hoooooome home on the raaaaaaange

Today has been a weird day, what from I'm not sure, maybe the weird weather or the moon, but I've felt strange. All day I was tired and having arguments with myself in my head about anything I could think of. At one point I got so worked up I had to climb down from the ladder where I was painting and sit for a second. I haven't gotten like that in forever, its a strange place to be, making arguments in your head about all the issues of the world.

When Mel and I got overwhelmed we decided to walk down to the creek, and I walked up it about 400 yards. Creeks are really interesting to look at and they're so quieting. They're too cold though, so the desire to lay down in it is not fulfilling once you do it. I do like that you can see down to the bottom and know where your feet are going and how deep the water is. With the sound you just get used to not knowing when your feet will stop touching the ground and you'll have to start swimming.

I also learned how to plant spinach today, which was so much fun. Spinach like soil high in nitrate and should be planted 4 inches apart, because they should be between 6-12 inches apart AFTER they've been thinned. They begin to sprout about a week to 12 days after they are initially planted.

There's a grass hopper infestation right now so we had to spray the area with a phosphate and then cover it up with netting. They're beginning to mate, which is creepy, and we're supposed to kill them mid-act so they don't go laying their eggs all over the garden for next year.

I'm beginning to get much stronger and feel so capable and healthy. We eat straight from the garden most days and I haven't had anything to drink since Omaha a week and a half ago. It feels like so much longer. I really love gardening and I love learning about running a business. Carol, the farm owner, is absolutely an amazing woman and I can't believe we've come in contact with her. She wants us to stay for longer or come back, maybe I will. I don't know what we're doing after Oregon. We have coffee every morning and she makes us lunch and we chat. We're learning all about her life and her husband's life here and in Alaska, and she imparts us with some gold nugget of life wisdom every day.

Tomorrow we're getting up early and harvesting for the Sheridan WY CSA. Then we'll be staying with Carol and her Husband in their house in town and go see a movie and look around. Apparently its a traditional western town with a bar called the Mint Bar which has been around for the longest time. Carol's parents met there, and her grandfather used to have drinks there when he'd take her grandmother in to town for the day. We're going to stick out like sore thumbs, but I'm really excited to see what the town version of Wyoming's all about.