Today I wandered around and kicked up hills in the sand and dirt and planted acorn squash and pumpkin. I thought it would be fun to see all these plants just roaming whereever they want to go. In my small garden in Rapid City I had to contain and train and cajole them to stay put. One year I had a pumpkin plant that took over nearly the whole garden.
I am experimenting with different things. In one spot I tried a “trench garden” where you dig a three foot deep trench, fill it with trash paper and cardboard, and the fill it in and plant on top of it. In another spot I tried bag gardening–bags of topsoil with the tops cut off and the seed sewn right into the bag. It is supposed to be a good way to start a first year garden. I only put greens and cilantro in those. Maybe I’ll call my pumpkin and squash garden “Free range squash.” I still have two grapevines to put in and then I need to replace my tomatoes and cukes. I also created a “Tool Tipi” today. That was fun–two trashy looking closet doors destined for the dump came together to provide a shelter for my rakes and shovels. It actually looks kind of cool. I stapled a rice bag over the top to give it a little more water protection.
The sun shone. The ticks roamed. The mosquitos smiled. And it was a wonderful few hours under the newly blue sky. There is just something about working with dirt and sand and my own trash pile that makes me happy. And then I ended the day with my second belly dancing class. My sister and two pretty nieces are all taking belly dancing lessons. They are one session ahead of me but I can shimmy with the best of them. I am not sure if my right hip aggrees, but that is what happens when a 55 year old woman shimmys.
Next week we fly to New York City to work with a “film doctor”. Fernanda is going to spend a day asking us questions about Video Letters From Prison and helping us to hear our own answers. No mystery as to why we chose her to work with! Gaydell–thanks for signing on. I miss you! When I figure this straw bale thing out I still may come and plant one on your land. Tell those other bear lodge eaters to sign on, too.
I’ll keep you posted,
Jamie