Terrific Tuesday

Spent the entire day outside today. Only 1/2 of my crew showed up today... one had a gazillion appointments and the other was AWOL. Since, I was short of patients to begin with because one got a job and was in limbo about another patient returning, this news meant that percentages would be low for today. Yes, even where I work the system tries to quantify the effectiveness of counselors by the number of patients on one's caseload.

So, I decided that we would start planting the whiskey barrels (yes, they were real barrels... when they were still empty you could smell the sour mash) this morning. My co-worker and I each took a veteran. She worked with one patient filling the remaining barrels that were not completed on Monday with compost, turning the mixture over, and finally dispersing a mixture of Soil Moist (R) and Osmocote (R). I worked with another patient on barrels that were loaded and stirred Monday and planted them with shade loving annuals. The shade barrels are going to have 2 Red Wizard Coleus, 2 Golden Pineapple Wizard Coleus, and 2 golden Marguerite Ipomea if all plants make it through the elements (and the squirrels!).

After the shade barrels were planted this am, returned to planting in the afternoon some of the remaining barrels for sun loving plants. In these barrels we are planting (with hope) Crackerjack Marigolds, Cut and Come Again Zinnias, and Setcreasea Pallida (purple heart). All plants are healthy with the exception of the 50% of the zinnias. The thrips really gnawed at the zinnias. This initiated the maiden voyage of the Water Dog for the new season. My team planted, the other team watered.

Very satisfying day...lots of work finished.

Topic for discussion: Looking for work as a drywall finisher in the present economy, housing market, owning a home, saving for a home, mobile homes... the wreckage of the past...