'd planted greens and harvested as the fall stretched out. The speed of this sprouting and knowing the season will likely run into November will have me squintin' and thinking for a while. Gardening is a poker game you play with mother nature. I haven't figured out her tells, here, yet.
As I'm sitting here a dove has just knocked himself out flying into our living room windows. This has happened a few times in the past. Recently, it was caused by a hawk who chased a sparrow. Deb ran off the hawk and we're trying to be more careful with the bird feeders not having a double meaning. These crashes have so far resulted in some sore heads and it looks like the dove will shake it off. Deb is ordering as I type some bird repelling window stickers. We'd used them before for our cabins large windows.
My mom had a nasty accident a week ago. At 98 nothing is easy add in dementia and she is blessed (as the church ladies say 'round here) to have two daughters who look out for her like momma bears. In finally getting a chance to discuss my mom's situation with her facilities manager and nurse my sister noticed a tell. Apparently (I was listening on the phone) the facility manager developed a bit of a rash or hives while dancing around the facts, Hmm! Bares watching or is that bears watching.
Over in politics I noticed a few tells this past week. RFK Jr has had a few meetings with Libertarian Party officials. He has some common beliefs with Libertarians (primarily getting out of Ukraine and exposing if not ending the 'deep state') but he is not a libertarian. RFK Jr is recognizing that 'the' Democratic Party will not let his voice be heard, period. Between super-delegates appointed not elected and rules that will automatically challenge delegates he might win, he faces an almost impossible route to the Party's nomination. Thus a 3rd Party run might be his only avenue to bring forward his issues to voters. As Americans we always think our elections are straight forward sacrosanct affairs. Watch for the tells!
Another political tell slipped into a speech by Vivek Ramaswamy over on the Republican side. He is about 80% libertarian but is quite plain that he is using the Republican Party as a vehicle to pursue the Presidency. No 3rd Party run for him but between him and a Republican nomination stands former President Trump. In the speech he merely widened the distinctions between them. He also pushed the point that he is the younger and more able to finish the task of draining the swamp. The tell for me is not that he is somehow now anti Trump but that he now sees the other candidates as inconsequential. I would guess he has some polling that shows the next Republican debate will clear the deck.
Life is full of twists and turns just when you think you know you'll never live in Oklahoma there you are planting seeds. Doug A.
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