The Fruits (Or Vegetables...) Of Our Labors

 We've approaching our fourth summer in our house. When we moved in, the backyard was just dirt, and not your regular dirt, but this clay dirt that turned into cement when it got wet. Since we moved, we've put in a lawn, and two garden areas. This spring, we're getting closer to having the kind of gardens we want. And to do that, we need...

Grow boxes.

There are many ways to get grow boxes. The easiest way is to just buy them. You can buy from a store, or from someone who builds them out of their garage, or you can build them yourself. 

We chose Option #3.

And we used pallets for the wood.

Thanks to my friend Jeff, we were able to pick up some pallets he had at his work and we've used them to build three grow boxes and two tables. We're looking to build two more. Are they pretty? No. Do they work? That remains to be seen, but early reports show positive results. 

We have a smallish lot, but we're trying to be more self-sufficient. These will help us do just that.

Elevated grow boxes...the only way to garden.

I Made A Thing...!

I think many have seen the photo. It's been making its way across the internet. It's easy to understand the popularity...in a single photo presenting pure genius, and I'm sure more than a few, "why didn't I think of that?" thoughts have been generated.

I think that's where I got my inspiration.

We use child gates to close off sections in home where we don't want the dog to go. We use it most when someone knocks on our front door. We tell the dog to go down, he does, and we place the gate across the top of the stairs and there he stays. We didn't want the gate to scratch up the floor or the posts so, up until recently, we took some wrap used to go around dinner plates when moving and placed them on the sides and bottom of the gate.

That was over a year and a half ago.

Since then, the polyurethane packaging we used on the gate was starting to disintegrate. The other day, while at the Dollar Store (or Dollar and a Quarter Store...), I spotted the noodles. It reminded me of the photo. When I got home I spotted the gate and put 2 and 2 and 2 together. On a return trip to the store, we picked up a couple of noodles and with the help of duct tape and scissors, our gate was transformed into floor and post-safe barrier. 

Interesting tidbit on that driver photo, it's a photo of an Australian trucker in 2019. You can read more about it by clicking: HERE.

Baptizing The Fire Pit...With Fire And S'mores

 It was my wife's idea and I give her full credit. When we planned out the backyard, we designated a few non-grass areas, for gardens and a patio. Last weekend, we officially christened the DIY project with fire...

And s'mores.

There were a lot of firsts, the first time we had a party in the backyard, the first time we were able to gather and allow the dog to run free in a fenced yard. We looked at the weekend forecast and decided Saturday night would be the best night for the party/Mother's Day celebration because it was supposed to rain on Sunday.

We spent the day getting ready, making sure the last-minute details were taken care of. Then, we gathered and lit the fire. Interesting thing about that fire pit--most of those rocks came from that small-ish hole. Some people have sandy soil, others rich in nutrients...ours--full of rocks. It was my wife's idea to just dig a hole instead of buying a pre-made fire pit. It's a wonderful idea that turned out great.

We hauled out all the chairs and a small table and then the rain hit. We quickly gathered supplies and ran inside. After a while, the rain ebbed so we went back outside and made s'mores. They were delicious.

I wonder if my kids will look back on this first party in the yard and remember it. Will they remember the rain, the cold wind, the fire that stayed lit through the rain and created enough heat to toast the marshmallows?

I sure hope so...

And that goes for me, too.

So...I Want To Build A Little Free Library

 You've seen them...or maybe you haven't. They're called Little Free Libaries and they dot the map of many communities. There are a few where we used to live, and after a quick internet search, there are no little free libraries in the new town in which we now live, at least, not one registered in the LittleFreeLibrary.Org website.

I'd like to change that.

I think deciding you want to build and install one of these things is the "easy part." Because there's a lot of new construction around us, I've gathered some building materials and stowed it in our garage waiting for me to take action. What's holding me up is...

What kind of little free library should I make?

There's as many different kinds as there are people, which makes sense It is an expression of the person making it. The supplies I've gathered will be adequate for a simple version. I'm thinking that's what I'll most likely end up doing. After all, I can always make another one in the future. Then again, it might be so much work, I may never want to do it again...time will tell.

Some of the ideas are genius. I've picked just a few and included them here. If I had the time and talent and means, I would LOVE to build a Tardis little free library if for one reason...it would be bigger on the inside. To me, books make the world--and universe--bigger.

I'm in the early early stages. Hopefully, I can update everyone on this blog as thing progresses. For now, the decision's been made. On with the show!