Independence Days July 13-27

I worked for three days, then we were gone for four-and-a-half days for the family reunion, so this is a two-week update.

1. Plant something: Planted asparagus beans for tunnel and bird house gourds for teepee. Transplanted tomatoes, peppers, basil, sage, rosemary, Mexican heather, rudibeckia, coneflowers.

2. Harvest something: Peach and cantaloupe. Rainwater.

3. Preserve something: Nothing.

4. Waste not: Eating leftovers. Weekly recycling & composting. Reusable cups/mugs and bags. Cloth napkins. Recycled bags for trash. Scrap paper. Using bricks from an old walkway on our property to border the three sisters garden. Used branches for stakes.

5. Want not. Secondhand shop finds: 1960s folding chairs in excellent condition; three Crazy Daisy plates & four mixing bowls; jelly jar glass to match the others I have.

6. Build community: Reconnected with family at the reunion. Long-distance community, but vital nonetheless.

7. Eat the food: Ate the peach and cantaloupe. Ate some homegrown items brought to the reunion potluck. Also enjoying some homegrown sweet corn given to us by one of Jeff's cousins.

8. Life-long learner: Reading The Rodale Book of Composting.

Here is the original information about the Independence Days Challenge.