Sowing Seeds to Build Our Farm

We were lucky enough to order our seeds in November, 2020. We had moved through the fearful covid year, with hope dawning in the new year. It was easy to think expansively.

I've grown plenty of veggies in my tenure as gardener, so those seeds were easy. And fun. I've not grown flowers, not many anyway, and only landscape flowers; never cut flowers.

Our main source of inspiration came from Floret Farm. They are only about 45 minutes from our farm, so what worked for them would surely grow on our farm as well. We downloaded their recommendations for the best cut flowers: Focals, spikes, disks, fillers, and airs. We ordered almost all of our seeds from Johnny's and some from Osborne. They all arrived promptly, and I promptly entered overwhelm.

So many seeds! So many varieties! So many colors, heights, support needs, germination times, dates-to-maturity times. I couldn't wrap my mind around it all.

Luckily, I'm a whiz with excel spreadsheets. I painstakingly entered all the relevant information about germination times, transplant-before-last-frost times, heights, and quantities. I let excel do all of the date calculations for me, and then I transferred the varieties onto another spreadsheet organized by weekly, calendar dates.

Everything fell into place. On the biggest sowing week at the end of February, I would have to sow 15 varieties. Other weeks would demand sowing of 5 or 6 varieties. With 7 days in a week, we would have to sow 2 varieties per day during that big week. Most weeks would need only 1 or 2 sowing days. This plan was completely feasible.

Every variety was new to me.

It was feasible in theory, and low and behold, it was also feasible in reality. Joyfully feasible. With our new greenhouse sheltering the growing expanse of seedling trays, my heart grew and expanded. As the seeds germinated, and the tiny seedlings lifted their faces to the warm sun filtering through the greenhouse panels, my heart quite simply exploded.

We opened the greenhouse doors every morning, helping the air stay cool under the spring sun. We closed it every night, helping the air stay still and safe under the spring moon. We watered the trays, seedlings dancing and jostling under the gentle spray. We pinched off stray weed seedlings. We started succession sowings of the seasonal powerhouses, both veggie and flower.

The window vents open and close automatically, according to air temperature.

Our plan was working. Our greenhouse was working. The sun was working. The seedlings were working. Our farm was beginning.

Our self portrait.

Once a Sparky. . .

It used to be that TVs came in their own cabinet, you lugged it into the house, and plugged it in. Then TVs got bigger and bulkier. You had to buy a cabinet to house the thing. Then they got skinnier and wider. Now, you hang them on the wall or from the ceiling, which we have done, but this one is going on the wall.

Luckily, I married a sparky.

With our first flat-screen TV, Dambara stuffed all of cables and wires and connectors from the outlet, DVD player, and speaker into a channel that ran up the wall to the TV itself. That was pretty cool. Nice and tidy.

At the next house, we paid a guy to hang the TV from the ceiling, and the cables et al sardined into their channel up the wall and across the ceiling. The channel was nicely concealed behind some beaded curtains, so everything was nice and tidy.

This time 'round, we've spent a few months immersed in extensive wall reconfiguration, with drywall coming out, going in, getting holes, getting patched, so Dambara has entered a whole new realm of cable control. This time 'round, the cables went inside the wall.

Homeowner 101

Once a sparky, always a sparky

A plethora of cables. A constellation of drywall holes. Everything's tucked and pulled, patched and spackled, tidy and nice. Together with Vihaan, they hung the TV, connected speakers and computer, vacuumed drywall dust, shifted couches, plumped pillows, and voila! We were ready for our first movie night.

And that's a story for another time.

I Am Grateful for Computer Games

I kid you not.

Years ago, an inspiring TED Talk made the rounds, featuring Jane McGonigal and her convincing presentation about the many benefits of gaming to human kind.

If you, like me, have held computer games with some level of disdain, you might meet this statement with a grain of skepticism. But Ms. McGonigal speaks articulately from her own experience, and I can add my own thumbs up.

Of course, computer games are abused, as is alcohol, opioids, and sugar. But computer games have been profoundly beneficial to me, and probably to many, many, many others.

On those days when energy drains away, and I retreat to the bedroom to rest, usually for hours, the thing that has helped me maintain my sanity is a fun computer game. The game of choice has changed over time, as functionality declines or rises. The game just has to be mentally engaging, visually captivating, and peaceful. I avoid games that are warrior-centric.

Everything that Ms. McGonigal claims during her TED Talk seems to be true. At each level of the game, you are given the tools you'll need to succeed at that level, and clues about how to go about using them. You can tap into resources for help and guidance. Your success is measured by leveling up to the next plateau of difficulty. Computer games are fun and rewarding right from the start, and the good ones keep us engaged as we spend more time learning and playing.

The interesting thing to me is that our brains don't seem to know the difference between an electronic accomplishment and a physical one. If I harvest an electronic field of electronic beets, my brain feels just as rewarded as when I weed a flower bed. When I finish all of my electronic tasks and log off of the game, the sense of accomplishment gives me the same level of reward as drying the last dish and hanging up the towel.

When I am not capable of completing physical tasks, electronic tasks suffice. My brain is engaged, the screen is visually pleasing, and I can succeed. Cheerfulness and good humor can flourish, along with enthusiasm and anticipation for whatever tomorrow might bring.

That's powerful stuff.

That power is highlighted in Ms. McGonigal's subsequent TED Talk, describing an accidental, physical debilitation and how gaming was her savior. This talk is fabulous! She makes a convincing presentation, with a feel-good message. It's something to think about.