Spring 2020

The deep freeze is getting low on vegetables, I need to get this year’s crop in soon. First I need to reduce the fallow to ashes. I do not till in the autumn, I allow the native plants to take over when my intention is done. Weeding takes so much of my time in the season that I am happy to let nature have its fill for the remaining months.

I am now paying the piper for nature’s nourishment. I had to pull all of the woody plats that flourish in the shoulder season. I do not begrudge them, but they do challenge me as I get older. On the bright side, the ash that they produce will make the soil stronger, and maybe even me. I need to get my body tuned to bending and weeding for this year.

I never used to worry about getting seed in the spring. Everyone had more than they could sell. We have had quite a bit of new development in Harrison over the past ten years. Looks like they all think that a sixteenth of an acre will provide for a family of five.

I suppose I could expand our family garden and invite the folks from the developments around here to help maintain it. I suppose if this goes on through the fall I will get some more fence posts and start a Facebook group. I do not want to send anymore business to Facebook. I simply do not see an alternative to getting people to federate in time to save the supply chain.

I found a design for a personal face mask on the New York Times website via a link that I have forgotten. How to Sew a Face Mask looked like a good start. I agree it is. We have a sewing machine, thread and a bunch of t-shirts that I do not fit in anymore. I measured and cut the dimensions that were specified. The 3/4 inch strips for the ties are crazy. My wife is pretty competent with a sewing machine, I can sew straight if the machine is set up for me.

We fell back to a mask with two pleats and some strips of fabric that were already made to be used as ties. We will adapt the dimensions for our use and publish those later. I really want something that we can make out of cotton fabric so we can bleach it when we get home.