instant garden, just add water

I know it s been quite a few weeks but we finally made our garden more than just talk. Over spring break Kylee and I were outside working on the new beds while the weather was warm(and inside working on new spring decor).

I'm surprised how well the wooden retaining walls held up better than I expected and we found plenty of cinder blocks around the apartment building to fill in gaps and steps. We would not have finish the whole project before school started if Kevin and Melanie, our neighbors, hadn't helped us. So now we have three times the space we had last year and it only cost $20.

so far we have planted lettuce, radishes, peas, and onions. more planting to follow, pending on the weather. I've planned out a layout for the entire garden square foot by square foot, but we will see just how closely that is followed. Gardening is a science, but it is also an art.

Jake, This Old Apartment season 1

a narration of a moment

I am currently sitting in the public library using the internet, listening to an elderly woman mutter to herself how her husband better not forget to pick her up.

I would not be here if the internet at our apartment hadn't died. The manager said it should have been up today, but no luck there. so here I sit at the library doing online school work (and blogging). From my homework I've decided that Business and numbers don't get along very well.

This lady has been nervously pacing from the chair next to me to the courtesy phone and calling her husband every 5 minutes. It started snowing again and I'm guessing from her overly vocal mutterings that she REALLY doesn't want to be stranded here. I don't blame her but i usually rant like that INSIDE my head.

Oh wow, She just told the librarians that she is going to brave the weather and leave without her husband. either she doesn't trust her spouse at all or she is an overly anxious person. Good Luck random rambling lady!

jake, life is story

Ruminating about Rent

I had the greatest idea the other day to figure out a way to turn the weed lot next to our apartment into a green lawn to pic1nic on this summer. I found a cheap lawn mower on KSL.com and calculated just how much it would cost to do.

Sadly it turns out the manager and the owner had different plans. I was graciously informed that we are free to weed and mow the space as much as we'd like, but not to water it. I guess it has something to do with the cost of water. I was also informed that I should not plan on using a drip hose for our garden bed this year. Bummer.

It's moments like this that get me all excited about owning a home. Having our own space, with our own walls, and our own parking spot. Oh, and our own big mortgage payment. I think that's the only thing keeping us stationary. At least I have the best kind of room mate.

Jake, the grass is greener I'm sure!

'Tis the season

Getting ready for spring in the middle of winter is like counting down christmas in the middle of October. I know it's coming but it's taking it's own sweet tome to get here. Working at a garden store isn't helping me either. As soon as customers start showing up to get the seeds for this years garden my brain starts scheming about how all the things I want to plant this year.

I don't know if I can wait for the ground to thaw before I start breaking ground in our little growing patch. The dirt seems to be calling my name and begging me to get my hands and knees all muddy.

Just to see who all reads this post, I want some suggestions on what to plant this year. If you read this post you MUST write a comment and give atleast one suggestion. two or three would be great too. Ill keep a detailed acount of all i plant and you can see how your suggestions turn out!

A man's shopping trip

Last night I was killing time while waiting to pick Kylee Up from work. I went in to a few stores that she doesn't appreciate as much as I do though I'm not sure why. Best buy was my first stop but it was a forgetable experience. I mostly just wanted to dream about having a man cave. After that I skipped over to O'Reilly Auto (formally Checkers) to see if they had a part I need for the car. As I walked in to the store I was greeted by Thomas, a guy about my age, who talked to me not as a customer but like we'd been friends for quite a while. we talked about the part for a bit but when he couldn't find it in his database he did something I didn't expect. He picked up the phone and asked AutoZone down the street if they had it. Wow! Turns out the tailgate assembly for an Isuzu is a very rare thing. Now here is where any other sales person would say,"anything else I can get for you?" Trust me its almost programmed into them. But Thomas just kept making small talk about my car and how I like it. He even casually suggested I get some WD-40 to try and loosen the Tailgate latch. It wasn't a pressured sale. I even felt like I had wanted to do that all along. I left the store with my can of lubricant and a good feeling that I seldom get when I go shopping. Way to go Thomas for making shopping feel more like going to see a friend instead of an in and out service.

Jake, sure I'll buy another one!