NPE

So all I think about these days, it sometimes seems, is my garden. What shall I plant, how shall I build my box, and so on. I am more functional than I usually am when I'm in Noo Luv mode, but my mind is impatient to think about the garden when I'm forcing it to think about other things.

My partners are being so cute and sweet and helpful with it, too, so it's been really pure joy getting this thing going. stonebender took me shopping yesterday and let me burble at him for hours. sogwife is a fount of good advice and enthusiasm. someotherguy thinks it's cute that I'm all bouncy about it, and has offered to help with the scut work. (Luckily, this Square Foot thing means there's very little scut work.) Oh, and loracs lent me her weedwhacker, in addition to sweetly trading cars with me yesterday so stonebender and I could be all Tool Time-y.

Tonight: clear the junk from the plot and go to it with a weedwhacker (saving the Love in a Mist for sogwife

Tomorrow: Put down cardboard or something as a weed barrier and build the box; Fill the box and mark off the square-foot sections; Plant the tomatoes, strawberries, and verbena.

Wednesday: Plant the seeds

From then on, instant happiness, just add water.

Yay!

Have I mentioned that I love my job?

Just found out the woman I'm relieving will be out at least until July
14th, so I've got three more weeks of full-time work guaranteed, which
will really help. A lot.

I was beginning to be worried about being able to afford to take off for
three weeks for Tokyo, but I'm feeling much better about that now.

This week, I'll get my passport in the bag, and I can start planning what
to pack. (I haven't even *thought* about it yet because of all the
gardening stuff, but I should at least make a list.)

My umpteenth post already

Oh, and I forgot to mention that I will not have a computer, a cell phone,
or a camera with me when I go to Tokyo. I will be really roughing it,
technology-wise. I'm sort of looking forward to it, but I will probably go
through email withdrawals, and I shudder to think how long it will take me
to get caught up on LJ.

The plants I shall be planting

6 different tomato plants (thank you, cassidyrose and ptor!)
strawberries and verbena (thank you, twostepsfwd!
beets
carrots
loose leaf lettuce
marigolds
anaheim chilis
chinese broccoli
thai basil
tricolor bush beans
possibly favas
japanese eggplant
onions

Yay!

translation help?

Can anyone translate this into Japanese for me, or point me to someone who
can? I don't want to trust translation engines.

"Thank you for being so kind to me. Here is a gift for you, and I will
send you a postcard from Tokyo in August."

Thanks!

quick post before laundry

My hands are stinging from something sting-y in the weed pile. My fingers are pierced with rose thorns. I'm hot and sweaty and stinky, and I'll bet you can guess the next part -- I'm *oh* *so* *happy*.

someotherguy did TONS of work, unsolicited. Our garden is much less weedy than it was last night. My adorable solar-powered light-up-bellied frog is ensconced in his new corner. Some snails are really pissed at me. My box parts are in the plot waiting to be put together (either tomorrow morning or evening). By tomorrow night, there will be a garden. I am elated.

(The box looks so much smaller in its context. My plot really is huge in comparison to what I was expecting. I am not going to give in to the temptation to overplant, though. One thing at a time.)