I confess I haven’t been accomplishing very much in the garden lately. The heat has just been too much, and I’ve moved my attention to a number of things inside the house, where I can work in air conditioned comfort. That doesn’t mean I haven’t done anything out doors, I finally moved the remaining reclaimed 20” diameter concrete stepping stones from their storage place at the house next door into Overleaf Garden. It took an hour, those things are heavier than they look. I had already placed one stepping stone back when I first got them over a year ago, and I placed a second this week in the designated herb garden. (pictured below). I’m placing one in the center of each raised bed to help in accessing the hard to reach middle parts without trampling the soil and compressing it. I decided not to place the rest until I’ve cleared the beds of the spent summer plantings, and made some final determinations where I’ll place my Autumn garden plantings. Until then, the step stones rest against the sides of the beds, ready to be dropped into place. (pictured above). I love the worn look of the stepping stones, and I wish I could keep and even spread the moss that’s growing on one of them, but given their new location in direct sun, that won’t happen. I just want to say a little something about using reclaimed materials. Call it “patina,” or “distressing,” it’s an instant aged look that I really like.
Inside the house at Overleaf I’ve turned my attention to some long-neglected organization. I’ve been an artist and designer all my life, with nearly forty years of supplies, artwork, collected “inspirational” items, and research material in my possession. In addition I’m a bit of a bibliophile, with a library of over two thousand volumes covering art, design, history, and other general interest subjects. It’s excessive I know, but in my defense it developed incrementally. The first part was saved in storage when I went to college. The second part was saved when I moved to NYC, and the third part accumulated during a twenty year stint in NYC. It all adds up to a substantial space and time consuming assemblage. As a part of my return to Texas and the subsequent restructuring of my life to a more creative focus, I’m consolidating and refining my collection. Taken in its entirety, it’s a completely overwhelming job. Let’s just say I’m NOT a minimalist. If I divide it into small increments using an organized approach – and a little Kaizen philosophy, I can gauge and see my progress, and the pressure to finish is reduced. I’ve allowed twelve months for the job, but when you realize I’m sorting through the accumulation of around forty years of life, I don’t think that’s unreasonable. That’s 3.3 years per month, if you are interested in that sort of thing. I have twelve “monthly boxes,” and an additional twelve “sorting boxes.” (pictured at top of post) In a future post I’ll describe more about my method and where it succeeds or needs to be adjusted. I like to name all my projects, and I’m calling this one “Putting It All Together.” I just hope I don’t forget where I put it.
Next Week: Purchase some additional cheap garden soil for some low spots in the raised beds. Pull out some spent plantings and plant some seeds for the Autumn/Winter garden. Investigate how my “Hugelkultur” (consisting of buried rotting logs) raised bed is progressing, and decide on whether to remove it in favor of another technique.