21. DIRT, SEEDS AND HOPE

On Monday, I stopped at Home Depot and visited the Garden Center.

I bought a bag of dirt.

It cost ten dollars and fifty-seven cents.

I don’t have an extra ten bucks just now, but I bought it anyway. I took the money off my debit card even though the money was already allocated and scheduled to electronically  pay storage, insurance and cell phone fees to pretty much within the penny.

Why the heck did I buy a bag of dirt?

I need make-up, a pair or two of pants that fit since I’ve lost weight, liners for my dogs’ belly bands, my prescription and some dish soap.

So why dirt?

I have seeds.

Florida soil (sugar sand) and I have never really come to terms with each other. From deep, rich Iowa’s top soil, where gardening was a given, it’s a whole other type of activity here on the peninsula.

I’ve seen a few articles about how you can grow vegetables in a bag of dirt, by simply cutting holes in the bag and putting in the plants or seeds.

So, that is exactly why I bought a bag of dirt..

Yesterday, I did it. I laid the bag flat, near the back door and the garden hose, cut some slits in it and poked my knife a few times into the ‘bottom’ for drainage. Into the slits on ‘top’ I placed seeds for orange bell pepper, broccoli, radicchio, bib lettuce, and baby watermelon. And a bonus for the cats we live with, some wheat grass.

And then I sprinkled it.

It’s been windy, and drying so I will sprinkle some today again.

My seeds, which are from Whole Foods, are organic, so I bought the Miracle Grow Organic soil in the beige bag.

Why all this trouble?

Since moving back to Florida, I have become uber-conscious of the financial cost of every food I put in my mouth. The seeds, all being vegetables, are allowed on the Access system, and since they are organic, I figured they deserve the best soil I can offer them.

I cannot grow chocolate or steak or chicken or rice or flour, but hey! Maybe I can supplement my meager food allowance by growing some of my own vitamins in the Florida sun.

If this works reasonably well, perhaps I could buy another bag of dirt for some peas, beans and potatoes… then another for strawberries… and another for herbs… well, my Gemini tendency is to get carried away, so I will, for now, focus on this one bag of dirt and see how it goes.

Hopefully, I will have vegetative news to share in future postings.

When I establish a new income, my intention is to be a conservative steward of my resources. Grandma tried to teach me that back in the 1950’s and 1960’s, and egotistically, I thought I had it down. Apparently I missed something, or would be in less of a pickle now.

But here’s a cool thing: My dearest friend in all the world found a way to save me about twelve dollars a month on my cell phone bill, and I received a very upsetting email from my car insurance saying my new customer discount had expired and my monthly bill was going from 81 to 94 and change. I steamed and fretted, and then placed a call. With a few simple adjustments to coverage, I got the bill down to 75 bucks a month and those two savings (insurance and cell) more than cover the cost of my seemingly frivolous dirt expenditure. All is in Divine and Perfect Order, though we often do not know how to realize it. Sometimes its big and sometimes its small, but somehow, its always there.

Blessed Be

Victoria Lea

# 20. Oh Bother!

Yes, as Winnie the Pooh often said when things went wrong in unexpected ways, Oh Bother indeed.
On October 19th, a Friday, The general manager quizzed me about my health condition, not liking the way I moved, that I sometimes used a cane, and that I had fallen over one day at the cash register. He told me to finish out the day but do not come back until I have a letter from a doctor proving that I am fully able to perform all the tasks required, not just standing at the register, but climbing fifteen foot ladders, passing 25 pound boxes over my head repeatedly to someone above me and carrying large boxes without harming myself or others.
So, between the telemarketing job that paid under the counter with no deductions, the three months at the library and the 6 weeks at the retail store, I still have not worked enough here in Florida to qualify for Unemployment Compensation.
Well, I already have a doctor's appointment for November 19th, and cannot get anything sooner. And so, at the very least, I must go without income for another month. Doctors are not in the budget. (What budget? The one that is pretty much non-existent.) So it's a county doctor at the DFC clinic and it will still cost $42.
I sincerely doubt that I will come away with the letter that general manager wants to see.
So I continue to beef up my efforts to find another job.
Hopefully, I will stay out of retail. I have done well in that field, but I think it is no longer the right place for me. My county case worker insists I should find something more sedentary, with less physical demands. I agree. I also need to be able to move around a lot and not just sit continually.
I want to do one of those work from home Internet link posting things, but:
A. I don't have the $97 to invest in it and
B. I'm always paranoid about scams.
My writing is devouring much of my time.
My novel is complete, except I keep tweaking it and have added a couple of additional chapters at the end. I'm trying to decide if they are anti-climactic or if they are essential for closure. Perhaps they lead to a sequel. Oh Bother! Let's not count our chicks before they have hatched!
Also another short story has all the makings of another book, this time a genre plot with a more limited demographic. I shan't go into it here.
It seems that the available jobs for writers are for technical writers. There we go again! When will people realize that technology will not last forever. Let's get down to basics again folks!

I'd like to do some tutoring. Pet sitting is not a steady income, but I'm willing to do it locally, as long as it pays for the gas and my time. There are a lot of things I can do and love to do, but how do I get paid for doing them? That's the BIG question!

Anyway, here at 'home' I continue to occupy the guest room with my two dogs, Cooper and Munchie, and when I am out, they generally hang out in the dining room after I oust the cats.
Between my bathroom and bedroom, I do my cooking and washing up, although, if I let the dishes go too long, I take a dishpanful of them down to the laundry room when everyone is away, and do the washing up there in the big stainless sink.
I plan to begin making my own bread again, but keep forgetting to buy yeast. My favorite hypoallergenic bread is no longer available, so I'd better make a go of it myself.
I certainly miss using a gas stove. The one downstairs is off limits to me for the most part, but when everyone is gone, I will occasionally do up a big batch of something and freeze it in meal-size portions.

Here's a money-saving tip: If you need to stretch a can of dog food an extra day, instead of giving it to them straight, use it as a spread and make them sandwiches on toast. They find it very satisfying. Magickly, in their eyes, you have turned mere dog food into people food! Also good for picky eaters, and you can sprinkle in a dash of Parmesan cheese and they think they're at a fancy restaurant.

I will try to return to my regular weekly posting schedule. Again, I apologize for being out of touch so long. Sometimes the situation can get a person down to the point where they don't even feel like talking about it. However, I have taken on this project and admit it is nice to vent, share, and possibly share an inspiration from time to time.

I hope you will keep reading and supporting my blogging efforts by visiting the linkages and making regular visits to this site as well as my other blogs too. I hope to be posting to them again soon too.
Thank you and bless you for you continuing support.
Victoria