PLANT NOW

Okay who’s been shooting off their big mouth? Yesterday's “insert” in the local paper was full of this “plant now” business, like it was an edict from above! October is here; get those damn bulbs in the ground!

The article even goes on to explain how all this is accomplished, including the idea that you should “clump” bulbs together and this will make for a much nicer display next spring. Hell, mix daffodils with tulips bulbs and this will really look marvelous. The idea of rows or just one type of flower is considered boring and mundane. Oh, and in case you can’t remember which way to plant the bulb, put it in sideways, bulbs are amazing, they’ll find their way upward!

Instead of putting patio furniture away for the winter, I spent most of the afternoon working out with what I call a mini-rotor-tiller (I think they call this a cultivator?). One thing I can tell you, flat out, this is a workout – your arms, legs and thighs feel the pull of this baby as you push it and force it to break up the soil. Hell my muscles were literally shaking as I continued to push this tiller along – work and I ain’t stopping until this ground is tilled up properly!). Then I dumped 3 bags of good top soil on this tilled soil and tilled again – so I definitely knew my back would ache (bad back + rotor-tiller = stupidity).

So today, it’s put the patio furniture inside, get the awning down and then get the bulbs planted. Now the idea of using a bulb planter (which does work) is fine but that is one slow process, especially when you have many bulbs to plant (got about 60 tulip and 45 daffodils). Have you see this gadget Billy Mays shows on TV – this thing that attaches to your drill and makes this lovely hole? I’m thinking for $20 this would be wonderful or I could just borrow my brother's! Or I could really be smart and just dig trenches, plop in the blubs, cover and be done with this madness! Regardless, I intend to get this planting done today and then bore you all on the spring pop ups!

Then when the lumber yard opens again, I’m gonna purchase those landscape fences/poles and place them around and end up with a raised flower bed – or that is my plan. Ya, this means doing some measuring but perhaps I can con hubby into helping me; “come on Dreamboat, time to bond again!” I gotta tell ya, he’s not always that eager to assist with this flower planting business, but he’s the first to cheer the plants on and marvel at their bloom, color and attractiveness. Hell I wouldn’t be surprised to learn if he allowed others to “assume” he had a major role in this accomplishment! Not that I care – hell, he does help so let folks assume what they will.

It’s just one of my retirement projects and hey, it works and its fun. Now that folks are telling me if I plant daffodils and tulips together the critters will stay away. Seems they don’t like daffodils so they won’t dig blubs up to discover that nasty taste and I guess they spread the word so other critters don’t waste their time either!

That is my game plan for today – oh, one other plan, I’m fixing dinner for my daughter and son-in-law too. As he’s fixing up various hunting areas, that means dinner needs to be later than usual so he can spend as much time as possible in the woods. All in all, a busy day and yes, I shall get in plenty of football time too. Hey, Sunday without football is a sin, right?

Why is it that our children can’t read a Bible in school, but they can in prison?