Sunday, July 25, 2004

Still can't find the cable for emptying my camera into the computer. I feel I'm getting close, though.

We clipped and dug and transported plants over the mountain all evening. A storm blew in from Nevada, the brief initial high wind sending a cloud of alkali westward from the dry lakes. It was the scene at the beginning of the Wizard of Oz there for a few minutes, Jesse and I shouting at one another and holding down the plant boxes and bags. When we finally quit for the night, we'd dug up nearly half the garden. It looked like a heavily shelled battlefield, and we carted away the wounded to bury here in the peaceful dell.

Thinking he was helping, my brother emptied (on the wood-chip trails we'd put down earlier) the big garbage cans full of llama poop we'd brought over. So we had to spend half an hour scooping it back into the cans. I lost my temper for a minute. This morning he laid out his breakfast and said happily to himself, "I'm all set." And then he became serious, turned to me, and said sadly, "Llama poo..." "That's OK," I told him. "You worked hard."

So did I, and finished digging and transplanting at ten past twelve last night. Quite a sight, really, me all alone, moving from plant to plant around the garden space, Coleman lantern in one hand and shovel in the other, making the hole, scooping in a little manure, setting the root ball in place, heeling in the fill dirt and laying down the dribbling hose. The cats were fascinated, and played around me in the lamplight.

My irrigation water is pumped up from the creek; it's surely full of life.

The only things that didn't get into the ground yesterday were the blueberry bushes. They seem OK this morning but I'm going to have to find the right spot for them. They should probably be close to the creek, but something makes me want to put them right in with the herbs.

I'd hoped the storm blew in a cool day, but it's not the case. Another scorcher. Jesse left a little while ago to drive back home to Chico. I'll go out soon with newspaper sun hats for the shocked new residents. Tonight--Phase II of Operation Transplant. Then we turn to llama transport.

We're almost through.


9:28:54 AM    comment []