I Am NOT Getting Old

I look out my back sliding glass door often enough. I think a lot about what will go in there, but didn't have a real plan on Monday morning. I knew there would be vegetables of some type there, but how would the beds go? I'd drawn up different plans for that little spot. I debated back and forth. On Sunday the winner seemed to be put in raised cedar beds going the short way across this section. I would have three beds of about 4'x8'9".

I liked this plan. It made the organized part of my brain very happy. The other beds will be 4'x16' so things could be pretty modular. All the beds would be the same width so the hoops could all be interchangeable. But there were nagging doubts. First was that I couldn't anchor the beds well here. If you look at the above photo, the steps going down go to my sliding glass door. The area in question is the part where the bobcat is in the photo and the dirt in front of it. There is another path not in this photo that behind the bobcat. The area in question is 8'10"x15'9". And mostly surrounded by paths. The paths are anchored all along the side with plastic edging that is pounded into the ground. I didn't want to fool with the plastic edging as I wanted the paths to last. But I could cut a small portion out and pound in stakes if I had to.

The other nagging doubt was that I wanted something pretty. I'd be seeing this section every single day. It was my view. I already was going to have the compost piles along the fence in the back. Right down the path leading from my door - straight down - would be the first compost pile and more would go off to the right. Surely I could jazz it up a bit.

So Sunday I went to Home Depot to look around. Did you know they don't even sell 2x8s in cedar? In fact no one does around here. Friends Lumber could order it for me at $7 a linear foot. But for $1 a linear foot I could get 2x6s and they have those in stock. They are decking material. I looked at the pavers and rock wall bricks they had. Nothing seemed very nice. I came home discouraged.

Monday I decided if I couldn't get my beds built right now at least I could get the compost area back together as the landscapers had moved it all around. I told them to keep the pavers from my front walk which had been redone in brick to match the rest of the walkways at the house. They had piled them on my compost pallets, so the first chore was moving them over. I had almost gotten them all moved and I decided I would see how they looked in that section of bed.

I had previously drawn up a plan using bricks/solid concrete blocks, but didn't see the nice 4" thick ones at Home Depot. I figured I had these. They were imperfect because they were strangely sized. Some were 2 3/8"x 6 5/15"x 9 7/16", some 2 3/8" x 6 5/16"x 6 5/16", and some real brick sizes of around 2 1/4" x 4"x 8 ". A motley assortment. I originally didn't want to do it with thinner pavers as they are only about 2" thick. They lean over time. If I used these they would have to be dug up and reset occasionally. I could use the brick piled up two high, but the bricks would slide over time to the outside. I'd have to keep replacing them.

But my "I want something pretty" side of the brain wouldn't stop. I just kept laying out the pavers. Until it was all done. It took me quite a while. The organized side of my brain complained bitterly that I wasn't making rectangles and it would be hard to put on a row cover. I didn't listen. In the end I was short some bricks. I wondered how many. The answer was 42. Of course it was. It meant I must have done the right thing.

At least it is pretty enough. I'll have to get those 42 more bricks next time I have the car (ie when my husband takes a business trip). Then I can fill in the beds and I'll finally have a place finished to plant my garlic this fall. Maybe I'll pick up some bamboo screening too for the compost piles. then I'll have a very pretty view to look at. Of course I'll still need the fence. Maybe my next call will be poking the fence company to give me an estimated date.

Oh and yes the title. Monday night I was so tired. More so than I would usually be after working all afternoon. Surely its not because I'm getting older. It is just because I'm not used to working all day anymore. I went to bed figuring I'd be a bit sore in the morning. I was pleasantly surprised when I woke up to find I wasn't sore much at all. Then I got out of bed. Aaarrrggghh. Those butt muscles complained mightily. I had issues all day when I had to get up out of the sitting position. And when you start to get older you go to the bathroom more and have to get up and down more often. No wait. That can't be it. Surely I'm NOT getting old.