Step one, go to store. Step two, realize I forgot something. Step three, go to store.

My biggest problem is, and always has been, that I don't think ahead.  I don't plan my projects.  I'm the guy that goes to my local hardware store four times to finish a task because I don't think though all of the materials that I'll need before hand.  This has led to a lot of unfinished projects around the house, a lot of notes stuck in my drawer.

It's now July 7th and a little too early to plant fall crops and way too late to plant summer crops.  So let's think ahead.

What can I start doing right now for this fall and next spring?

Compost.  Easy enough (really, don't let anyone fool you).  This one's a no brainer, all I have to do is pile organic material and let it... rot.  Sure, there are thousand, hundreds of thousands millions of sites on the internet explaining THE EXACT RIGHT WAY to let stuff rot.  Seriously?

OK, I'll admit that I've been composting for years now.  It's not like this is going to be a new project.


However, I am going to start doing something new with my composting.  Get ready...  Get set...

I'M GOING TO EXTREME COMPOST!!!!!!!!!


You know that if you compost you still surf the web looking for new tips and tricks to get the most out of what Mother Nature has been doing for free the whole time.  I've come to the conclusion that I'm going to practice the "if it rots, bury it" and "if it stinks when it rots, bury it deeper" method of composting.

I know some of you are dreading what I'm about to say, but...

I am going to compost everything (almost, I've got dogs a dog and I just can't bring myself to tempt fate too much) that comes out of this household that can be composted.  And yes, that includes the the three compost no-no's: meats, dairy, and oils.  Remember the old adage, "Reduce, Reuse, Recycle"?

...and let the advice and admonishments begin...

Tales of the over-employed

Unlike many Americans today, I could be considered over-employed.  I am blessed to work for a fantastic organization in healthcare.  Being in the healthcare field means that it must be staffed constantly.  Because of this overtime is almost always available.

I'll be one of the first to admit that I have no one to blame but myself for my families finances (unless you allow that I've been bamboozled by the idea that consumerism equals patriotism, then I'll blame the government).  They're what you might call a shambles.  We lived way above our means for way too long.  We made bad choices.  I allowed it.  I actively participated in it.  Hell, I encouraged it.

Now, we're paying for it.  Part of the price we're paying is that I have to take whatever overtime I can get.  And I can get a lot.

However, there are other prices we have to pay now; time away from writing, time away from gardening, and (most painful) time away from my wife and kids.  I can guarantee that, even after the bills are paid, we'll be paying for this for years to come because of lost opportunities.

Is it worth it?  It will be years before we find out.  What's the alternative?  Bankruptcy?  No, we'll be out of financial distress long before we would be from the hit from bankruptcy.  My wife going back to work?  She will eventually, maybe, but right now she's needed at home far more.

We'll see.

Bah! It's June 25th. There's nothing to do but sweat outside.

At this time of year I start to think that the only thing to do in my gardens is pull weeds. The crabgrass is a crabbing and the barnyard grass is getting taller than my four year old.  I'm hot, I'm tired, and I'm sweaty.  I've used all of the "finished" compost and there's nothing worth planting right now.

However, because I'm such a procrastinator, there's TONS of 'fun' things to do outside.

It's the doldrums of summer.

But, what I should be doing is thinking about next year

We've got plenty of rain, so there's grass to mow.  And, because there is grass to mow, that means that there is compost to make (pile, turn, rinse, repeat).  We're still eating, so there's still plenty of scraps to add to the grass to enrich the compost.  We've had plenty of wind (smirk), so there's plenty of twigs to pick up and break up and add to the compost.

Ah, compost.  I love it!

There's nothing that thrills me about gardening as much making compost.  Now I'm getting excited about being outside again.

Gardening's hard! Writing's harder...

There are two things that I love to do, garden and write.  There are two things that have neglected to do for too long, garden and write.

I've started a lot of garden beds.  I've started a lot of compost piles.  I have a drawer full of ideas for stories, blogs, treatises.

What I have are weeds (anything that grows where you don't want it, as someone once said), little hills of really rich dirt (mounded over by weeds), and notes that I have no idea what they mean (I'm sure they were brilliant and would have led to the next great American novel).

...I also have a desire to do more of both.


I've found that the only way that I will change is to be held accountable for that change.  I invite you to keep me accountable.

Thanks in advance!