Beyond Sore

Yesterday was productive. I, along with my friend Moises, started working on the garden around 10 am. We pulled the extraneous plants (most people use the word "weeds", but I don't like that term--sounds like another blog topic!) from the area and moved all of the lava rocks away from the area of the first bed. By the time we finished with that, it was lunch time and Felipe, Dad's buddy, and his cousin had arrived. After a quick bite of pizza, we started laying down the plastic lining. As always, the wind picked up and there were several moments when we weren't sure we would be able to hang on to the plastic! By this time, I was a bit anxious because any further work would be WAY out of my element and I would be needing direction from Dad. He was later arriving because, as usual, people and things hindered him at the clinic. I just wish the people there could actually do what they're supposed to do without having Dad to hold their hands. Isn't that why they went to vet school??? Didn't they realize that being a vet is more than having a love for animals and kissing a dog on the nose? It's hard work! But I digress...

Dad finally arrived and brought the tools needed for building the beds. I was really hoping to get the first bed completed so the potatoes could be planted. He and Felipe started cutting the notches in the wood and laying them down while Moises and I replaced the decorative brick around the bed. The chain saw was giving us problems all afternoon. After a while, the pull just quit working and we were stuck. I was able to borrow one from my brother-in-law and we continued. However, the storm that had been seething on the western horizon finally arrived. Luckily it didn't dump buckets of rain but it was enough to get everyone collecting the tools and putting them in the shed. It quickly passed and we resumed the building. By this time, Dad had to return to the clinic to feed because the people there don't know how to put feed in a stall. It really is a skill that takes years of practice! As we were trying to drill the holes for the rebar stakes, the last of the drills' motor overheated and quit working. We were forced to stop with about 3/4 of the bed made. I was disappointed, but realized that we did accomplish a lot. It looks as if our garden will be a little later than normal.

I was very tired at the end of the day. As the night wore on, it became worse! This morning, I really felt it. I was never so glad to stand underneath a hot shower. Every time I sit for any period of time, I feel the soreness all over again when I have to move. I hope we will be able to continue working on it this week. Time will tell...

On the Eastern Bluebird nesting in our yard, I believe now that I was mistaken about the timing. Moises and I went to check on it last evening and, even after I knocked on the house, the female was still sitting on the eggs after I opened the door. When a female doesn't leave right away, it's a sign that the eggs are near hatching. I quickly closed the door so not to disturb her more but not before noticing a lone egg again on the edge of the nest against the door. I have a feeling that the one I put back in the nest on Friday night is a bad egg and she moved it back out again so as not to waste her energy on incubating it. I will check again this week to see if there are chicks.

Time for another work week tomorrow. YEAH! (Right???) I hope everyone has a productive week.