Sandy Miller Pottery & Garden: WHAT CAN I LIVE WITH AND WITHOUT IN 2022.......

We are 5 months into the dumpster fire of 2022. I have passed my bone density test and getting better everyday, especially now that Spring is here. Where to begin....... there has been cross country trip to Colorado for a mega graduation and back in record speed. On that long, straight-through drive of 26 hours; I take the 10 pm to 6 am shift, there is quite a bit of peering into the darkness looking for ...... WHAT? I don't know but a lot stuff shakes out of the darkness; thin white lines, glowing red tail lights. Where the hell are we going this year? I wish I could say there was a great white light and the answers appeared on the back door of an 18 wheeler headed east at 3 a.m. but honestly who knew there were so many truckers out looking for Jesus or a truck wash because scribbled in dirt it states; "WASH ME" or "Honk if you love Jesus".

I started compiling a list of what I will choose to live with and without in this year of 2022 and maybe ever after.

1. I will not leave my little plot of land in the month May...... EVER!

1a. I cannot live without green and growing things, preferably a garden.

I wait all winter for gardens and green and Spring flowers. You know that new Spring green that appears in a sliver of time when everything is waking up. The halo on the tops of trees in the early morning sun and you just know something BIG is starting. It is like sticking your finger in electrical outlet. April was a roller coaster and the weather kind of sucked, so May is big pay off month. When April showers turn into ice and snow, we bide our time waiting for May. May is all outside time! May sets the gardener up for the rest of the year and it's a breathless time. The weather broke on May 2nd. Tiny little plants were slammed in the ground at head spinning rate. Sprinkled seeds randomly, shoved bulbs, corms and root cuttings in the ground, divided what turned out to be an 80 pound rooted hosta into 4 giant plants (almost killing myself), raked leaves, filled the compost pile to a groaning level and said the gardeners prayer; GROW DAMMIT! Do your best, buck up and I will be back but I know not when. I am sorry. Prayed there would be rain, no frost, the squirrels would meet the hawks, the deer would stay in the woods having their Bambi moment and the gardens would grow. We backed out of the driveway on May 4th; dirt still under my fingernails, exhausted, and packed.

hosta madness......

all the starts waiting to go in the ground....

beds prepped and compost spread........

Leeks and shallots....... thank you Nancy FG!!

3 types of kale, onion seeds and marigolds....

and dug up the next day by evil tree rats!

all beds netted but still one more thing argh!

they dug up the transplanted strawberries too...

also netted!

The morning of May 3rd, chickens were wrangled and hustled off to Flannel Dog Farm chicken camp. It was that or the freezer. When I didn't get hold of the head dog at FDF I went right to the dark side and started looking for my killing cone but alas sanity prevailed and contact was made! I excel at heading to the dark side when under time constraints and madness.

The chickens and the flock mistress thank you Flannel Dog Farm from the bottom of our coop 💖🐔

2. I cannot live without chickens.

My long list was checked off and we headed to Columbus.......Are we there yet?

3. Can't live without a dog. That is all.......

4. I cannot live without coffee.

This is right up there with green growing things and fluffy feathered things that deposit eggs. While I slammed plants in the ground I had the epiphany, coffee shops have been closing by 7 or 9 pm. I knew I would be driving the nightshift, what to do? From the garden, while on my knees, I ordered this! Jeff Bezos sucks but sometimes Amazon is amazing, it was here that afternoon and I used my amazon points so it was FREE (well sort of but I am working the system) !

Ok it's magical to make hot water while driving down a dark a road at 2 am. This thing fits in my cup holder and tells me when it's ready! It does not prevent me from pouring boiling water over myself so pull over and make coffee, walk the dog and look at the stars over Missouri or Kansas. I also brought the french press for breakfast and packed snacks!

and Starbucks instant coffee, who knew!?

Break time for Kirby too!

5. I can live without the spiffy little kettle but it was very nice :)

6. I cannot live without family fun and this was a blast to see everybody. (but not in May!)

Congratulations Abby!!! Just WOW!

7. We cannot live without making new friends.

It was another Miller whirlwind trip but the observations were real.

Colorado is on fire and is in a drought. Every single body of water we hiked or passed by was down, significantly. Where there were large bodies of water and even yacht clubs, boats lay abandoned on dry land. Even in the mountains we thought the snow run off would fill the reservoirs but they were down, very far down and it's May! We saw more fire damage and heard reports of major fires in New Mexico with Colorado not far behind.

8. Cannot live without WATER!

We crossed into Kansas and it was so bleak. Over grazing, so much irrigation, so much brown. it is estimated the Ogallala aquifer will be 70% depleted in 48 years and yet building new homes and businesses is fierce. Mono-crops and cows for miles. Nice to see windmills too but you cannot drive across this country and think everything is fine.

Just outside Limon, CO. we hit our first dust storm. It clogged our air filter on the van. I pulled over and banged it on the pavement while the tumble weeds rolled past. Even in the car it felt like we had steel wool in our eyes. We kept driving to get out of it, my god we didn't even see roadkill. Just as evening fell half way across Kansas we hit a hail storm of grasshoppers or locusts.

9. I can live without giant grasshoppers and murder hornets.

I will never get those bug guts out of my fenders or grill. I kept saying; holy crap, this is MAY! I texted the kids: Stay tuned for more pestilence and plague updates on the drive home! But alas they had flown to San Diego for a friends wedding and were living their best lives......