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Tuesday, March 10, 2009

I might be insane

If you know me at all, especially if you've known me for a while, you've already answered this with an incredulous "might be?!?!" ~ we all know I pretty much am.
And I will apologize for the lack of photos here. It's one of those times when suddenly I want to do a million things and can't seem to make headway. Mind is going a million directions, sit down to do something and suddenly feel like I've been heavily drugged (and, no, this time I'm not doing it to myself!).
So ~ why then the latest query about my sanity?? Well, thanks to my brain-dead status I've just sat here for a minute trying to remember why I thought I might be insane .. hmm, should I add that to the list? Ahh, a list .. ok, I can do that!!

I MIGHT BE INSANE BECAUSE:

1)
I've suddenly become obsessed with worms. I want to raise them. I simply MUST do this. I have no idea how our garden has ever survived without us raising worms (if I wasn't nuts yet, that sentence probably sealed the deal)! I have never seen worms raised, reaped the benefits of vermiculture (oohh .. look, a big word ~ my brain functioned for a second!!), or even anything remotely associated with worm-culture other than buying nightcrawlers from a store, and collecting worms after the rain to put back in the ground. I might really be insane because I hinted all about this to my husband in reference to our upcoming anniversary and gift ideas! Has any gal ever done that before???

2)I called my mother to ask if she had any old pantyhose. When she answered "yea, probably" I eagerly inquired "Can I have them?!?!" ~ Apparently most sane people don't ask for other people's used pantyhose .. even family members. Thankfully it was my mom, because it kinda freaked her out & I would hate to think how someone who wasn't required to love me would've reacted. THERE IS A REASON why I asked for her used pantyhose -- I want to make compost tea. And, no, this isn't tea I would actually drink as someone inquired .. with great trepidation I might add. (another big word, look at the brain go!) Essentially, you fill up a 5 gallon bucket with water, add some compost in a "breathable" bag, and let sit for 24 hours, with an aquarium pump & hose blowing air into it. Then, viola, compost tea that you can pour onto your plants .. fertilizer food! (if I flubbed up anything there .. brain went back on strike).

3)Another absolute must-do obsession is edible landscaping. I really don't think this is so insane, but given some of my neighbors' thoughts/attitudes/leanings/etc., I will probably be ranked as "off-the-wall-bonkers" for it. We need more trees, but I want them all to be fruit trees: they'll blossom beautifully, provide shade & wind breaks (and all the benefits that go along with those), and will also give us organic, locally-grown, homegrown food. Talk about your 3-way win!! We already have a cherry tree out front, we had two but one died, so it will be replaced this year. We also have a small ornamental evergreen in the front beds that we've wanted gone for a while, so now I've decided to replace it with a Turkish Fig Tree. This would go along with our two apple trees that are still babies, but growing happily in the back yard. I would add more but money is a limit.

4)Finally, we have a decorative pond outside, but I want to add a small catfish pond. I want to be able to collect grey-water from the house, run it through a sludge-monster, and into the pond. I want to raise fish we can eat. ~~~ I'm probably insane for this one because our entire lot is about 3/4 of an acre .. and that includes the house!! But, it is another want.

And, that is why I am probably insane today .. or most days .. or maybe just my latest voyage into insanity. Now I have to go fix dinner. Somehow letting me near a stove-top at this point to cook dinner rings of the insanely brave. But they're my family and they're used to my insanity.

3 comments:

Carole and Chewy said...

I dunno, you sound pretty sane to me. But then consider the source.

If you want worms, try lasagna gardening. Makes it easy -if you layer it, they will come.

I think you just helped me think of my next blog entry.

Anonymous said...

Hiya,

If you're interested in keeping redworms to process garbage into great fertilizer, you should definitely check out 'Worms Eat My Garbage' by Mary Appelhof. Should be in the library, or definitely available on Amazon.

Dan Moore
http://bouldervermicomposting.com

Mary Q Contrarie said...

You are as sane as I am. Worms are wonderful on so many levals. Reusing old things that others are just going to throw away like old panty hose is so smart. And lets be realistic, I think making compost tea is a MUCH better use than having to wear pantyhose.

The last time I was accused of being insane I took my clothes dryer to the curb and replaced it with laundry racks. It was one of the best changes I have ever made.