making lemonade outta of the endless rain

Let's see how to frame this in a positive way...

Here is a picture of my cleaned-up, worked-on, painted garage:

You don't need to see the "before" picture.  Just imagine chaos, dirt, no visible floor, ancient stuff stacked up to be dealt with someday. 

So, during the endless rain, I dealt with it all -- except for a line of things behind that chalkboard (above) which David assures me he will move.  His cooperation is his "rent payment" because the tractor is also behind the chalkboard, and I'm cool with that being in the garage until we figure out something else (plan #3b).

These shelves used to be covered in icky, sticky stuff and an endless assortment of things that needed to go elsewhere.  Now they're full of seeds, supplies, and reference books I use when I'm muddy and need to plant something.  Since the garage has been "done" (not hardly, but you know what I mean), I find it very usable.  It's wonderful to come in with my muddy boots and consult a reference book.  It's also nice to keep a cup of hot coffee here out of the rain.  To have this space -- however humble -- in which to work and think is very freeing to me.

We're going to be putting a refrigerator in the space to the left of the picture above so that I can keep greens and eggs fresh for folks.

Whenever I make a big change to the house (especially something for me), I try to make a space for E.  This time, I made her an office in the back of the garage.  She has two desks to swivel between, and she can look over the half-wall you can see in the first picture to supervise me while I work -- which is what she told me she will be doing from her office when she's not twirling.

Why am I showing you this?

Because I feel icky and sticky and yucky and immobile because of the endless rain, and I'm trying to remind myself that we actually have accomplished a few things since our lives changed in December.

The rain here in Oregon, zone 8, has made the soil *too* wet to weed properly.  Can you imagine?  I used to love to weed in the rain.  But now the soil is a slurry, and when I pull up a weed, the roots stay in the ground while I pull up soggy tops.  It's almost June!

However, the garden still grows (slowly), and the chickens are fine...

And there's a sign up at the front of our garden that says "Curious Farm: coming soon! "  Today I planted flowers out there that I hope will bloom soon.

I keep trying to be optimistic, you see.  It's been challenging.  Sometimes I think we all will float away in the sludge and rain.

I think we're doing a good job.  I think we're making progress.  But the garden itself is stalled in this rain, and -- after six months of soul-searching and incredibly challenging work -- I could use a little sunshine and affirmation.
 

  

Comments

[Stephanie]

What, no more throne in the garage?! ;-) Wow, this looks really wonderful. If you're feeling up to a challenge, you can do mine too, LOL. Or at least you could come light the match for the enormous bonfire... ;-)

[Cottage Smallholder]

Well done Cathy, I need to do the same! Have you thought of growing flowers to sell at the gate as well as vegetables. I'm finding that flowers sell better than veg so far but I'm just begining so I can't say for sure.

[growingcurious]

I am starting to think about flowers in a different way, Fiona. We've had the vegetable garden and then we've had areas landscaped with shrubs and trees. I read about a small farm that lets customers pick their own bunches of flowers each week, as a way to encourage customers to linger and get to know the farm. That intrigued me.