You Can't Make This Stuff Up- Today's Garden Adventure

I have wanted to have a garden for a long time, but we have only had a house with a yard for the last couple of years and our yard has a lot of shade, so it has taken me a while to figure out where I can plant things so they get enough sunshine.

I love the idea of gardening, we had a garden growing up and I weeded it laboriously for years, but I have never planned a garden or been responsible for planting, growing, etc.  I have started a few herb gardens from seeds, but they seem to dry up and die on me shortly after sprouting.

The bottom line....I may be better at killing things than growing things, but nevertheless I am determined to have a reasonably sized patio garden this summer.

Today's gardening task was to simply go out to the transfer station and get some dirt to fill some containers.  It should have taken about 10-15 minutes tops.  Instead, here is what happened.

I drove to the transfer station with my two kids safely buckled in their car seats...so far, so good.  I drove around looking for this elusive dirt with a sinking feeling that I had no idea where to go....how can it be hard to find dirt?  I find what I think to be a good pile and set about my task.

I get on my gloves and get out of the van and go around to open the hatch to get my shovel and bucket.  It's locked...so I head back to unlock it.  The van is locked, the kids are inside, and the car is running.  Have you ever tried to convince a 3-year-old to get out of his carseat to unlock a door?  It's a REALLY windy day in Kansas and I am outside next to piles of yard waste and dirt.  Phone is in the van, keys are in the van, kids are in the van, shovel is in the van, bucket is in the van...you get the point.

Embarrassed, I see a fellow yard worker and ask to borrow his cell phone so my husband can come bail me out of my predicament.  Grrrr......Husband comes and lets  me in the van.  My son has peed himself cause he was stuck in the van.  Oh well.  I start to get to work and realize the pile I thought was dirt is really mulch....really Leah....are you that dense!  YUP!

I finally find a dirt pile that's kind of hard to get to and start digging.  Then the guy running the wood chipper came over and told me I was using the wrong dirt and pointed me to the compost pile.  great...now more witnesses of my idiocy.

So, I drive over to the compost pile and start digging...again.  On my second trip my bucket literally blows away and I have to chase it into a field.  I manage to get my dirt and head for home.  I must have been muttering because my son keeps saying..."This is terrible....we're having a terrible time."  I gotta learn that three year olds repeat EVERYTHING!

Anyway, my garden adventure may prove that Kitchy Mama should stick to familiar territory and keep cooking, but I'm not giving up yet.  I'll keep you posted.





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