Mountain Man and I have been discussing what we need to be doing to prepare our garden for winter and ultimately to ensure healthy soil for next spring. Mother Earth News magazine is one of our favorite resources for information about growing a successful garden. After reading many articles, but most importantly Simple Tips for Better Garden Soil and Ruth Stouts System, we concluded that we do not want to till the plot until the spring and are we are going to mulch heavily this winter. Why? In brief, the first layer of the soil is filled with a microscopic living food web, improving the way nutrients are both carried to and absorbed by crops. So we don't want to disturb the web that has been developing in the soil around our spring and fall crops by tilling it. We want to protect it. A thick layer of organic mulch, including leaves (we have loads of those now), vegetative household garbage, grass clippings, mulched branches, straw, sawdust, etc, will protect the soil and provide much needed nutrients as it disintegrates. We will then plant winter rye which will provide additional nutrients to the living food web during the winter, preparing it for the spring planting. In order to be able to cover the entire garden plot with at least 8 inches of mulch, we decided to buy a used mulcher/shredder. After researching what was available, we found out from our neighbor/friend Charlie that he has a friend Dean, who was selling one.
We met with Dean today. We were very pleased with both the condition and the capability of the mulcher/shredder he was selling. I was most pleased with the size of the mulch it produced, with was very small, almost looking like grass cuttings. We negotiated an agreeable price and went inside to pay him.
This is where the story connects mulching and guitars...
Besides introducing us to his new puppy Susie (tiny, adorable, friendly shih tu) and showing us his G gauge LGB model train engine (he had already boxed it up so we couldn't see it run, but it was a really cool western locomotive), he asked us if Charlie told us what his hobby was. We said no, and he pulled out two electric guitars he had made, by hand! This is when I said 'Oh, I have GOT to get my camera' and ran to the car...
These are beautiful pieces of art...Dean hand made and hand calibrated both of them.
What an unexpectedly fascinating and worthwhile day! From mulchers to guitars...who would have thunk it!
On another note, big hugs and healing thoughts for a dear friend who is in surgery today. May everything go well and recovery be swift!
Thanks for reading my blog, you are the best f/f/r/s/f's, see you tomorrow,
Lise
4 comments:
To til or not to til. Our question was answered when the blacksmith couldn't pull up the tomato stakes because the ground is dried, dried, dried and hard, hard, hard around them. We will have to wait for snow and moisture to get them out of the ground. So we will probably wait until next spring! Problem solved here!
That mulcher will come in handy, we need one of those but the gitars are excusite.. He sure is skilled .. I wish my nephew could see those and meet him.. He plays and collects Guitars..Great post..Susie
Patti, you guys sure have had a rough year with how dry it was!
Thanks Susie, I agree, those hand made guitars are amazing!
Mulching and hand made electric guitars...can only be found in the mountains! Hugs!
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