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8/13/2015

Dirty work

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Yard work is hard. It's dirty. It makes my muscles ache and my bones moan. But when it's all finished, it's gonna be awesome. 

Let me introduce you to the saga of our sidewalk. We're talking about 40 feet of property. The front half is our front yard. The back half was a sidewalk, approximately 4 feet wide from street to house. We have no reason to have a sidewalk, plus it was ugly, and plants would look so much nicer... Good ideas seem so easy in my head! Here's a sneak peek into our progress.

Part I. Sidewalk Before

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I've said it before that we live in an unconventional neighborhood. Across the street, there's a chicken feed plant, railroad tracks, and an apartment complex (plus a really tasty restaurant!) in an old feed and seed building. To the left is a poultry plant (they freeze and package chicken , which means lots of semi-trucks). To the right is an old house that has been 
subdivided into four apartments. Behind us is a single family home and a legit neighborhood. Really all you need to remember from that description is the fact that there are big trucks. And as you can see from these pictures, said trucks have a tendency to miss the street and drive on our property. Our sidewalk had to bear the brunt of it, and cracked into a bunch of tiny pieces... not quite the look we're going for.
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Part II. Demolition.

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One day, Mike got a crazy notion to rent a jackhammer and bust up the sidewalk. I'm surprised he wasn't a jiggly pool of jello after all of that work. Especially when he found another sidewalk under the sidewalk. (Yeah, take a moment to let that settle into your brain.) 
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After making a huge mess, the fun was just getting started. Then, of course, we had to move all of the concrete detritus. We moved it to the back corner of our yard, where another project is in the works. That's a post for another day. The slate also got repurposed into another project (jeez... the work is never done!) Of course, we didn't move all of this concrete alone - if we had, I wouldn't be capable of sitting here writing for you. Certainly, my hands would've fallen plum off. Many many thanks to the friends and family members who showed up to help us get this rocky wasteland relocated.

Part III. Rebuilding

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It took a little bit of investigative work to figure out where to get railroad ties, but we did (hint: call local lumber yards, not the big box stores). Mike ordered 20 of these bad boys, and the local lumberyard helpfully delivered them. They weigh a bunch of tons. 
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Before continuing, I ask you to pause and admire the absence of huge chunks of concrete....

Okay - we can go on. Next step: we solicited the help of another strong friend, and he and Mike laid out the railroad ties as kind of a curb along our property line.
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Our hope is that the railroad ties will clearly demarcate our yard, and prevent the trucks from driving off the road. We're likely being unrealistic, but when I look at railroad ties, I think, "glass half-full." We'll see. 
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We ordered dirt from a local landscaping company. A whole lotta dirt. We told them to dump it in the garden bed right next to the house. They dumped it in the middle of the street. 

Well. That's a bit of extra work we weren't expecting. But we plowed through, er, shoveled on. 
And that brings you to the status quo! Check it out! Real garden beds, with real dirt! Beautiful blank slates just waiting to be painted with beautiful flowers. The plan is to plant perennial wildflowers, ornamental grasses, and berry bushes. I created a garden plan on the Better Homes and Gardens website, and I'll get all of the seeds sown this fall. That means that the garden bed, alas, will remain a blank slate for a while. I'm hunkering down and preparing myself for the inevitable fight against weeds, and I'm dreaming of spring germination. Stay posted for the "after" pictures in 8 months, give or take. In the meantime, please share your #gooddirt stories. I'd love to hear about how you're getting dirt under your fingernails!
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3/26/2015

#overcomingadversity - A Springtime Instagram Adventure

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I took this picture of a tulip pushing its way through brick pavers on the walkway in front of my house. It was last Saturday - a beautiful sunny spring day. Seeing this flower growing in such an unlikely place was inspiring to me. It reminded me of the possibility of overcoming tough obstacles, and how even in unexpected places, we can find good.

I posted the pic on Instagram, using the hashtag #overcomingadversity. Then I thought to myself... how much fun would it be if people all over creation used this hashtag during spring to keep on keeping on with the inspiration? Flowers do this all the time - they grow in unlikely places, seeming to thrive on practically nothing. What if a whole slew of us spent the springtime traipsing around, documenting these flora triumphs with social media?! What if we ended up making friends with each other?! What if in the course of our traipsing we got exercise and some vitamin D?! WHAT IF, y'all?!?!?

So, do you want to join me? I hope so. Grab your phone, and go for a walk. If you see a plant defying some odds, share it widely with #overcomingadversity (and sharing it on the Good & Gracious Facebook page is cool too). Let's create some synergy between nature and technology, and see what good comes of it!

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3/11/2015

How to Reap what you Sow with a Vegetable Garden

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Me likey likey some infographics. So I made one for you, with tips on how to plan a vegetable garden. I got the steps from here, so read on for more information. Feel free to share the infographic, and if you'd like to download it for future reference, you can do so here. 
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3/4/2015

8 Inspiring Catalogs for Heirloom Seeds this Spring

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When I left my house this morning, the warm air bearing down on the snowy detritus made a beautiful rising fog. I looked down at the ground and saw a few tiny patches of green - evidence that spring's first weeds are surely on their way. And of course, my thoughts turned to planting.

I am much more of a gardener in theory than I am in practice. I love starting seeds, and watching tiny plants push their way through soil toward some great destiny as a big pot of ratatouille. But then the rest of gardening is still pretty hit or miss with me. I forget to water. I forget to harvest. I don't like bugs. I can't find my gloves, I hate weeds. I accidentally squished a grub and now I'm too grossed out to continue digging. It's hot. 

This year I'm going to try and cool it on the excuses and complaining, and make gardening a priority. It's good for my health, and my organic garden is good for the environment. Of course, I'll start with good seeds.

If you're in the market for an heirloom garden of your own (big or small), I thought I would do you a favor and round up some seed sources for you. The following links will take you to the free catalog order form for each of the seed companies listed. If you know of more sources to share, please feel free to include them in the comments. Happy dreaming of those future tomato sandwiches!

  • Annie's Heirloom Seeds Catalog
  • Baker Creek Heirloom Seed Catalog
  • Bountiful Gardens Seed Catalog
  • The Online Greenhouse Seed Catalog
  • Penny's Tomatoes Seed Catalog
  • Seed Savers Exchange Heirloom Seed Catalog
  • Select Seeds Seed Catalog
  • Sow True Seed Catalog





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